Money Saving Queen

Frugal Living, Recipes & Deals

Is Couponing Dead?

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Is Couponing Dead?

I cannot begin to tell you how often I get asked, “Do people still use coupons?” or “Is couponing even a thing anymore?” During the recession, coupon blogs were on every single corner of the internet and let me tell you, business was good. As the economy changed for the better, everyone in the money saving industry saw a drop in customers, web traffic, etc.

Many people have also gone through major life changes and some find that they don’t “need” to coupon as much as they did before which might be because their children have grown, they have found a better job, etc. The economy has changed and we’ve all moved through other seasons of life but does that meant couponing is dead? Does that mean deal finding is dead?

Nope.

Saving money by using strategic shopping methods such as price matching, couponing or menu plan do still exist and do still work well!

Here’s the other question I get all the time, “Do you still coupon?” Let me take a little time to answer that…yes and no. We are a blended family of 7 which means grocery shopping is a HUGE expense every week. That being said, we also eat pretty healthy around here so I don’t coupon the same way I used to coupon. Does that make sense?

Now, I menu plan every week so I know exactly what I need to purchase at the store. I shop what is in season and readily available to cut costs and I use coupons on the non-food items such as toothpaste, hair products, soap, etc.

In that way, couponing has changed for me but I also believe it has changed for many people. Many of us recognize the benefits to healthy foods and have done away with stockpiling unhealthy, processed foods. The good news is many stores such as Whole Foods and Sprouts offer their own coupons at the front of the store.

It certainly is possible to eat healthy and save money. Couponing is alive and well and still remains a great way to save money and provide for your family. If you’ve let the coupon bug fizzle in your life, I encourage you to get back out there and check out Couponing 101: How Do I Get Started?

 

Stockpiling Vs. Hoarding

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This is a hot button issue in the coupon world and everyone has an opinion on it. On TV, I’ve heard you should stock up for 6-8 months. In a few of my workshops, I’ve heard you should stock up for 1-2 years.

In my opinion, well, it just depends. Food wise, the bulk of the groceries you purchase will likely go on sale every 6-8 weeks at most (see picture below). Which is about as long as you need to stock up if you’re trying to follow a sales cycle (purchase items when they are on sale and stock up until the next sale).

When it comes to shampoo, razors, shaving cream or other personal care items, you can stock up as long as you’d like. I seem to have about 6 months to a year’s worth of these items on hand. Quite honestly, that’s simply because they are easy to store and I won’t eat them.

Coupon Sales Cycle

To get started, track the price of your items for 6-8 weeks every single time you go into the store. When the price drops, use your coupons and stock up. If you track the items well, you’ll know when the next sale is coming.

It’s really simple, the point of stocking up is so that you buy your items at the best price and still have them until they go on sale again.

No reason to store bacon under your bed or piles of diapers when you have no kids. Stockpiling is all about saving money and providing for your family. There will always be sales and coupons, no reason to add on another room to your house for it. 🙂

Buying Groceries on Amazon.com & Saving Money

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Buying Groceries on Amazon

People always ask where I find the best deals and for years now I’ve had the same answer, Amazon. I purchase almost all of my paper goods, cleaning products and even speciality snacks on Amazon.

Aside from the convenience, Amazon has a ton of savings methods. First, many of the grocery items have clipable coupons. When you find an item you like, you simply click the coupon and it is automatically applied. Simple.

Many items are eligible for free shipping if you order $25 or more even better, if you have Amazon Prime, you’ll snag free 2 day shipping! I’ve been a Prime member for a few years and it’s the best money I’ve ever spent! Sign up for a FREE 30 day trial of Amazon Prime and you’ll be a fan for life!

Don’t forget, you can also use Subscribe and Save. This means, you can subscribe to have a certain item (let’s say toilet paper) sent to your house on a regular basis and you’ll get a discount! You can cancel your subscription at any time.

Buying a television or a phone? No worries, Amazon will price match too!

Amazon also offers price drops, these are random but you’ll notice the prices will vary drastically at times on any given day. Check back often! I love scoring amazing deals because of a price drop!

If you haven’t checked out Amazon for grocery items, give it a try. I’ve been very happy with it and save a ton of money too!

 

Couponing 101: Learning Store Coupon Policies

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Couponing 101

Learning store coupon policies is key to saving money. Every single store has a different policy and many of them update them regularly. Once you learn the store policy, you can master money saving techniques at that particular store.

For example, once I learned at Whole Foods that I could wait for a sale, combine my coupons with that sale and then buy a case of the product and get an extra 10% off that case, that changed everything. I buy healthy foods, I shop organic and specialty foods and with a policy like the one at Whole Foods, saving money on those items became a heck of a lot easier. But, I never would have known if I had not researched their policy.

If you live around stores that do not publish their policy, simply call the store manager and ask the following questions:

Do you take coupons?

Do you take internet coupons?

Do you double coupons?

What other special offers do you have (double flyer sales, in-ad coupons, etc)?

Get the name of the manager you speak to for future reference. It’s always good to give a call to your closest stores every once in awhile, you never know what you’ll find!

Here are a few of the most popular store coupon policies right now:

Walmart Coupon Policy

Walmart Price Matching Policy

Target Coupon Policy

Walgreens Coupon Policy

CVS Coupon Policy

Enjoy the savings!

Couponing 101: Couponing for Singles

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Couponing for Singles

Brandi, one of our MSQ volunteers, was recently asked about couponing for singles. I’ve been asked this question a lot as well, many people think you have to be married with kids in order to coupon but that is not the case. Check out Brandi’s response:

Everyone likes to save money…..right?  Why should it matter if there is just one in your house or 10?  It actually doesn’t,  the concept is the exact same.  Why would you feel the need to pay full price for an item just because you are single when you can get it for pennies or better yet, FREE?

I know a lot of single people worry about wasting a lot of food because they think you can only purchase the bigger items with coupons.  Did you know many coupons do not have size limits?  It’s true!

Unless the coupon has a specific size requirement, you can use it on ANY size.  Most of the time buying the smaller products will land you the best deal anyway.  Let’s take eggs for example, yes, there are coupons for eggs, and if your coupon says you can use it on ANY Farmer’s Brand eggs.  Maybe you don’t use a dozen eggs in a month, but you might use six.  Since your coupon says you can use it on ANY of the eggs, you can use that coupon to get the six pack for pennies or even free!  How cool is that?

Ok, I can feel it, you are starting to get excited about this! Let’s move on, how about shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and razors?  I am sure you use some of that stuff.  Did you know you can often time get all of that for free as well?  Yep, you can.  Walgreens and CVS are GREAT places to purchase those items.

Like I said before, the concept is all the same, it is just making it work for you.  I have a lot of single friends that use coupons.  Once you get it down you will be amazed at what you will be able to do and kicking yourself for not giving it a shot before now.