Times are tough and saving money is important. I have found a simple and effective way to help cut our family costs – coupons. Granted this idea isn’t a new one, but I have found the money my family saves with coupons have given us the opportunity to pay bills, save money for college funds and the occasional dinner out.
The biggest keys to saving money with coupons are:
1. Store specials
2. Coupon websites
3. Search Engine – Google, Yahoo, etc.
4. Friends/Family
STORE SPECIALS
I receive weekly ads on Tuesday or Wednesday for King Soopers, Safeway, Albertson’s and Sunflower Market. It is important to search through the store specials to increase your savings. Most of the sales posted on the website are for the four stores listed above with the occasional posting for Walgreens or Rite-Aid. Occasionally I won’t receive a store’s weekly ad in the mail. You can look up the stores weekly sale on their website.
Store specials are critical to maximizing your saving potential, but if you don’t have the time or energy to find all the store specials on your own the following website is an excellent alternative: www.thegrocerygame.com. The website provides you with a list of specials for the stores in your area, based on the coupons from your local paper. My area includes lists for King Soopers, Safeway, Walgreens, Albertson’s and Rite-Aid. There is a fee associated with this service, but the website provides you with a four week trial membership for $1.00. After the trial membership you’ll pay $10.00 every eight weeks for one store and $5.00 every eight weeks for each additional store. The items on the list are color coded based on the current store specials. The website is easy to navigate and provides you with answers to any questions you may have regarding the store lists. You can receive free weeks on your account by referring other individuals to The Grocery Game as well.
COUPON WEBSITES
The websites Shortcuts.com and Cellfire.com allow you to download coupons directly to your grocery card. You simply select the coupons you’d like to add to your card and the coupon is automatically redeemed at checkout when you purchase the corresponding product. The Kroger Company and Safeway are currently the only participating grocery chains for both of these websites. Cellfire.com allows you to download coupons for merchants like Hollywood Video and Caribou Coffee directly to your cell phone as well. Upromise.com is another website offering you downloadable coupons. When you sign up for a free account enter your grocery card information. The coupons are automatically downloaded to your grocery card. This website offers you the ability to download the coupons to both your Safeway and King Soopers card, but you can only redeem the coupon once via either card.
If you purchase P&G Brand products www.pgesaver.com can provide you with even more additional savings. Sign up for the P&G eSaver and get access to online coupons. This website is similar to Shortcuts.com and Cellfire.com, but allows you to download coupons to your King Sooopers and Safeway cards.
Several websites allow you to print coupons for your shopping trip. Smartsource.com and Coupons.com often have the best selection without the hassle of other coupon websites. I have found a way to get an additional “bonus” off of printing coupons at Coupons.com. The website Mypoints.com has lists of various companies that participate in a points program. You receive a specific number of points per dollar spent at various websites and Coupons.com is included in this points program. Every time you redeem a coupon from Coupons.com, linked via Mypoints.com, you receive 10 points. You can redeem the points for gift card or donate them to charity. I can save money on my groceries and get a gift card for one of my favorite stores or restaurants.
The website www.thecouponclippers.com allows you to track and buy additional coupons from your Sunday paper. The Coupon Tracker gives you information on the coupon inserts in your upcoming Sunday paper. Plus it gives you the option to purchase additional coupons for a nominal handling fee. The minimum amount for an order is $3.00. I have used this website for additional savings on a store’s weekly sale items. For example, my local Safeway store had several varieties of Fresh Express Salad on sale for .88/ea. One of the previous coupon inserts from my Sunday paper had a coupon for .55 off one bag of salad. I purchased additional coupons from The Coupon Clippers and purchased six bags of salad for $1.98. Granted the store sale was a good deal, but the extra savings were an added bonus.
SEARCH ENGINES
Often times you can locate coupons for a product by using a search engine. Product manufacturer’s often post coupons on their website, but never advertise the potential savings. Keep in mind not every manufacturer provides coupons for their products, but it never hurts to search.
FRIENDS/FAMILY
I have never used all of the coupons in my Sunday’s coupon inserts. Instead of throwing the “unwanted” coupons away try exchanging them with your friends, family, neighbors or co-workers. Set up a coupon mailing list or get together for coupon exchange parties.
Another opportunity for sharing regards your expired coupons. Military families are able to use expired coupons for up to six months after their expiration date. You can find more information and places to send the expired coupons at www.grocerysavingtips.com/expiredgrocerycoupons.htm
