Hey There!
I am so excited to help you with your coupon ventures :) I have always had a coupon site on facebook, but recently have been approached by a lot of close friends asking how they can cut costs on their grocery bill. My slogan is "Times are hard and wallets are empty" .... so let's jump right in!
Feel free to email me at:
* put "coupon question" in the subject line if you need help with something :)
I have a facebook site setup where I post the coupon matchups from different sites every week & post good deals when I find them. I also have links to some local coupon sites & pages in the Wilmington area to help you maximize the savings too!
Motivational Statement:
Couponing is a process. You are not going to have a coupon for every item, catch every deal and/or know all of the sales. Good news is, most sales rotate every 3 to 6 months and you will more than likely see the same deal again! And, there are an abundance of FREE coupon resources, printable coupon sites & bloggers out there to help you every step of the way. If you use 1 coupon on 1 item and save even a penny, you are already doing an awesome job and saving more than the average consumer.
Let's get started:
I recommend the following -
Create a Gmail email address just for your coupons. Most sites that allow you to register for savings want an email address. No need including personal business with coupon business AND if you ever get tired of the email, you can delete the coupon email account and start again from scratch.
Create a filing system for your coupons. This one is a personal preference. Some folks use the binder method with baseball card inserts, some keep their inserts whole until they actually need the coupons. Some keep all of their coupons in a shoe box, and others have one of those plastic filing systems from the dollar store. Any way is good, as long as you have a way that works for you.
Sign up for an in-store savings card & register your coupon email address with the stores website. NOT a credit card. These are like your VIC card at Harris Teeter or Fresh Rewards card at Lowes Foods. Once you have signed up, make sure you register on the grocery store website too! At Harris Teeter, once you sign up you will get weekly specials and specials set especially for the things you buy most at that store.
Get the app's to help save you money! Ibotta, Harris Teeter, Coupons.com - these are all resouces that you can download as an APP on your smartphone.
OK..... now that you have all that done, we now have a good foundation setup to start saving some money!
Coupons, coupons coupons! Printable coupons, coupons in the paper, coupons in the magazine.... you will find them everywhere!
I suggest buying 2 or 3 papers every Sunday. Specifically, the Raleigh paper or Charlotte paper if you can get one because their market is bigger and they typically get better coupons. If you can't get your hands on these papers, the Star News is good ole reliable and typically there are plenty available when the Raleigh paper is sold out. (I am working on a list of places that sell the Raleigh paper for all those that are wondering.... )
Coupons.com, CouponSuzy.com, Saving.com, Redplum.com, Smartsource.com, Commonkindness.com and direct manufacturer websites (typically you can find the links printed on the back of most of the products you buy every day) .... these are all good sites to print coupons from and they are FREE.
A little bit of printable coupon housekeeping :
1. Photocopying a printable coupon is illegal.
2. You can typically get 2 internet prints per computer. So, if I have 2 netbooks or desktop computers connected to the same printer at my house, I can print the same coupon 2x's from each computer ie: IP address -- making it 4 prints total.
3. YOUR PRINTABLE COUPONS ARE TRACKED. It's bolded for a reason and deserves caps just for caution. Your IP address is in fine print on every printable coupon, and that is how most coupon clearing houses catch coupon fraudsters.... better safe than sorry.
Okie dokie --- that is enough to get us started. Next - we are gonna review the basics including grocery store vs. drug store couponing, store coupon policies and then special coupon events like Harris Teeter/Lowes Foods Super Doubles and Triples.
Until then,
I am excited to see your savings! Even if it is 1 coupon for 1 item... please share on my facebook page Cape Fear Coupon Friends, so we can all enjoy the savings!
Sarah
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