Couponing 101
As I learn things, I'll be posting here about Couponing 101 and trying to also help other newbies like myself. Together we can learn and share each others tips to become better couponers.
Tips to start couponing & saving money:
Making a binder:
Some categories are:
Non-food:
Make sure you have some baseball card holders. You can also use currency sheet protectors too, however, they are more expensive, don't come with very many per box, don't hold many per box, so I just stick with the baseball card holders. If you fold your coupons the right way, you can fit 9 coupons per side, 18 per page. Making your binder hold more than the average currency sheet.
Next, on your baseball card holders, you can put a small label identifying the sub sections. For instance, in my health/beauty section, I have: Toothpaste, on the page behind that, mouthwash, the page after, toothbrushes, then shaving needs, then deodorants, then lotions, etc. That's all in one section of my binder. Makes it easier to file faster, find coupons faster, etc.
Also, place a few plastic folders(seen in my video I believe) for your inserts/sales ads for current week. I labeled mine as you'll see in my video which I'm not so good with videoing either. Bear with me as I also learn that. LOL This helps you find your sales quickly to make a list prior to shopping.
Place a pencil pouch in the front of your binder with pen/sharpie, calculator, highlighter (for highlighting deals) and scissors. These items are essential during shopping trips when you don't have time to clip all your coups.
Place a clear pouch in front (or behind) the pencil pouch and use this for extra large coupons. Like coupons(coups) mailed to you, coups from tear pads, peelies, etc. Even coups found in magazines that are too big to fit in baseball card holders.
Before you start diving in and getting a lot of coupons, please study the coupon language, coupon talk, coupon acronyms here to be more familiar with it so that when reading posts on the web or even reading the coupons, you'll be more familiar with what all that lingo stands for and it makes a lot more sense once you learn it. The more you study it, the easier it will make it for you when you coupon.
Get Some Coupons:
Once you get that all set up, then, get some coupons. This is the fun part, although, be careful and don't be getting every single coupon out there just because. Only get them if you know you'll use them. You buy coupons and print coupons as well. You can find coupons in so many places. For now, check *here* and there's a lot of information there. I get my coupons from inserts, peelies, tear pads, mailed to me, websites, Facebook pages, companies mail them to me, and printed ones. You can print 2 coupons per computer normally(however, I haven't mastered that yet), Red plum, usually only lets me print one, same with Smartsource. That's my experience though. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, however, I'm still learning.
Once you get some coupons, organize them how you choose in your binder. We chose to organize them by category, due to the fact, it's easier for us to just flip to that category, when we're in that part of the store and find the coupon easier. Others choose to do by brand, others choose alphabetically, but there's no wrong/right way, just what's easiest for you.
Start with JUST a few papers a week, so you DON'T get overwhelmed!
WORD OF ADVICE, START with ONLY about 2 papers per week. I recommend this until you get the hang of couponing, or else, you won't use all of those,(not that we all use them all), but you may only use just a few. Don't waste your money buying excess papers yet. Wait til you've got it down some first.
Be smart, Get your papers EARLY, the earlier, the better!!!!
Get your papers, early in the morning on Sundays. The earlier, the better. BEFORE you leave that store, DOUBLE CHECK FOR YOUR INSERTS. I can NOT express this enough. If you don't double check for your inserts, you have no one to blame but yourself. I have learned the very hard way to *always* check for your inserts. There *are* insert thieves out there that *will* steal your inserts. I've had it happen to me too many times, end up home with no inserts or missing inserts. NOT no more because I wised up, and I double check each paper, each week, hubby double checks for me too. Think of it as holding onto your money. You want it to be safe right? You want to make sure you have it right? Well then get use to double checking for them weekly. Also, make sure that you get your paper early because you not only want your coupons in hand early, but also, to hit those sales early! Early bird gets the worm! If you see something on sale that you want right away, better be at the store bright and early Sunday morning, even before the store opens as many times, I've found shelves empty by the time I get there. Hint: It is NOT nice to be a "Shelf Clearer"!!!!! It's rude, inconsiderate, and flat out greedy. Get what you 'need' and please *be thoughtful of others*. Remember, you don't 'need' a bazillion hand soaps because they're on sale. There will be other sales.
How many papers should I buy each week?
