I was just going to check my email when I saw a new article on Yahoo about 4 Upgrades That Waste Your Money.  I read it through and thought that the point on bulk food stores was very interesting and correct in my personal opinion.  Even if the bulk stores took coupons, you would only be able to use one on each huge pack you bought.  By buying smaller packages along with sales, coupons and as many other savings methods you can pile on, brings the price so much lower.  Think of it this way:

Bulk Store
Buy 1 huge box of diapers for $30.00
Use $2.00 off coupon (if they allow it)
Final Price= $28.00

Target

Buy 3 smaller packs of diapers at $10.00 each
Use (3) $2.00 off coupons

Final Price= $24.00

Even without a store reward, store coupon or other promotion, buying the three smaller ones with coupons would be a better deal. 

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Give the article a read and let us know what you think.

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One of my favorite things about using coupons and shopping the sales is that I get to try all sorts of new things that I never would have tried.  Now, I am not saying that I buy a bunch of stuff I will never use!  I am talking about trying new brands of razors, makeup, toiletries, cleaners etc. that I don’t usually use.  There are some brands that I would never buy at regular price that with coupons and sales, I can get for free or close to it and give them a try.  One of my newest favorites is John Frieda Root Awakening Conditioner!  It makes my hair so soft and I just love the refreshing smell. 

While I do love this aspect of couponing, make sure you are aware that this is why they have all these sales and promotions.  They want you to try their products and then fall so in love with them that you become brand exclusive and are willing to pay top dollar for their product.  Don’t fall into that trap!  Have fun trying new things but don’t allow it to cost you more in the long run.

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A super easy yet effective thing I have learned is that having a free junk email account can really keep my inbox clean.  There are so many coupon offers out there that require you using your email address, but let’s be honest, you don’t want all of them filling up your email everyday.  The solution?  Use a free email provider like gmail, yahoo, hotmail or several others out there, to create an account just to use for offers and coupons that you are not interested in hearing from.  This will also eliminate spam worries since they can spam that account all they want:)  Just make sure that you use your real email for products that you use on a regular basis so you will know when they have new offers or coupons available. 

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I get lots of emails and comments asking specific questions and I want to make sure they get answered!  If you have questions, I am sure that there are other people who have the same questions or could benefit from the answers.  Let us know your questions in the comments below or email them to me at saveathomemommy @ yahoo . com (no spaces) and we will post them with the answers over the coming weeks.  We will also add some of them to our FAQ page and use them in our seminars.

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“Coupon Ethics!

I have been thinking a lot lately about this HUGE issue! Coupon ethics is really important because if people use coupons unethically, then it ruins it for the rest of us! Of course I don’t want that to happen since we all benefit greatly from the use of coupons, right?

The complete responsibility of correct coupon usage falls on the consumer, not the store employee or manufacturer of the coupon. Because of this, you want to make sure you’re following the rules.

Read the Fine Print:

• Make sure you are purchasing the size, quantity, type, etc. that the coupon intends for you to purchase.
• Often, you will see the phrase “Limit one coupon per purchase.” Some retailers unfortunately tend to interpret this phrase wrong and think that it means you can only use one coupon on your entire order. This phrase, when properly interpreted, basically means that you can use one manufacturer coupon for each item you purchase. If you have a $1.00 manufacturer coupon for a box of waffles, you can only use one coupon. You can’t stack coupons and attempt to use two $1.00 manufacturer coupons on one box of waffles. If you wish to redeem both coupons, you will have to buy two boxes of waffles. Some stores (like Target) will allow you to stack one manufacturer coupon with one store coupon and that is OK.

Check the Expiration Date:

• Most stores will not accept coupons past their expiration date simply because they will not be reimbursed by the manufacturer!

Be Aware of Counterfeit Coupons:

• Recently someone emailed me a PDF file of a FREE 1 lb. box of Velveeta Cheese and they wanted to know if it was real. That coupon was a scan of a 20-year-old coupon with no expiration date. Using that coupon would mean you were committing coupon fraud! The stores that people used that coupon at will NOT get reimbursed a dime from the manufacturer since it was not a legit coupon! You can read more about that coupon HERE.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Be cautious of any coupon in PDF version. If it is in PDF file call the manufacturer or store to verify that it is legit. I realize some PDF coupons are legit and can be found directly on the manufacturer’s website, just make sure it is so you don’t unintentionally find yourself committing coupon fraud.

Photocopying Coupons:

• It is illegal to photocopy ANY coupon! It is because of people photocopying Internet printable coupons that some stores will not accept them. Each Internet coupon has a unique serial number in the upper right hand corner. The manufacturer will NOT reimburse a store that has accepted more than one coupon with the same number. Once the coupon has been redeemed it is no longer valid!

Returning an Item:

• If you return an item that you purchased with a coupon, that coupon must be taken off your return amount. It is not ethical to return an item to make the money off it. Believe me the stores catch on to this and then that just causes them to scrutinize every coupon and to buckle down on their return policy! I just spoke to Target Customer Relations about their coupon policy and they mentioned that they are aware of people doing this and are coming up with a policy to prevent it from happening. I will talk about this more in my Target Coupon Policy post!

