Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Stacking Coupons

Just in case some of you don't know, you can stack manufacturer coupons (like the ones you get in the Sunday newspaper), with store coupons. Just read the coupon to make sure they are not both manufacturer coupons. For example, a coupon may have a store logo on it, but may still be a manufacturer coupon, if this is the case, it will say, manufacturer coupon on it. Store coupons can be found in the paper, or sometime come in mailers to your house, or you can ask for them at customer service. There are usually less than a dozen, but when you stack them with a manufacturer coupon the savings can be great. This picture shows a mix of store coupons, manufacturer coupons, and stacking coupons. The total cost of all of this would have been almost $25, I spent a little less than $5. The Hunt's Pasta Sauce I used a store coupon for (.69), the Barilla Pasta I used a man. coupon and it was on sale at the store so I only paid .25 a box. The Kettle chips were on sale and I used a man coupon so they cost me .50 a bag, the Johnson's soap I used man. coupons so I paid .29, the Snickers I stacked the man. coupon with a store coupon so I paid .08 a piece. (I'm planning on sending these with Ryan to Africa in case he needs a little protein/sugar snack!) I got all of these at Fred Meyer.
A good idea is to keep an eye on how much things go on sale for and think about how much you're willing to pay for things so when something goes on sale you can decide if that's low enough price for you to pay or not. For example, I got a coupon for 8 oz shredded cheese, that would make it $2.50. This is an okay price, but I know that every other month or so, Albertsons has it on sale for $1, so I stock up on it at the $1 price. I have also learned that I can get toothpaste for free or at the most, .50, so I won't pay more than that. It helps to keep an eye on the sales and prices so when you see a sale, you know if it really is a good deal or not. Some people suggest keeping a price book, where you take a notebook shopping with you and write down the cost of the items that you normally buy. I'm not that organized. I just generally remember. After you have been shopping sales/coupons for a little while, you see that things tend to go in cycles and go with the seasons. Like, every March is frozen food month, so frozen food is on sale. It's almost spring, so spring cleaning supplies are going to be going on sale, baking supplies and cold medicines go on sale in the fall, bbq/picnic foods go on sale in the summer, etc.
Just some more fun money saving info for you!

6 comments:

Janice said...

Amy, you should hold a class and have everyone bring their Sunday papers.

Unknown said...

You are a coupon FREAK, honey, a coupon freak!... I mean that as a compliment! :)

Heidi said...

I wish I knew how to do all that you do! I always find that coupons usually tend to be for stuff we wouldn't normally use or more than what we need.

God Made Playdough said...

Janice, I wonder if people would really be interested in that? That would be fun! I acctually am in touch with a girl that runs a real coupon blog that lives in the FW area that could come and talk. She knows more than I do! :) I just love sharing because I'm so excited (it's like finding a treasure hunt) and because I'm hoping I can save someone else money too.
Heidi, it can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. It just depends how much time you want to put into it. Of course, the more time you put into it the more you save, but is that worth it to you? For my Mom, her time is more valuable to her than saving a buck here and there. Obviously, as my husband has stated, :) I am a freak about my coupons! :) I used to think the same way, that it was for things that I don't need. Sometimes it still is and so I don't get those things. But now that I can get things for free or for super cheap, I think, "I wouldn't normally buy that, but would I take that if someone offered it to me for free?" I have tried new brands of things, different flavors, etc because I have gotten them for free or under a dollar. Or if I know I can get something for free, but I know I won't use it, but I can use it for a gift or can donate it to someone, I will get it. Our church has a food pantry for the community, they are allways needing food, I haven't yet, but I can donate to them. I oftentimes get free tea, which I don't drink, but my best friend does, so I give it to her in her birthday presents, Christmas presents, etc.
As far as for more than you would need, that is a subject for a whole post I think, stockpiling. I am learning that is a couponers dream! Couponers say that stockpiling is one of the biggest ways to save money, so when there is a coupon to get 10 bottles of ketchup for a dollar, they stockup on it and get all 10. I think I will write a post about this. Thanks for the idea! :) And thanks for reading my blog! I'm going to hop over and read yours too, just not right now. It's 2 am. I need to get to bed (I couldn't sleep.) Goodnight! :)

God Made Playdough said...

By the way, I could have gotten the Johnson and Johnson soap for free, instead of paying .29 a piece, but I would have had to go to another store. Since I was allready at Fred Meyer, it was not worth it to me to load up both my girls in the car seats and take them both to another store to get them for free. Some people would have waited and used their coupon at a different store for free. You have just do what works for you. For me, it was worth paying the .29, and I still think that was a great deal for soap! Which my girls loved by the way! They felt like big kids using it! :)
(There are several printable coupons online for $1 off Johnson and Johnson product if you search for it.)

Janice said...

I'll come. I need to learn. We have been trying to cut back. I looked over this months account and found that I have already overspent by $85. Ouch!!! I need to stay home more often and just shop once or twice a week.