Next....Once you figure out how much you want to buy, then get that many papers. Ok, for instance, this week-Jan. 29, 2012, there was a $3/1 Iams Cat or Dog food, any size or variety, limit 4, coupon in today's paper. We bought 9 papers. I later bought 6 more papers. Why? Again, I'm not only couponing for us, but also for my twin to send him some care boxes that I've started for him. The $3/1 coupon could be used at Target on the Iam's trial size packs that were 3.00 each, with a 3.00 off a 5.5lb bag inside too. We got 9 of them for free, 5 for us, 4 for my twin. Plus I got him some dog food too. You don't have to buy LOTS of papers each week, go by what YOU like to stock up on. Remember, if you have a stash of laundry soap, (say even 12-15 bottles) in your stash, then you don't have to buy that til after you use it all. However, when you get low, don't wait til you run out. lol Thus, saving you $$$$ on laundry soap too(another thing we haven't had to buy for quite a while til recently)and you can put that $$$ you save towards other bills or things you need.
Other places to find coupons:
You can also buy coupon inserts through Krazy Insertz. I haven't bought any from her(yet), but I hear she's great and fast at getting your coupons to you quickly. Before buying them online, think of a few things. First, how many papers do you want to buy each week? How big of a Stock pile do you want? Realize too that your stock pile will GROW very quickly. Make sure you have a spare room, or basement, at least enough for 2 large shelves, if not more...depending on how big you want your stock pile. Also, realize, that with for instance, my sweetie & I, we stock up on pet foods, laundry soaps, dish soap, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner/tp, paper towels---daily things we'll use every day. I stock piled up on AXE for my son. He didn't know I did this. I suprised him with his first 'stock pile' stuff of AXE to last him for at least a year for Christmas, he was shocked and excited! :) Now I saved him $$$$$ from having to go buy all that. I also have a stash away for my twin too.
Now that you have some coupons, figure out just what you need first, what you have room for, and how much you want to spend. For us, we choose to keep our stock pile stocked. We've had situations in the past where money was extremely tight. Had we had a stock pile back then, we would've saved even more money by not having to buy stuff. So we do our best to keep ours stocked. You can stock it as much as you like, however, remember, with anything, put the oldest stuff to the front, newest to the back and label EVERYTHING with dates. It makes it that much easier. Keep an inventory of your stock pile too. I will be creating one for your use here soon.
How big of a stock pile do I want?
How big of your stock pile do you want, well, that's a hard question at first. Think of it this way, when you get your stock pile built up some, you *don't* have to buy that stuff for a long time. Remember, always date your stuff when you put it on the shelf, even non-food stuff. Then as you use it, date it then too when you first open it. When it's finished, date it. Look at the 3 dates. The first date tells you when you bought it. The 2nd one, when you opened it(shows how long it sat on your shelf), 3rd one, shows how long it took to use it up. This helps you identify what you need, how long it takes you to use it and when to start shopping for it again. I haven't had to buy toilet paper or paper towels for over 5 months now. :) I use those savings to put towards my credit card payments. It really adds up quickly. :) Also, rotate your stock pile to where 'newest' stuff is in the back. I know, it's a hassle, but especially for medicines/foods & such, do so for your own good. I've heard some canned foods/boxed foods can be good for up to 2-5 years, however, I'm sure we'll have them gone by that time.
How To Use Coupons to your advantage:
Writing to companies:
Special order items:
Get Rain Checks and use them to your advantage too:
Stacking Coupons:
Break down transactions:
Carefully Read *each* coupon:
Limits:
(more tomorrow.......)
Tips to start couponing & saving money:
Making a binder:
- Choose your method of how you want to store your coupons. I strongly suggest that you do this first before accumulating any or *a lot* of coupons. By choosing this first, you'll save yourself the hassle of realizing later you should've(could've, would've) done this the easy way.
- There are several ways to organize your coupons. Shoebox, baggies, envelopes, accordian files, file cabinet, but my personal favorite, the zippered Binder.
- You can buy a good quality zippered binder at: Case-it. You can use any zippered binder, but, I highly recommend the Case-it zippered brand. I wish I'd chosen that first. I have both a 3" binder & a 4" binder and also 2 2" binders. I have 2 Case-it binders, one which I got @ Walmart for $11 during school season, one at Case-it for $35.00+shipping if I remember correctly. Now, this is why I ended up choosing the 4" binder, verses the 1", 2" or 3" binders. I started with 2 2" binders and before I knew it, boom, oh my gosh, talk about that sucker filling up FAST! Wow, wow, wow! Ok, so I definitely needed a different way to organize this. I then got a 2nd 2" binder. Why? One for food, one for non-food. This helped, somewhat lighten the load, but not completely. Needless to say, I ended up buying one 3" case-it binder($11 @Walmart during school season), & 1 4" binder(case-it.com)for about $36.00 plus shipping.
- Use 1 Binder for food, 1 Binder for Non-food, 1 Binder for WHOLE inserts--you'll need LOTS of page protectors.