Coupons can be a great tool for savvy consumers like us, but only if they are redeemed properly. I hope you will take into consideration these tips concerning correct coupon usage in mind the next time you head to the grocery store! Happy Saving ”

Christy from Coupon Gal is a stay-at-home mommy who began couponing after leaving her job as an elementary school teacher to stay home with her children. Her friends were always interested in her money-saving finds and she was eager to share. As a result, Coupon Gal was launched. She never imagined people all over the world would be interested in her deal finds. She is a self proclaimed “Coupon Gal” who has positive, energetic, and even sometimes silly postings that will keep you coming back to visit!

Get Save At Home Mommy’s deals delivered to you HERE through email or RSS feeds!  New to couponing?  Get Started HERE.

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I have no idea what the problem might be and wondered if any of my readers have successfully resolved the same issue and could let us know how?  If you have figured out a solution, please comment below or email me and I will add it to this post.  Thanks for your help!

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1) It seems like there aren’t usually coupons for the items I would normally buy.

I would take a minute to look at the 3 coupon links in the right sidebar of my site.  You could also take a look at the searchable coupon database at organicgrocerydeals.com.  You can type in the name of a product that you regularly buy, and it will tell you where you can find coupons and give you the links for printable coupons for that item.  While I can not guarantee that you will find coupons for the items you buy, since we all eat different things, I can say this.  I currently have, or have recently had, coupons for milk, butter, yogurt, chicken breasts, cheese, coffee, lunchmeat, cereal, canned fruit, applesauce, pasta, pasta sauce and many others, most of which are staples in many households.  There aren’t always coupons for all the things I use which is another great benefit of stockpiling.  When there are coupons and sales for my favorite items, I buy several to last me until the next sale.

2) I save more if I just buy the generic store brand item than I would if I used the coupon to buy the name brand product(i.e safeway vs. del monte canned vegetables).

This is where my shopping strategy comes into play.  You are right, if you went to the store needing canned vegetables with a Del Monte coupon, and compared the price after coupon to the cost of a can of Safeway vegetables, the Safeway brand would probably still be less expensive.  If, however, Del Monte vegetables were on sale at Vons and also part of a promotion and you had your coupon, you could get them for a much lower price than the Safeway brand.  You would then buy several cans to keep in your pantry until the next sale came around.  For instance, All detergent can be pricey.  I used to only buy generic or the cheapest one on the shelf.  2 weeks ago, Albertsons had them on sale and they were also a part of a promotion that gave you a certain amount back when you spent a certain amount in eligible products.  I also had a few coupons from the paper and was able to get 4 printable coupons each for another $1 off.  I was able to get 6 of them for .75 each.  If I had just gone to the store and taken $1 off the price of the All and compared it to the generic, I am sure the All would still have been much more expensive.  By stocking up when the items you use are at their lowest price, you are able to get much lower prices than just buying generic. 

Check out my shopping examples .  You can see actual examples of what I purchased and how much I spent.

3) If I’m running around from store to store trying to get the best deal rather than getting all my shopping done at one store I feel like I’m wasting time and gas. 

For me, the amount of money I am able to save is well worth my time and gas.  I try to plan my trips carefully so that I go to several stores that are all in the same area.  For instance, in my town, Vons, CVS and WinCo are all in one shopping center.  I will plan to do those trips all at once so I can be in and out of 3 stores quickly.  I also do not go to every store every week.  I go to the stores that have the best deals on the things we use.  Some weeks, that means no place which is fine since I have a huge stockpile to work from.  Other weeks, I may hit them all in different trips throughout the week when they are convenient to whatever else I am doing.  Also, when you go into a store armed with your shopping list and coupons knowing just what you are going to buy, you are able to get in and out quickly and often without picking up extra items that are not on your list since you aren’t walking up and down every aisle.

4) We do the majority of our shopping at Sams club.  Have you found that your coupon system saves you more money than a Sams or Costco like say for instance on paper towels, canned veggies, Pastaroni packs, spaghetti sauce?

I am so glad that you gave spaghetti sauce for an example because that is a good one that I have a recent example to provide.  2 weeks ago, Ragu pasta sauce was on sale at Walgreens.  I know, who grocery shops at Walgreens?:)  It was also part of a promotion that gave you back register rewards when you bought a certain number of items.  I was able to use my $1.00 off 2 coupons to buy 8 jars of Ragu for $2.00 total=.25 a jar.  Since I don’t shop at Costco, I can not say for sure, but I can fairly confidently say their pasta sauce is not .25 a jar.  I was also able to get Rice Sides and Pasta Sides for .17 each at Albertsons by buying them during a promotion and using coupons.

The manufacturers have built into our heads that bigger is better.  This is very often not the case and not just in bulk stores.  I have noticed in the regular grocery stores that often the bigger package of something is actually more expensive than buying 2 smaller ones.  Check your store sometime and see if this is true.

Also, when using coupons, the opposite is normally true.  Buying the 2 smaller packages with 2 coupons is most often less expensive than buying 1 bigger package with 1 coupon.  By breaking the product down into smaller packages, you are able to use more coupons to get more off.  You can also frequently get the smallest sized packages FREE with some coupons that don’t specify a specific size.  I have tons of lotion, pantiliners and band aids that I have gotten for free from Target’s travel section.  3 small lotions for free are better than 1 large bottle with $1 off.  Check out Bargain Briana’s post HERE about the same thing.

For very specific or specialty items, there may be times when it could be less expensive to buy it in bulk so you would have to know your product and the prices that are out there for it.

What about you?  What advice, answers or testimony can you give about these questions?

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