More Coupon Resources – The Electronic Kind

A couple articles ago I told you about a few of my favorite coupon resources. TheGroceryGame.com, 918CouponQueen.com, CouponMom.com and Coupon.com. These sites are awesome for newbies like me. I suggest you read, read, read to understand how to make the most of clipping and shopping with coupons.

In my research I’ve learned even more ways to find coupons and save even more money! For years I’ve had a rewards card to my grocery store (Kroger by the way). I used it to take advantage of the store discounts as well as get a few cents off fuel for my car.

I recently learned that I can go to their website and pick coupons that would be downloaded to my rewards card. This way I wouldn’t have to clip coupons but I’d still get the discount by scanning my card. Pretty cool, huh?

Even more recently I learned about two more ways to download coupons to my rewards card. It’s through Cellfire.com and Shoutout.com. The interesting thing about using these e-coupons is they can be used in addition to paper coupons you may have for the same product. So it’s like you get double off and maybe even triple if the paper coupon can be doubled!

E-coupons are not as plentiful as regular coupon inserts or printable coupons but they still have value so it is not a waste to use them.

Coupon Clipping Help for Single Moms

A few articles ago I told you my apprehension about taking up the coupon challenge. I was concerned about the time it would take to collect and clip coupons. But I got to thinking about ways to overcome this hurdle. Surely there had to be someone who could clip al those coupons for me!

Well I was right. There are plenty of people who can help me though coupon clipping services. I started my search in Google of course, then I visited forums to see what company others were recommending.

Next I investigated how much it would cost to hire someone to clip coupons for me. I was happy to learn it would not cost an arm and leg. In fact it would be very reasonable to hire out this task. At some point I’ll dive deeper into this concept and show you don’t have to do everything yourself.

I found two site that gave me the information I was looking for. I wanted two things in addition to the coupon clipping service. The first was free shipping and the second was whole inserts.

One clipping services offers free shipping as part of their service. This is very good for me and their prices are very reasonable; just a few cents per coupon. Since they are so cheap I can order several of the same coupons to facilitate my stockpiling.

The reason I wanted whole inserts is because, as a beginner, I didn’t collect coupon inserts before. This meant I would only be able to take advantage of just a few sales as most of the deals required coupons from several weeks ago. Purchasing several inserts from past weeks would put me on the fast track in the game.

My source for coupon inserts charges a reasonable price and ships quickly. I got my package in two days, just in time for my first coupon grocery shopping trip.

If you don’t have the time or don’t want to clip coupons you can use a coupon clipping service. This is especially helpful for single moms who want to take advantage of using coupons to save up 50% or more on their grocery bills.

Favorite Coupon Resources for Single Moms

Learning about using coupons is an eye opening experience. I can’t remember how I got started but since then I have found many websites, blogs, and resources to help me through this journey.

The first blog I visited is 918CouponQueen.com. This lady has her stuff together and regularly appears on her local television station to talk about how to save money using coupons. She also has a forum where members can contribute their tips, deals they’ve found, and general knowledge.

The next website I found is TheGroceryGame.com. This site is a service that aggregates several grocery store databases and tells you what to buy with the coupons you’ve amassed. The service does all the work for you with the exception of clipping the coupons (I’ll share how you can get that done in another article).

One of the newer sites I’ve come across is TheCouponMom.com. I’m kind of partial to this site because she lives in my state and has great videos about how to use coupons. This site has a grocery store database for each state and tells you what coupons to use. The best thing about this site is once you’ve checked off the items you will purchase it shows you the percentage you will save and the amount you will spend!

These three sites are just a handful of what’s on the web. They as well as other sources of coupons make getting into the coupon game pretty easy.

There may be times when you may not be able to get a newspaper for the coupon inserts. No worries though because you can clip coupons online. The main site for coupons is Coupons.com. This site requires you to download a small application to be able to print but it is worth it. Smartsource.com and Redplum.com are two more coupon site to get what you need.

The Key to Coupon Success – Stockpiling

When I first started clipping coupons I was baffled at how the women doing it could save so much money. I learned it was a matter keeping coupons for as long as possible which meant collecting coupon inserts each week.

Another clue to the coupon craze is to stockpile items when they go on sale at rock bottom prices. But how can I stockpile items when I only have one coupon? Ahhhhh…that’s one of the tricks or methods to the madness. The simple fact is you need many coupons for one item.

So instead of getting one paper get two or three. If that’s not possible you can ask family member or co-workers for their coupons if they don’t use them. The more coupons you have the better.

With this technique fresh in my mind I set out to buy three coupons the first week of my coupon clipping life. I was so happy to be able to get three sets of inserts.  This particular week there would be three inserts. Two from one company and one from another. I was so excited!