- You want to do this because it's easier(for me so far)to only clip exactly what I *know* I'll use. Save the un+clipped ones in the whole insert binder to either donate or save for a future sale. However, if you *know* you won't use them, send them to troops!
- Make your binder:
- Get lots and LOTS of baseball card holders-$5.00 @ Target & Walmart--up near the front of the store by the baseball cards, Pokemon cards, etc.
- File folders
- LOTS of index tabs
- Note cards
- 3 ring hole puncher.
- 1 pencil case
- 1 small calculator
- 1 small scissors
- 1 china marker
- 1 highlighter
- 1 pen
- Folders for your binder that have a pocket in them, they're plastic folders with like a half slanted pocket in some, others with a regular pocket. These can be found during school season time, at college book stores, office stores sometimes carry them as well. These are for your inserts/ads.
- I also have a small pouch with expandable file on mine. It's pink. It has 5 pockets to file stuff(I keep my match-ups in there, more on match-ups later), in my other 5 pocket file pouch on my binder, I keep large coupons in there, like sometimes I have coupons to print at home @ CVS.com, they print on an 8 1/2 x 11 page, boom, I put that in there as well as my uncut coupons that I'm going to use.
- 1 clear zipper pouch for large coupons.
Some categories are:
Non-food:
- Cleaning,
- Paper/Plastic,
- Health Beauty,
- Baby,
- Household(I keep airwick/fabreeze, glade, etc in this spot),
- office,
- seasonal,
- pharmacy,
- pain meds,
- allergy meds,
- Pets, are just a few categories.
- Beverages,
- Breakfast,
- Baking
- Canned goods(soups, boxed items, etc)
- Frozen foods
- Deli
- Dairy
- Produce
- Pasta
- Refrigerated goods are jsut a few categories.
Make sure you have some baseball card holders. You can also use currency sheet protectors too, however, they are more expensive, don't come with very many per box, don't hold many per box, so I just stick with the baseball card holders. If you fold your coupons the right way, you can fit 9 coupons per side, 18 per page. Making your binder hold more than the average currency sheet.
Next, on your baseball card holders, you can put a small label identifying the sub sections. For instance, in my health/beauty section, I have: Toothpaste, on the page behind that, mouthwash, the page after, toothbrushes, then shaving needs, then deodorants, then lotions, etc. That's all in one section of my binder. Makes it easier to file faster, find coupons faster, etc.
Also, place a few plastic folders(seen in my video I believe) for your inserts/sales ads for current week. I labeled mine as you'll see in my video which I'm not so good with videoing either. Bear with me as I also learn that. LOL This helps you find your sales quickly to make a list prior to shopping.
Place a pencil pouch in the front of your binder with pen/sharpie, calculator, highlighter (for highlighting deals) and scissors. These items are essential during shopping trips when you don't have time to clip all your coups.
Place a clear pouch in front (or behind) the pencil pouch and use this for extra large coupons. Like coupons(coups) mailed to you, coups from tear pads, peelies, etc. Even coups found in magazines that are too big to fit in baseball card holders.
Before you start diving in and getting a lot of coupons, please study the coupon language, coupon talk, coupon acronyms here to be more familiar with it so that when reading posts on the web or even reading the coupons, you'll be more familiar with what all that lingo stands for and it makes a lot more sense once you learn it. The more you study it, the easier it will make it for you when you coupon.
Get Some Coupons:
Once you get that all set up, then, get some coupons. This is the fun part, although, be careful and don't be getting every single coupon out there just because. Only get them if you know you'll use them. You buy coupons and print coupons as well. You can find coupons in so many places. For now, check *here* and there's a lot of information there. I get my coupons from inserts, peelies, tear pads, mailed to me, websites, Facebook pages, companies mail them to me, and printed ones. You can print 2 coupons per computer normally(however, I haven't mastered that yet), Red plum, usually only lets me print one, same with Smartsource. That's my experience though. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, however, I'm still learning.
Once you get some coupons, organize them how you choose in your binder. We chose to organize them by category, due to the fact, it's easier for us to just flip to that category, when we're in that part of the store and find the coupon easier. Others choose to do by brand, others choose alphabetically, but there's no wrong/right way, just what's easiest for you.
Start with JUST a few papers a week, so you DON'T get overwhelmed!
WORD OF ADVICE, START with ONLY about 2 papers per week. I recommend this until you get the hang of couponing, or else, you won't use all of those,(not that we all use them all), but you may only use just a few. Don't waste your money buying excess papers yet. Wait til you've got it down some first.
Be smart, Get your papers EARLY, the earlier, the better!!!!
