Coupon Clipping and Money Saving

Since I have been married, I have picked up a lot on couponing. I wish I would have known all of this while I was in college and on a stricter budget because I could have saved so much more money.

A few of my favorite places that are great for finding deals and using coupns are Meijer, Kroger, Rite Aid, and Target. I get the Sunday newspaper each week and compare the deals that are in there with the coupons that I have.

Kroger - You will need a Kroger plus card. You can get those for free at the customer service desk at your local Kroger. Once you obtain a card, go to http://www.kroger.com/ to enroll it in coupons that you can load straight onto your card. You can load up to 150 at a time and they are automatically taken off when you check out at Kroger. You can use this as well as a manufacturer's coupon. With manufacturer's coupons,  Kroger will double them if they are valued at 50 cents of less.

Meijer - Meijer will also double your coupons if they are 50 cents or less. You do not have to have a shoppers card to get dicsounts at Meijer, but you can use their website http://www.meijermealbox.com/ to plan your meals and to print coupons. They also run a lot of specials each week where you spend a specific amount or buy so many of one item and you will get a catalina (a coupon that prints out at the register that gives you a dollar amount off of your next purchase).

Rite Aid - While many people think that Rite Aid is expensive, I have found that if you purchase items when they are on sale and stack your coupons with them, you can come out with some really great deals. First off, you will need to get a free Rite Aid Wellness Card. You can get this from any register at a Rite Aid Store. They run lots of specials where you pay a certain amount and you will recieve a +UP reward for a given amount after your purchase. Another money saving option that Rite Aid offers is the Video Values program. Basically, you go to http://www.riteaid.com/, create an account, and you can watch short commercials about different products in the store. After you do, you will earn a coupon for that item. After you receive 20 credits from watching videos, you get a $4 off $20 purchase. Also, Rite Aid offers Single Check rebates on many of their items each month. You can actually come out MAKING money if you know how to shop.

Here is an example of some current deals and the way you can save:

Buy 1 Sinex at $4.99
Morton Fine Sea Salt — $0.99
AMO Complete Solution – $7.99
Halls Cough Drops – $0.99
LaBella Hair Gel – $2.99
(2)Haagen Dazs Ice Cream – $5.00
   Total:                              $22.90

Use these Coupons:
$4 off $20 Video Values
Use $4/1 coupon from the 10/10 Proctor and Gamble Insert on Sinex
Use $1/1 coupon from the 11/14 RedPlum insert on Morton Salt
Use $0.50/1 Video Values on Halls
Use .75/1 coupon from the September or October All You magazine on Halls
Use $2/1 Video Values on LaBella
Buy 2 and use $1/2 coupon from the November All You magazine on Haagen Daas

Receive these +UP Rewards
Get a $2 UP Reward from Motrin PM
Get $7.99 UPR from AMO Solution
Get $1.50 UPR  on LaBella Hair Gel
Get $1 UPR (when you buy 2) on Haagen Dazs

Total Coupons: $13.25
Pay out of pocket: $9.65
Recieved in +UP Rewards towards your next purchase: $12.49
Total Profit: $2.84

There are also deals like this with CVS and Walgreens. CVS also has a shoppers card, but Walgreens does not. A great website to check for these deals is http://www.moneysavingmom.com/, click on the Store Deals, select your store, and you can see what the specials are for the week.

Here are a few more things that I find helpful in saving me money:
*Purchase "All You" magazine each month. The best place to find it is at Wal-Mart.
* http://www.redplum.com/
* http://www.smartsaver.com/
* http://www.allyou.com/
* http://www.ebates.com/

Happy Saving, and please let me know if you have questions or find any amazing deals!