What I didn’t realize was the newspapers I got was a double edition. It contained the early edition and the late edition. Both had coupons in them so I had not three inserts but six! I had to laugh at myself and felt quite greedy, but I decided to look at it as a blessing.

I will have plenty of coupons to use for stockpiling items like soap, lotion, razors, canned goods, cereal, cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. These items typically cost a lot when they aren’t on sale but by stockpiling you’ll have plenty for months to come or until the next sale. By then you will have more coupons.

Stockpiling helps reduce your weekly or monthly grocery bill because you are only purchasing perishable items like milk, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables. It takes time to stockpile. I am concentrating on a few items at a time to start. I am learning there is no hurry.

Chronicle of a Coupon Newbie Single Mom

I am a coupon newbie. I’ve used them before here and there, but never as a primary means of saving money on my grocery bill. The first time I started I saved about 25-30%. It was very earth shattering to me but I know that continuing the challenge will yield better results.

In the beginning it seems overwhelming. I spent hours scouring sales papers and clipping coupons. It was not entirely fun but I kept at it. A trick I learned was to collect coupon inserts for many weeks. This is so you can use coupons from the distant past, but haven’t expired, for products that are on sale today.

The coupon craze is serious. There are entire websites and forums as well as book that explain how to cut grocery cost by using coupons.

Most of the people who use coupons are married and stay at home moms. They seem to have more time to devote to the process. When I looked at all the work involved and the limited time I have I was discouraged.

The reason I decided to move forward was because I have financial goals I want to reach. I can reach them faster if I cut expenses in different areas. The reality is my kids are growing and eating more, especially my son. He is always hungry and I have to buy more food. Unfortunately the more I have to buy the more money I’ll have to spend.

I will not deprive my children of food so I must take advantage of the new knowledge I have. I will make using coupons work. So even though I feel coupon clipping is a time consuming task, I will work it in my schedule.

I can clip coupons while I watch television. I can get the kids to help clip and organize them. I can pay my daughter a few dollars from the savings. I’ve determined that coupons can be the single mom’s best friend, especially as the years go by and the kids grow and demand more food. In the grand scheme, coupon clipping is a necessary part of life these days and to help grow my bank account.

Saving Money – The Coupon Challenge

This weekend I went shopping with coupons. If you’ve seen some of the videos on the site you know that using coupon is a great way to cut your grocery bill. If you haven’t seen the videos, I encourage you to take a peek. There are many people who have asked me how they can save money, especially in this tight economy.

The price of food has risen so it’s even more important to find ways to spend less. Using coupons has been around for a long time, but when food was cheaper it didn’t seem to matter that much.

Now with the rise in prices most middle and lower class Americans are using them. Even people who use food stamps can and are using them. It’s a way to make the dollars stretch. Coupons are the new forms of money. Coupons are money.

What most people don’t realize is that the grocery stores still get the same amount of money they charge for food. The manufacturers pay the stores for the coupons they collect. So they aren’t losing anything which means you don’t have to feel guilty.

So how can coupons cut your grocery bill down to almost nothing? It doesn’t seem possible but it is plausible to cut 50-75% off your grocery bill. It requires using a combination of techniques including pre-planning, stockpiling, and shopping the sales.

One of the key ways to get the most out of using coupons is to wait. Why wait? Because at the time the coupon comes out the product is usually cost the regular or elevated price. When you wait to closer to the expiration date the product is likely to go on sale. This is the trick to saving a large amount of money on food whenever you shop.

I’ve taken up the coupon challenge, I’ve explained the basics, and now I encourage you to take up the challenge as well to see how much you can save too!

Side Hustle Series - Mystery Shopping

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a side hustle but I haven’t forgotten.

If you love shopping then Mystery Shopping might be just the thing for you. It is unbelievable that you can get paid to shop but it’s true. There are companies who want to be sure that their customers are getting the best service possible. After all it is customers that keep businesses in business.

As a mystery shopper you simply visit different establishments and report on how they treat you, the quality of the products, and the appearance of the establishment. The type of companies you visit varies from apartment complexes to banks to restaurants.

Side Hustle Series – Mystery Shopping

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a side hustle but I haven’t forgotten.

If you love shopping then Mystery Shopping might be just the thing for you. It is unbelievable that you can get paid to shop but it’s true. There are companies who want to be sure that their customers are getting the best service possible. After all it is customers that keep businesses in business.

As a mystery shopper you simply visit different establishments and report on how they treat you, the quality of the products, and the appearance of the establishment. The type of companies you visit varies from apartment complexes to banks to restaurants.