Get your papers, early in the morning on Sundays. The earlier, the better. BEFORE you leave that store, DOUBLE CHECK FOR YOUR INSERTS. I can NOT express this enough. If you don't double check for your inserts, you have no one to blame but yourself. I have learned the very hard way to *always* check for your inserts. There *are* insert thieves out there that *will* steal your inserts. I've had it happen to me too many times, end up home with no inserts or missing inserts. NOT no more because I wised up, and I double check each paper, each week, hubby double checks for me too. Think of it as holding onto your money. You want it to be safe right? You want to make sure you have it right? Well then get use to double checking for them weekly. Also, make sure that you get your paper early because you not only want your coupons in hand early, but also, to hit those sales early! Early bird gets the worm! If you see something on sale that you want right away, better be at the store bright and early Sunday morning, even before the store opens as many times, I've found shelves empty by the time I get there. Hint: It is NOT nice to be a "Shelf Clearer"!!!!! It's rude, inconsiderate, and flat out greedy. Get what you 'need' and please *be thoughtful of others*. Remember, you don't 'need' a bazillion hand soaps because they're on sale. There will be other sales.
How many papers should I buy each week?
Next....Once you figure out how much you want to buy, then get that many papers. Ok, for instance, this week-Jan. 29, 2012, there was a $3/1 Iams Cat or Dog food, any size or variety, limit 4, coupon in today's paper. We bought 9 papers. I later bought 6 more papers. Why? Again, I'm not only couponing for us, but also for my twin to send him some care boxes that I've started for him. The $3/1 coupon could be used at Target on the Iam's trial size packs that were 3.00 each, with a 3.00 off a 5.5lb bag inside too. We got 9 of them for free, 5 for us, 4 for my twin. Plus I got him some dog food too. You don't have to buy LOTS of papers each week, go by what YOU like to stock up on. Remember, if you have a stash of laundry soap, (say even 12-15 bottles) in your stash, then you don't have to buy that til after you use it all. However, when you get low, don't wait til you run out. lol Thus, saving you $$$$ on laundry soap too(another thing we haven't had to buy for quite a while til recently)and you can put that $$$ you save towards other bills or things you need.
Other places to find coupons:
You can also buy coupon inserts through Krazy Insertz. I haven't bought any from her(yet), but I hear she's great and fast at getting your coupons to you quickly. Before buying them online, think of a few things. First, how many papers do you want to buy each week? How big of a Stock pile do you want? Realize too that your stock pile will GROW very quickly. Make sure you have a spare room, or basement, at least enough for 2 large shelves, if not more...depending on how big you want your stock pile. Also, realize, that with for instance, my sweetie & I, we stock up on pet foods, laundry soaps, dish soap, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner/tp, paper towels---daily things we'll use every day. I stock piled up on AXE for my son. He didn't know I did this. I suprised him with his first 'stock pile' stuff of AXE to last him for at least a year for Christmas, he was shocked and excited! :) Now I saved him $$$$$ from having to go buy all that. I also have a stash away for my twin too.
Now that you have some coupons, figure out just what you need first, what you have room for, and how much you want to spend. For us, we choose to keep our stock pile stocked. We've had situations in the past where money was extremely tight. Had we had a stock pile back then, we would've saved even more money by not having to buy stuff. So we do our best to keep ours stocked. You can stock it as much as you like, however, remember, with anything, put the oldest stuff to the front, newest to the back and label EVERYTHING with dates. It makes it that much easier. Keep an inventory of your stock pile too. I will be creating one for your use here soon.
How big of a stock pile do I want?
How big of your stock pile do you want, well, that's a hard question at first. Think of it this way, when you get your stock pile built up some, you *don't* have to buy that stuff for a long time. Remember, always date your stuff when you put it on the shelf, even non-food stuff. Then as you use it, date it then too when you first open it. When it's finished, date it. Look at the 3 dates. The first date tells you when you bought it. The 2nd one, when you opened it(shows how long it sat on your shelf), 3rd one, shows how long it took to use it up. This helps you identify what you need, how long it takes you to use it and when to start shopping for it again. I haven't had to buy toilet paper or paper towels for over 5 months now. :) I use those savings to put towards my credit card payments. It really adds up quickly. :) Also, rotate your stock pile to where 'newest' stuff is in the back. I know, it's a hassle, but especially for medicines/foods & such, do so for your own good. I've heard some canned foods/boxed foods can be good for up to 2-5 years, however, I'm sure we'll have them gone by that time.
How To Use Coupons to your advantage:
W/a b1g1 free sale, you can use two $ off coupons, one for each item. If vitamins are on sale for b1g1 free, you can use $1 off coupons on each vitamin. Same with a b1g1 50% sale. You can also use a B1G1 Free coupon on a B1G1 free sale. So, if you have: A sale on vitamins: B1G1 free, plus a B1G1 free coupon, you can use that one B1G1 free coupon on that one product that you're buying, get another free. See my videos at the bottom of my blog for details. I will post the link *here* soon for more explanation.
