Confessions of a Couponer

Sometimes I just cant help but laugh about how excited I get over deals I score using coupons and along with sale prices. It doesn't seem to matter how many coupons I have used, or how many shopping trips I have saved big on, I still get all giddy about the ability to save TONS of money using coupons. The shopping trip does not even have to be a big trip to make me feel this way. Sometimes it may only be a couple of bags, sometimes TONS. Either way I smile!

My confession this week is that when I got home from the store I unpacked my things but did not get right to putting them where they belong. I left them sitting on the kitchen table where I could just admire them for a little while. I love looking at the items I have purchased in "bulk" for less than half of the regular retail price. It sounds silly, but I would be willing to bet some of you fellow coupon users are guilty of this as well. Thats right, I just left them there to look at for a little bit. Not long enough that my husband wondered what I was doing, just long enough to smile for a few extra minutes. 

As I am writing this, the items have now been jammed into to the cupboards wherever I could find room, organized and put away. 

This particular item was a 4 star sale item. I usually try and focus on 5 stars sales however, after receiving a $3 off- ONSO coupon (from purchasing 4 boxes cereal and getting FREE milk at Smiths). I then used that coupon to make the total for these 3 babies $5.19. Which I thought was great when they have a regular price of $4.25 ea.  

These 3 bottles of detergent have yet to make their way to the laundry room so they are the only thing I had out to take a picture of, but the picture still makes me smile! So, will you admit it-You have done it too? You may not have taken a picture, but you have stood and admired your groceries, maybe even delayed putting things away so you could just look at them? 

Kraftmaid Booklet is Back

This one only sticks around for a few hours, so be sure to request your FREE Kraftmaid booklet quickly. I love browsing through my magazine for fun home decorating ideas. When you get to the website just hit the link up top that says request literature. Then hit consumer or homeowner. Follow with your zip code. Then fill out the necessary fields. We should receive our Kraftmaid literature in 7-10 days.

First of the Month Online Coupons Reset

It is the first of the month, so you know what that means! The online coupons have reset. Here are some tips about online or Internet printable coupons:

The IPS (internet printables)

• Manufactures set limits on the amounts of coupons printed. When the limit is reached they pull their coupons off. That means occasionally you will go the print a coupon and it will be gone unless you printed it off at the beginning.


• This is even more important toward the end of a month. Coupons group A-C are reset at the first of the month, so on the FIRST, when the coupons reset, they start out at zero.


• Sometimes manufactures will reset their coupons after the limit is reached, but don't count on it. Just consider yourself lucky if they do.


• I know some people are having problems with IPS. I wish I could help out in that area, but I am not tech savvy enough. I have heard that switching browsers can help. Example: On Internet Explorer and they won't print try Fire Fox or vice virsa. Another great resource is pinching your pennies. They have an entire forum to troubleshooting your IPS.

Some questions to commonly asked IP questions answered:

• Where are online coupons located? All over! You can see over the the left hand side of this there are online coupons, group A-Singles . You can also find coupons on manufactures websites, you can receive them via-email and sometimes websites will give them to you after you join their mailing lists or take a survey for them. When the Grocery Smarts lists are up you will see links that take you to online coupons. The best part about those lists are that if there are coupons online, they are on the lists. You will never have to search for coupons for items on the list yourself! Grocery Smarts lists do all the work for you.
  
• "Are IP'S worth it? It seems like a lot of paper and ink to be wasting." My answer is it depends. I think after you have a couple months worth of newspaper coupons its hit and miss. I only print ones of that make things close to FREE or if it is something I really like or know I will need. You'll never catch me printing of cereal coupons or toothpaste coupons. That is because I have DOZENS of them from my newspaper.


• Now, if you are staring out and only have a few coupons from the paper on the list then I definitely recommend using IPS to maximize your savings. My sister in law started out and only had a weeks worth of coupons, but wanted to start saving right away, so she maximized her coupons by using IPS. She told me her husband was frustrated by all the paper in ink she was using, but after she shopped she had saved over $50. That paper and ink WAY over paid for itself. IP'S are a great way of subsidizing newspaper coupons, but not a great substitute! Newspaper coupons will benefit you way more in the the long end.


• "How long do IP'S last". IPS have expiration dates on them the same way other coupons do. Most times they expire WAY faster than the ones in the paper. That's why I only print the ones off from the list that week. Otherwise they tend to expire before I have a chance to use them.


• "Can we print them off in black and white?" It depends on your store. Some stores will take black and white, some will not. Be sure to ask if you are planning on trying black and white. There reason behind that is they are trying to protect themselves from illegal photocopied coupons.


• Do all stores take IP's and the answer is no. Not all stores do take IPS. I do know that Albertsons and Smiths DO and as of August first Associated Foods started accepting IP's again. My suggestion with other stores is call ahead and ask if you are planning on using them on your shopping trip.

Also don't forget the two IP's per HOUSEHOLD rule! Have fun printing!

BOGO Free Chips Ahoy Cookies on Facebook Today!

Starting tomorrow, March 1st, Nabisco is running a campaign for a FREE package of Chips Ahoy cookies.

*Must buy 1 package of Nabisco cookies and 1 gallon of milk and get second purchase of cookies for FREE. March maximum 500,000 coupons while supplies last. Limit one per household. Coupon only available for 24 hours to download on March 1, 2010 and must be redeemed by March 4, 2010.

Coupons in Sunday's Paper

In the Daily Herald you should have received:

1 SS insert
In the SLT/DMN you should have received
1 SS insert

To read about how the Red Plum coupons are distributed click here!

To start your newspaper coupons right away, learn about the awesome newspaper deal we can get you here.

*If you ordered the paper and you didn't receive your paper or didn't get the correct number of papers please call the newspaper company first and let them know. Their numbers are on the left side of the blog. Occasionally if you are new to a route your carrier may miss your home. The newspaper companies are super easy to work with and will make sure your papers are delivered.