Coupons

This will be my attempt to tell everyone how to use coupons. Keep in mind that I am a newbie in the coupon world. I do, however, think that everyone should learn to use them, because you save soooo much money!
First of all, the best way to get coupons is to subscribe to the Sunday newspaper. They say (they meaning the people who know more than me) that you should get one newspaper for every person in your home. I have two papers delivered to me, my neighbor lets me have theirs, and Ben's mom gives me her coupons. . .I guess I'm one short.
Second, I never buy anything that I wouldn't normally buy without a coupon. I don't just buy things because they are on sale. I buy things that I use and need. You do it how you wish. I know some people buy things just because you can get them for $.50, and then give them away. I'm not quite there yet. . .maybe someday.
Third, I think coupons take a little time. It doesn't take a lot of time, and it seems I am getting more efficient as I go, but it will take a few minutes to figure out what you are buying that week, and cut your coupons.

There are a few different packets of coupons that come in the Sunday paper. They are SmartSource (SS), Red Plum (RP) and Proctor & Gamble (P&G). (I think the Red Plum also comes in the mail sometimes, but I don't seem to get it...maybe I'm wrong...it's happened before).

When I get my coupon packets, I write the date that they came on the front. This makes it easier to find the packet you need later. I keep all of my SmartSource packets together in order by date. I do the same with the others as well. Some people organize them by the date they came. So, every coupon packet that comes on March 22 will be together. You don't cut any coupons out right now. You will cut a coupon out only when that item is on sale.
You can also print coupons from the Internet, but I'll get into that later.

So now we get to the more confusing part. . .

Step 1. Go to grocerysmarts.com and enter Utah's passport (g84csg) on the right hand side. (preferably in a different window so you can look at what I'm explaining)

Step 2. Pick a store.

Step 3. Look for the deals.

Here is a little piece from the Albertson's page. It doesn't look exactly like it does on the page, but for explanation purposes it should do just fine! It's color coded . . . :)

The deal: **Kellogg's promo: Save $10 instantly when you buy 10 participating products.** Sale price shown is BEFORE/AFTER purchase of 10. Must purchase 10 to get $1.50 price. Discount is 1.00 per item when you purchase 10.

*****
Kellogg's cereal 9-21.5 oz.
2.50/1.50
Kellogg’s Cereal, any flavor 10 oz. or larger .70/1 (4-5-09) RP-2/22
.80

So, the number of stars indicates the stock up scale. Five stars is a great deal, and a good time to stock up. . .two or three stars isn't such a great deal. I find myself only looking for the items that have four or five stars.

The next line (or next box over if you're looking at the website) is the item that is on sale. In this case, Kellogg's cereal.

The price before the coupon comes next. Kellogg's cereal is on sale for $2.50 if you buy 10 of the participating items, it costs $1.50.

Now, they tell you if/where there is a coupon. This line tells you that you can look in the Red Plum (RP) that came on Feb. 22 (2/22) and that the coupon is $.70 off one box (.70/1) The date shown is the date the coupon expires. Again, if it's in the Smart Source it would say SS and Proctor & Gamble says P&G. This is why it is so important to write the date that your coupon packets come. It makes it so much easier to find them. If there is no coupon for that item, it will say N/A in that box. Or, if there is a coupon available online it will give you a link to print it. You can typically print two coupons per computer.

This line tells you the price of the item after the promotion and the coupon (.80).

In this case, if you have the coupon, you could get a box of Kellogg's cereal for $.80! You can use one coupon per item purchased, so if you get five newspapers, you could get five boxes of cereal for $.80.

The coupons don't seem to expire for five or six months or so . . . I haven't been collecting coupons for that long, so none of mine are expired. When they begin to expire, I will just throw them away!

I'm hoping this post makes sense . . . If you have questions, feel free to ask. If I don't know the answer, I'll ask my friend Staci...she's the coupon expert! Good luck with your coupons!