If you have $1.00 off rice, & you find a $1.00/1 rice coupon for the same rice on the product(aka: a peelie), you can't combine the two on the same one item, you'd have to buy 2 of the same rice to use each coupon.
If you buy the air fresheners like airwick, its cheaper to buy another set rather than a refill because the sets come with high dollar coupons in them. I've gotten $2/2 airwich refills in them before.
Also, always look *inside* your cereal boxes, any boxed foods, frozen/non frozen foods, you'd be surprised how many coupons I've found in boxed foods. I've gotten 4 $1.00 coupons on various products inside cereal boxes.
Write companies, expressing how much you like their products. Let them know what you like, how much you like their products, why you buy their products and what you like so much about their products. Also, if ever you have any bad experience with any product, write to the company, (don't call), and sometimes you can also email them expressing what you didn't like about it or your bad experience with their product.
Once, I had found a Bodycology product coupon. It was a printable coupon. Anyhow, went to Walmart, the manager there was so rude, wouldn't let me use it and told me I'd photocopied it. Which was totally bogus because I didn't. I'd printed it in black to save ink. I wrote to the company the next day after this happened. I have used their products for many years now, one of my most favorite products. I explained the situation. They wrote back to me, told me to look out for a mailed coupon soon. I was thrilled to just get the coupon! A few days went by, I get a knock at my door from the mailman. I get to the mailbox, only to find a box. Except that I hadn't ordered anything that I could remember at that time. I came inside, opened the box, it was from Bodycology. Not only were they sweet enough to send me not one, but TWO colored printed coupons, but ALSO, one FULL-SIZE Cupcake 8oz lotion(that I'm still using and LOOOOOVE), *AND* also, one FULL-SIZE body spray to go with it!!! Needless to say, I was sooooo shocked and THRILLED at the same time!!!! I was so happy! I wrote them again, thanking them for their generosity and kindness. That's *one* way you can get free coupons and sometimes, not always and don't expect it either, products. Sometimes not even coupons, but most companies love to hear from their customers.
Special order items that you feel the store won't have enough in stock. Walmart will do this, as well as most grocers, however, I'm unsure if drugstores will do the same. Sometimes some stores won't do it, but some and most will. Just call the stores, ask to speak with the manager and ask them if they can special order you whichever items you're looking for and to hold them for you.
Get rain checks. Cvs/walgreen's will give rain checks. Cvs will also give rain checks for items that have Extracare bucks(ecb's), unlike Walgreen's that won't give rain checks for items that have Register Rewards. You can get your ECB's w/rain checks @ CVS, they never expire. However, at Walgreen's, if you get a raincheck for an item that has a register reward, you can get a raincheck for the item without getting the RR's. If u buy like a razor for 9.99 and there's a register reward for $4, making the item 5.99 after register rewards, u can get the item for the $5.99 price, that's basically giving you the $4 back for the item, just not in coupon form that prints out.
You can 'stack' coupons @ Walgreen's, Brookeshires, CVS, Dollar General & Target.
Stacking coupons is this:
Example:
Purina cat food, you have 1 coupon for $2 off 1 (or $2/1, 2/1) purina cat food, & 1 CVS, Walgreens, or Target coupon for $2/1 purina cat food, you can use those 2 coupons for that 1 product. Making that $4/1 purina cat food. Which is even better with Walgreen's register rewards/CVS ECB's.
It's wise to break your transactions into separate transactions instead of one big transaction IF you have a LOT of coupons. Or you could reach the register 'line' limit. That's when the register has reached the total line limit in one transaction.
By breaking down transactions, you can use more of your "4 Like Coupons in one transaction" coupons this way.
Walmart is very finicky, well ours is, about some printed coupons. Some coupons, especially printed coupons, won't scan. Whether they're printed black or printed colored ones, some just have issues. Sometimes the cashier can manually enter them, but some cashiers won't do that and they leave it up to the manager who may or may not even accept the coupon(s).
It is very important to read your coupons very carefully. Buy exactly what is stated on the coupon. The exact product, size, amount & brand. If you don't buy the exact item, brand, size, amount, product, it's coupon fraud to buy anything else. Trust me, you don't want to mess with coupon fraud. I've read so many bad things on that and you can be arrested and charged with coupon fraud and banned from using coupons at certain stores or worse, jail time for a while plus fined. Not worth it.
It is also very important to read if it says: limit 4 like coupons per transaction or limit 4 like coupons per shopping trip, per day.
