Freebies & Saving $$$

I have been obsessively clipping coupons ever since I got my driver's license (it's been 10 years already!) In the last few months I've really kicked it into overdrive. I get multiple items for free every week now, and I think I've gotten my system down to a science. Here are some easy, helpful tips to get the most out of your money and to get the most without SPENDING your money:

1. Buy at least 3 newspapers for triple the amount of coupons each week. This is key, especially when there is a sale on items that you have to buy multiples of to take advantage of the sale price.

2. Match your coupons against all of your local grocery stores, chain stores and drug stores weekly circular. I probably visit at least 3 of these stores in my area each week to take advantage of each of their deals that week. For example, at CVS one week I got my husband a free Gillette Fusion razor. That same week I got 2 sample sizes of Tide detergent and 1 sample size of All detergent at Target. I also got free frozen vegetables at Shop Rite and 4 free pints of Starbucks ice cream, among numerous other items that I cannot recall at the moment. Another week, I got 2 free bottles of salad dressing, 3 free candy bars and 2 free bags of shredded cheese at Walmart. After a few weeks of searching for these types of deals you should have a pretty good idea what stores are going to give you the best deals. This is your core group of stores where you should focus your energy.

3. Take advantage of rebate programs. Rite Aid has a fantastic rebate program. Last month alone I made $60 back in overages, earned a $20 gift card and got $100 in free products, just for purchasing rebate items and using my coupons. This is a great opportunity to make some money and get lots of free products. I charged everything to my credit card and a month later had a check mailed to me to cover the amount that I charged plus the additional $60. This program has been my biggest money maker so far.

4. I cannot emphasize this one enough - scour the internet for coupons. I get many of my freebies from checking out coupon forums to see what deals other people are getting and from printing my coupons off the internet. www.coupons.com and www.hotcouponworld.com are both great sites. I also get many of my deals from checking out blogs like www.thethriftymommy.blogspot.com and www.krazycouponlady.blogspot.com. I've gotten free mp3 downloads and tons of free samples through the mail because I follow websites like these.

5. Combine manufacturers coupons with store coupons. Target is a great place to do this. You can get something free or very close to free every week from this store just by combining sale items with store and manufacturers coupons. A couple weeks ago I got several bags of Chex Mix from doing this. Skippy peanut butter was only a few cents a couple weeks before that. Most recently I got 2 packages of baby wipes for free using just a Target store coupon. Sometimes, it isn't even necessary to have BOTH a manufacturer and store coupon to get something for free.

6. The more time you put in now, the less time it will take you later. Many people are turned off by the idea of couponing for the sake of time constraints. Here's what I would say to this: it is an investment that pays itself off quickly and if maintained properly will take up less time the longer you keep up with it. I have two coupon filing systems - one is for groceries, the other is for eating out/house (drycleaning, home repairs, etc.)/clothing. Because I have these filing systems set up, every week when I clip my new coupons I already have an organized way to keep track of them. I probably spend about 30 minutes a week clipping my coupons from the newspapers and filing them and about an hour comparing my coupons with whatever sales are going on that week. I save an average of roughly $40 to $50 a week (and maybe even sometimes more than that) on our grocery bill. You do the math.

7. Farmers Markets - Okay, so this part isn't really about coupons, but I have to share anyway because this concept is close to my heart. I LOVE cooking with whole foods. I'm not really one to buy processed foods for my family. Because of that, vegetables and fruits are a staple in our home. Since I have been buying our produce at the Farmers Market our fruit and vegetable grocery bill has been slashed in half. Some weeks, if the week prior I have stocked up on meat and other items, I don't even have to visit the grocery store. I love avoiding the hustle of the grocery store and the long lines whenever I can. At the Farmers Market everything is fresh, cheap and I'm in and out quick.

I'm going to stop here for now.

Happy couponing!!!