Using Coupons #2

So when it come to starting your grocery list and you want to use coupons, where do you begin? It could take hours to go over all the ads, see if you have coupons that match up with the sales, etc. Who has time for that?

There are some fabulous resources on the Internet that offer this very service! Some are free, some cost money. Many of these places have printable shopping lists that match up the item, the sale price, the coupon that goes with the item (and where to find it) and your final price at the register. Can't get much better than that!

Unfortunately, I live in an area that does not have double coupons. If you do utilize those sales! Doubling a coupon means that the face value of the coupon is doubled at checkout. For example, if you have a coupon for $1 off Skippy Peanut Butter, it would double to $2 off! See how your savings can add up? Since I don't have this luxury, I combine coupons with really good sales & clearance items to stock up. It's the best I can do. These websites can help you do just that!

Pinching Your Pennies
This is a website with hundreds of resources for the frugal shopper, and it's all FREE! Registering gives you optimal benefits. There are individual state forums with deals specific to each state. There are weekly printable shopping lists (like the ones I explained above) for many stores like Albertsons, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. Here is an example. There are many, many forums with different topics on saving money, living frugally, emergency preparedness, meal planning, and MORE!

Grocery Smarts
Grocery Smarts has many of the same resources as Pinching Your Pennies. Here is an example of what their shopping lists look like. This particular list is for Albertson's in Utah. See how they spell it all out for you? So easy! You can also print coupons from Grocery Smarts.

Notice on these shopping lists that the coupons are listed like this:

Fresh Express Salad Blend, any .55/1 DND (12-31-08) SS-12/7

Here is what it means. The coupon is for Fresh Express Salad Blends, any type. The value of the coupon is .55 off 1 bag. DND means the coupon is a Do Not Double. The expiration date is 12-31-08, and the coupon is found in the Smart Source insert from the 12/7/08 Sunday newspaper. Got it? As soon as you understand the lingo you can find your coupons VERY quickly.

The Grocery Game
This one finds local sales and deals in your area, but it does cost money. I recommend trying the free websites first, only because I am cheap and want to save every buck I can!

There are many, many blogs and websites out there that list the deals weekly for Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, and more! I cannot list every deal I find or know about. I do try to share as much as I can. I have listed some of my favorites on my sidebar under the category "Must Places to Visit."

Using Coupons #2