This means: 4 like Cheerios coupons per transaction. When the coupon states 4 like coupons per transaction, then you can break your transactions into more than one transaction. If you have (8) of those coupons, break it down to two transactions so you can use all your coupons.
If you have coupons that say 4 like coupons per shopping trip, per day, then that's exactly what it means.
This means: 4 like Cheerios coupons per shopping trip, per day.
No matter what, if your coupon is only for .25/1 or even .25/2 products, whatever the value, no matter how small, use them. You'll be surprised at how fast those lil amounts add up fast and can lead to bigger savings!!!!
(more tomorrow.......)
Today-August 18, 2011.
Lesson: One: Choosing a storage solution for your coupons.
Which method is best for you? Figure it out here. For me, it's the binder solution-preferably, the zippered binder, but that's not for everyone. You choose what's best for you.
Today, I've created a video. It's not the best video, but I had interruptions, so I'll make a better video when I can.
This video is of my binder and how I did it. I will recreate it soon to try and make it better. A few have asked about my binder. I will add more detail soon.
For coupon organizing, there are several methods of how to do this. You do as you prefer, however, I strongly prefer the binder method, even if the binder is heavy.
Here are some ways to organize your coupons-aka: coups.
- Envelope method-This is when you use lots of envelopes with categories listed on them with those corresponding coupons inside. I don't prefer this method. Pros-easier to handle, easier to store. Cons-Too many to go through, too many to carry and too easy for others to steal if they wanted to while you're in the store.
- Accordion File method-This is when you get a nice accordion file and store all your inserts in it. Pros-Easily find the inserts easier. Cons-Too bulky, too big-spend more time pulling out coupons and searching for them than being able to use them. Hence, wasting more shopping time.
- Plastic baggie method-This is when you store all your coupons inside plastic baggies with categories listed on them with those corresponding coupons inside. I don't prefer this method. Pros-easier to handle, easier to store. Cons-Too many to go through, too many to carry and too easy for others to steal if they wanted to while you're in the store.
- Regular binder method-This is when you store all your coupons into a regular binder with some baseball card sleeves. Pros-A lot more organized and eaiser to handle than envelopes/baggies/accordion files. Cons-Coupons can fall out easily. Also, binder usually won't hold that much either. If your binder falls off the cart, boom, there goes all your coupons you spent how long to get organized? Can not strap it to your cart either, can easily be stolen.
- Zipper binder method. I myself prefer this because of the Pros: Can hold a lot more than a regular binder(depending on size of binder...some regular binders can actually hold a lot more than a zippered binder too). The zipper closure provides safety of your coupons keeping them from falling out of your binder. Also, can strap it to the seat of the cart, preventing it from being stolen. Cons: Can get very, very heavy and bulky. I look at it this way, lol I'm getting a 'work out' with carrying my binder! :)
A strong suggestion: Make 4 binders. 2 each of "Food" items, 2 each of " Non-Food" items. Thus, having 4 binders. Keep what coupons you're going to use for the week in the binders that go with you to the store, the extras, store either at home or in your car, thus lightening the load of the binder, making it much easier to carry and go through.
On some of my labels, I've got some coupons organized by date. What I do is select a category, then for that category, I do one page for the current month, then another page for the next month and one extra for the following month afterwards. This helps me know when the coupons expire. And makes it somewhat easier, sort of, to organize them. I'll be doing so once I complete my clipping.
I store older inserts in the file pockets in the front of the binder there. I also have a few categories. Inside those categories, such as cleaning-I have a 'laundry' section and so for and so forth. Makes it easier to find the coups for that category. Thus, when I'm in the store looking for laundry stuff, I just flip to the cleaning category, then the laundry category labeled there.
The next thing you need to do *after* you get a decent binder or however you're storing your coupons, is to get some coupons. Coupons can be found in so many places it's unreal. Since I started couponing, almost 10 months ago, I'm still amazed at where I find coupons! And I get even more excited finding them! Here are some places to get them.
Word of advice, get *only* what you *need* when you're starting off. This is especially important until you get your 'stock pile' location sorted. I recommend that you figure out where you want your stock pile to be, how big you want it, and make room because by the time you know it, it grows like a weed!!!!! If you want your stock pile to be big, make sure you have room in the basement, garage, or spare bedroom. Meanwhile, until you get shelving, only get the bare necessities for now. Once you get your 'stock pile' location established(Ie: basement/spare bedroom/garage), you can get shelving. I recommend good quality shelving. Shelving that will hold a LOT of weight. We got our shelving at Lowe's for $62.99. We were fortunate enough not only to have a 10% off entire purchase coupon, but also, when we went there to get the shelving, it was on sale! :) It's benefited us big time!
