Coupons: Suggestions for Beginners

When you’re thinking about going into couponing it can be very overwhelming. When I first started, I just stared at my beginners book, afraid to even open it. There is so much to know, but it really does become second nature quite fast. 

It became a drug... SO ADDICTING! I would come home and lay everything out for my fiancé to see and take pictures of it like some kind of a prize. Sorry, but it is! “Look at what all my effort got us! FREE STUFF!”

 And seriously, I mean free. I have so much shampoo and conditioner that I don’t have to “buy” any for YEARS. Literally. Almost three years worth of shampoo is sitting on a shelf in my basement.

Suggestions for Beginners:

1. Start collecting inserts NOW! 

And not just one paper every Sunday... multiples. Because, trust me, when the heavens align and your kids favorite cereal is on sale and you can stack coupons to make it free... you’re going to wish you had 20 of those damn coupons. 

I personally buy three, and get another set from a coworker for free, totaling in four sets each week. The number of papers you buy can depend on your family size... use your judgement. I suggest getting at least two for potential BOGO sales (we’ll get there, I promise). 

2. Learn Store Policies

This one took me a while to wrap my head around. Each store is different. Take time to learn your usual go-to stores first, test the policies out with small orders until you get used to them. Some stores double coupons, some won’t, etc. 

Some stores give you overage on your coupons (Walmart does this, FYI). Which means if you have a coupon for $2/1 shaving cream, and the shaving cream is only $1.97, they take the extra $.03 and put it toward the rest of your haul. *ahem, this is why I buy multiple Sunday papers*

3. Know how to read a coupon: Coupon Anatomy

I use For The Mommas for my coupon match ups (they tell you how sales coordinate with available coupons... and where to find the coupons/which insert they are in). They explain the anatomy of a coupon fantastically here: Coupon Anatomy. 

and most importantly...

4. Do NOT throw ANY coupons away!

Even if you don't think you'll ever need them because, "why would I buy Depends?! Ever?!" WHEN IT MAKES YOU MONEY! Yes, you can make money with coupons! This happens to me a lot at CVS with their ECB program. Sometimes, you can get a sale item for free with a coupon but then when heavens align, CVS also offers $3 ECB's and BAM! ... you just made $3 on Depends. You just made money, and now you can donate the items you don't need!

Just getting into couponing? I want to hear about it! What's most difficult for you? What stores do you go to for the best shopping hauls? Any seasoned couponers have more advice for beginners? 

Coupons: Basic Terms & Abbreviations

Here is a basic list of terms and their corresponding abbreviations (coupon matchup sites will use these, you should know them) for future reference. 

Trust me, you can handle this. 

BOGO: Buy One, Get One

Blinkies: Little red coupon machines in grocery store aisles with small blinking lights.

CAT / Catalina: Buying groups of items together resulting in a money-off coupon for future purchases. They print from a catalina printer at the register.

ECB: Extra Care Bucks (CVS... we love these!)

FAR: Free After Rebate

GM: General Mills

IP / Printable: Internet Printable 

MFR / MQ: Manufacturer Coupon

MIR: Mail In Rebate

MM: Money Maker!!!! Yes, you can make money with coupons.

OOP: Out Of Pocket, what you pay after coupons

OYNO: On Your Next Order 

Peelies: coupons on the actual product (usually say ‘save $$ now!’)

PG / P&G: Proctor and Gamble

Q: Coupon

RP: Red Plum, a Sunday coupon insert

SC: Store coupon, redeemable only at certain stores will say ‘redeemable only at...’

SS: SmartSource, a Sunday coupon insert

Tear Pads: a pad of coupons, you tear off individually

WYB: When You Buy

Again, these are the most basic and most used terms. I’ll be doing a coupon blog post every week so if there is something you’d like to know more about, ask away! And if I’m not sure, we can find the answer together! 

When There's No Time to Coupon, Aldi to the Rescue!

Let's be serious, when you're juggling work, housework, and a teething toddler, sometimes you just don't have the time or energy for it. So I wanted to find something that was cheap with or without coupons. Then I remembered reading a blog post about Aldi a while back.

What is Aldi?

Aldi is a cheaper alternative to a typical grocery store. How they keep prices low:

1. Shopping Carts: all of their carts are in one spot. You put a quarter in to retrieve your cart and return it to get your quarter back. No employees to pay to retrieve them.

2. Bags: you bring your own, or purchase 'reusable' ones at checkout.

3. Box System: they do not stock shelves. Everything is stacked in boxes.

4. No Credit Cards: they do not accept credit cards to avoid paying the fees.
(They accept cash, debit, and EBT)

My Aldi Experience

I hadn't been to an Aldi in about 10 years so I decided to go just to check it out and see how it had changed. They recently added an organic line (including snacks for babies/kids!) and I even spotted some gluten free items if that's your thing. I had planned on going just to look around and take mental notes on prices and products... but I left with a cart full of groceries (29 items).

My son is quite particular when it comes to fruit and snacks. So I grabbed an assortment for him to try since it was cheap enough to purchase a variety without messing up our budget. First thing I had him try was the Simply Nature squeezable apple/banana pouches. It went very well:

I only wish my Aldi had a variety of flavors especially because a package of four pouches only cost me $1.99! Yes, fellow mommas, only .50 a pouch! I rarely get name brand pouches for that low even with coupons.

I should mention that they did have some name brand products, including: Pampers (happy momma!), gatorade and Tampax (for only $3, whaaaat?!).

Long story short, I'll be going again! Have you tried any Aldi brand food? How did you like it?