So about a month ago I had a lazy day where all I wanted to do is lay on the couch, stuff my face, and watch stupid tv shows all day long. This is exactly what I did, and lucky for me I landed on TLC’s show “Extreme Couponing”. Even luckier for me, it was a flipping marathon. My bargain brain could not be more sucked in to this show! I had always looked for the best deal when grocery shopping, but I had never really thought about clipping coupons. I did some research, came across this blog For The Mommas (I know, I’m not a mom… don’t judge.) and it is amazing. She posts daily coupon deals and about a month ago she did a Learn to Coupon in 30 days segment, where I learned to coupon! I’m going to summarize the tips I took with me:
1st Step: WHERE do you find coupons?
-Sunday Papers (They usually hold coupon books such as SmartSource and RedPlum which have coupons you can use at any store)
-Online
Websites such as:
Coupons.com
GroceryCoupons4U.com
CouponNetwork.com
Ralphs.com — This is my favorite because if you have a Ralph’s
card, you can digitally download coupons straight to your card,
no clipping necessary!
-In The Store
Often when you make a purchase, the cashier will hand you some
coupons with your receipt. They are called catalina coupons and
look like this:
2nd Step: Understanding the Barcode.
There are two types of coupons: Manufacturer’s coupons, and Store coupons.
Manufacturer’s coupons will always have a 5 or a 7 at the beginning of the barcode. They will look like this:
See the 5 in the very front? That is an indication that it is a Manufacturer’s coupon, as well as the top bar that says “Manufacturer’s coupon” durrrr. You can use these ANYWHERE.
Store coupons are for example, a Walgreen’s coupon, that you can only use at Walgreen’s. It looks like this:
Notice there is no 5 or 7 in the front and it has a Walgreen’s logo.
NOW here is where it gets tricky.. see this coupon?
It says Manufacturer’s coupon, has a 5 in front, but also says CVS/pharmacy. It is still a Manufacturer’s coupon and you could use this at Walgreen’s or Riteaid if you so please.
This one…
Is the same set up but it doesn’t have a 5 or 7 in front so even though it says Manufacturer’s coupon, it is a Riteaid coupon.
3rd Step: How to act like an extreme couponer… (kind of)
Let’s get one thing straight, these people dedicate their lives to this and they are a little bit nutty. How much handsoap or boxes of cereal does one REALLY need? But you can indeed get items for free or practically free. Here’s how:
Most stores will allow you to combine ONE manufacturer coupon and ONE store coupon. You will have to check the store’s coupon policy (it can usually be found on the website). On top of that, if you keep track of your coupon clippings, an item may go on sale, in which you combine the manufacturer coupon, the store coupon, and on top of that the sale, and that is how you get stuff for free.
I hope this was helpful and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! There is so much more to couponing than I shared here today, but I’ll keep you guys posted with sales and whatnot!
xoxo,
Hannah