Benefits of a 'stock pile':
Stocking up on products that you use on a daily basis for your 'stock pile' can be very beneficial and time consuming but it can also save you a lot of $money$ in the long run. By stocking up on items like: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels(if you use them), shampoo/conditioner, soap/toothpaste, cleansing items, body wash, etc., there will be a time when you don't have to buy that stuff anymore for several months. Saving you money in the long run which you can then use to pay off credit cards and other bills as well as use for items that you need to replenish. Having an inventory of your stock pile is also beneficial too and can tell you how long it takes for you to use your current inventory if you inventory your items, food & non-food items, put the date (use masking tape, makes it a cinch) of when you stocked the item. Then do this on all your items, by the time you know it, you'll eventually use up those items. When your stock pile is empty of something, say toilet paper, jog the date down on your inventory list of when it emptied. Then go back, find out how long it took you to use up what you had. Thus, you can replenish what you had and save $$$ for the future months.
The next thing you need to do *after* you get a decent binder or however you're storing your coupons, is to get some coupons. Coupons can be found in so many places it's unreal. Since I started couponing, almost 10 months ago, I'm still amazed at where I find coupons! And I get even more excited finding them! Here are some places to get them.
Word of advice, get *only* what you *need* when you're starting off. This is especially important until you get your 'stock pile' location sorted. I recommend that you figure out where you want your stock pile to be, how big you want it, and make room because by the time you know it, it grows like a weed!!!!! If you want your stock pile to be big, make sure you have room in the basement, garage, or spare bedroom. Meanwhile, until you get shelving, only get the bare necessities for now. Once you get your 'stock pile' location established(Ie: basement/spare bedroom/garage), you can get shelving. I recommend good quality shelving. Shelving that will hold a LOT of weight. We got our shelving at Lowe's for $62.99. We were fortunate enough not only to have a 10% off entire purchase coupon, but also, when we went there to get the shelving, it was on sale! :) It's benefited us big time!
Benefits of a 'stock pile':
Stocking up on products that you use on a daily basis for your 'stock pile' can be very beneficial and time consuming but it can also save you a lot of $money$ in the long run. By stocking up on items like: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels(if you use them), shampoo/conditioner, soap/toothpaste, cleansing items, body wash, etc., there will be a time when you don't have to buy that stuff anymore for several months. Saving you money in the long run which you can then use to pay off credit cards and other bills as well as use for items that you need to replenish. Having an inventory of your stock pile is also beneficial too and can tell you how long it takes for you to use your current inventory if you inventory your items, food & non-food items, put the date (use masking tape, makes it a cinch) of when you stocked the item. Then do this on all your items, by the time you know it, you'll eventually use up those items. When your stock pile is empty of something, say toilet paper, jog the date down on your inventory list of when it emptied. Then go back, find out how long it took you to use up what you had. Thus, you can replenish what you had and save $$$ for the future months.
Organizing Your Pantry by Zones:
If you have a bigger kitchen than I do, this will be easy for you to do, especially if you have a bigger pantry as well.
I recommend first organizing your pantry to where you have a section for canned goods, then re-categorize the canned goods into "Sauces/Soups/Broths/Vegetables/Fruits and Beans". Thus, simplifying your organization. By starting with one section at a time, it not only eliminates the overwhelming feeling of trying to complete the task, but makes it faster to get through it as well. This is the way I had to do ours due to our very, very small kitchen. I'm to this day, still not finished organizing it either. I have a long way to go, only me doing it, plus working, cleaning, cooking, washing, etc. well, you get the idea. Therefore, my lil kitchen isn't finished yet.
Pull out *all* of your canned goods, everything you can find in the kitchen/stock pile. Place it all onto your counter/table. Group like items together. Pinto beans with refried beans, etc. Make an inventory list of *each* item, and how many you have. Store the ones that will be out of date to the front to be used first. Newest to the back. I realize this is time consuming but the point is to *use* your stock pile and what's on hand. Once you have your items all out, inventoried, counted, written down/marked on paper, then start putting them back into your cabinet or onto your shelves. Do this per category so that it's not so overwhelming. Do all your beans first, vegetables, fruits, soups, etc. One category at a time. Right after you finish putting them into your cabinet or onto your shelf, label it right then. Continue doing each category as mentioned above. Once this is all complete, by the time you know it, all your canned goods, done, inventoried, counted, stocked and re-stored. Move onto your next category of your choice.
As I said previously, we're extremely limited on space at our home so I have to be creative. Still working on that though. We have ONE main pantry cabinet, that's it. The other cabinets, for dishes, plates, cookware. So I hope you have much better luck on this than I have so far.
