I asked Carla M. to share her rules for saving money and how to use coupons from the class several weeks ago. This is such an amazing thing! So...
NEVER PAY FULL PRICE! This should be everyone’s motto!
Carla's second motto is “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
First rule: Save money on clothes. There are lots of consignment shops, places like Plato’s closet where you get good clothes cheaper. Don’t pay more for ‘brand’ clothes. It just needs to fit and look nice. If you know your prices you know what’s a good deal and what isn’t. Don’t be too proud to go to Goodwill either. Takes a little more effort but it’s worth it. I’ve found a lot of stuff with the original price tag still on it.
Second rule: Save money on food and household products.
1-Sales or discounts
Carla can’t stress enough: KNOW YOUR PRICES! Write it down if you need to for a while. If you know what’s normal, you know when something’s a good deal. Ex. Kroger 10/$10 sales. Often reg. price is .89 or.99, so you’re paying more “on sale”.
Know which stores have the best prices. Food Town is the lowest overall; especially watch their meat sales too. Randall’s and HEB also have really good meat sales to watch. Randall’s is also good for dry goods sales like breakfast cereal.
The sale papers come in the newspaper and in the mail every week. Sales run Wednesday thru the following Tuesday but if it’s a really good sale, you need to be there sooner rather than later or they’ll run out before you get there. Also, if it’s a really good sale, stock up so you can wait until it goes on sale again.
When Carla finds a good deal in the ad, she’ll circle it and then write it at the top of the page so she knows what she needs from each store.
So the sales and discounts are your foundation step for coupons.
2- Coupons
First, where do you get them? The Sunday paper, manufacturers web sites, coupon web sites (Carla's favorite: couponmom.com) DON’T PAY FOR COUPONS!!—They are a SCAM!
Second, there are 2 different kinds of coupons; store and manufacturers. Store coupons like CVS or Target can only be used in that store. Manufacturer coupons can be used anywhere that product is sold. A Colgate coupon can be used anywhere you can find it. The best part is; you can combine the two! Use a CVS and a Manufacturer’s coupon together to maximize your savings.
If they say they can’t take two coupons for same product point out that 1 is store, 1 is manufacturer and they get paid for both of them. Still won’t take? Walk away from your purchase. The dollar speaks loudly.
Third, Double and Triple coupons for double and triple fun. Kroger is the only one in the area that I know of that doubles/triple coupons. Every coupon up to 35 cents is tripled; $1.05 instead of only .35 cents. Over .35 cents and up to .50 cents is doubled; $1.00 instead of .50 cents. You can really rack up some impressive savings this way.
UPDATE: Randall’s also doubles coupons!!!
Simple rules for effective coupon use
1-BE HONEST. Is it expired? Are you trying to buy the wrong product with it? Do you want to keep your temple recommend? Honesty is the basis. If you’re not honest, you not only hurt yourself, you ruin it for the rest of us.
2-Don’t buy just because you have a coupon. Will you use it? Is it worth the price? Is the generic still cheaper?
3-Combine your coupon with a sale price for greater savings. You’ll be making sure your coupon is going as far as it can. Remember the double and triple coupons? Here’s where you really want to use them to maximize your savings.
4-Forget brand loyalty. Don’t HAVE to have Ragu. If you have a coupon/sale combo for Prego that makes it cheaper, buy Prego this time. If you end up hating it, donate it to a food pantry.
5-Buy only what’s on your list. NO IMPULSE BUYING. The sale is designed to get you in the door. Then you think, while you’re there you ought to pick up A, B, and C, which is where they make their money. Btw, don’t go to the store hungry. That will ALWAYS make it harder to avoid the impulse buying and you will spend more.
6-Read your coupons. Check expiration date (again, be honest). Sometimes stores will take it if it’s only a few days expired. It doesn’t hurt to ask. What size is it for? Is it for a specific types or style? Toothpaste is a great example of this. There are 100 different kinds and they each have a specific coupon sometimes. Just pay attention to the details.
7-Use an organization system of some sort. It won’t do you any good to clip you coupons if you don’t have them with you when you need them. (Check with Carla for her system and the Coupon Mom system if you are interested.)
3-Rebates. Manufacturers want you to try and buy their new products so when they have something they want to promote they will offer a rebate. There are two types.
A. Discount- “get $3 back when you try product X”. These have a set amount. Always use a coupon with it so get as close to free as possible.
B. These are “try me free” offers. Carla's FAV! With these you get the full price back in a check. Always use a coupon here too because you can make $$ on them. Ex. The product is $4.99-$1 coupon, so you pay 3.99 at the register but you get $4.99 from the manufacturer, not the $3.99 you paid.
Always read these carefully and follow the instructions to the letter. Some are very tricky, some want UPS, some don’t, or the box top or whatever else. If you don’t do what they ask, you won’t get your money back. Also, always double/triple check the date. If it’s expired, you won’t get it back.
‘New’ type of rebate- CVS and Walgreens have Extra Bucks and Register Rewards. Sign up for their card (like Kroger card, which you should also have).
Buy the product (use a coupon on it!!!), get a coupon back for X$ right away. Use that the next time. DON”T LET THEM EXPIRE!! Example: On your list at Walgreens this week is cereal, dishwasher detergent and shampoo. The Head and Shoulders gives you $2 back, which you then use on the Kellogg cereals, which makes them 2/$1 because you get another $2 back for them. You then use that $2 on the Electasol detergent and still get $1 back. Its 3 separate transactions but you’ve spent less and you still have a buck for next time.
Isn't this amazing stuff? Do you do this?
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