Next category, boxed goods. First: cereal. It's the easiest to organize. Figure out where you're going to store it all first, then make sure it'll all fit there. Some people place all their cereals into canisters, we don't. We only use Cereal canisters for the current opened box that we're using as we don't want the cereal to go stale. Once I find much better canisters, I may do that but not currently. Do the same with your cereals as you did with your cans. Pull it all out onto counter/table, put all like cereals together, count, inventory, restock, label.
Next category: the rest of the boxed goods. Do the same here: Put all out onto counter/table, like items together, count, inventory, restock, label. Simple as that.
Next category: Jars. Do the same here: Put all out onto counter/table, like items together, count, inventory, restock, label.
Next Category: Pasta, in bags-Do the same here: Put all onto counter/table, like items together, count, inventory, restock, label. However, there may be other ways of you storing your pasta--spaghetti noodles, can be stored in nice long canisters. Pasta noodles, the same. Try and get stackable containers that will fit inside your shelving for best results.
(more to come tomorrow...1-27-12)
Monthly Sales Guide:
Here is a Monthly Sales Guide that I found through Google. It's very useful and this is when you'll find your coupons so that you can stock up on things that will be needed eventually. So during those months, be sure to look for coupons for these products that you'd like. Remember, products usually have a coupon quarterly, so if you miss it, don't fret, you'll find another in a few months. Also, another hint, for high value or rare coupons, such as the $5/1 any size bag of Purina One Beyond dog food (in 1/15/12 SS if I remember right), use those if you need them because those ones, I haven't seen quarterly, so they're harder to find.
Most products are 'sales-priced' at lease once every three months, However, a typical sales price may not provide a great deal. Brand name product coupons also appear quarterly, on average, in Sunday newspaper inserts. Teaming those coupons with sales prices might give a great deal. The best deals, however, usually come along once a year. They are generally predictable, and knowing when rock bottom prices, along with coupons, will arrive is key to getting a rock bottom price and high level savings.
Sales cycles are often a function of nature. Produce comes in season once a year. Fresh fruits and vegetables are generally cheapest during the peak seasons. But in addition to the fresh produce, canned and frozen produce has it's own sales cycle. Last year's freshly canned vegetables in last year's labeling needs to be sold, making room for the new cans in newly designed packaging. And, since shelf space is limited in any store, end of season frozen and canned goods need to move off of shelves to make room for other seasonal items. Other sales cycles may not be so obvious. The following pages provide lists of rock bottom sale prices to look for, by month. In addition, here are a few tips to keep in mind when hoping for a great sale price.
New Products: Manufacturers typically launch promotions around new products. Look for clearance prices right before a new product is announced (if you take consumer surveys or are on email newsletters from brands, you will probably get advanced notice of new products). Slotting fees for products are expensive, and they need to make room for new products by selling off the old products.
Once a new product arrives, look for major promotions to clear the first wave of the product. Stores don't stock products that don't sell, so comanies want to "prove" that the product should be stocked.
New Packaging: No one likes to purchase "old" products, so any products packaged in holiday, special occasion, sporting event, or special promotion packaging will go on clearance after the event. Some of the largest packaged events will include Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but also Super Bowl/Football, World Series/Baseball, Olympics, etc. Special packaging is common for any "party foods", like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, crackers, and chips.
Special Occasions: Store promotions of loss leaders and special deals are usually timed around special occasions. The "loss leader" is just that...they are designed to "lead" the customer in the store. Most consumers shop only at one or two stores each week, so the 10 cent bottle of BBQ sauces goes in to the cart with hundreds of dollars on meat, produce, cleansers, and other items priced higher than at other stores that remove potential savings.
Any food customized to a holiday (cookies, candy, sprinkles in colors, etc.) will be on clearance after the holiday. Examples might ibe refridgerated cookie dough in ghost shapes after Halloween, or Red/White/Blue sprinkles after July 4th.
National xxx Product Month/Week/Day: Manufacturers and stores like to coordinate their offers, even if they are competing for business. For example, if Planters peanuts go on sale, you might not really notice. But for "National Peanut Month", if Planters, Sunkist, Skippy, Jif, etc. ALL put out sales and coupons, consumers are more likely to notice and to purchase them during the promotional period.
Lists to sales cycles by month:
JANUARY Sales/Deals:
New Years Resolutions!
Diet foods and products
New Year, New You type promotions
Healthy Choice
South Beach
Lean Cuisine
Yogurt
100 calorie packs
Special K, K20, Right Bites, Smart Start
Diet Aids
Winter Health
Cold Medicines
Pain Relief
Health products
Vitamins
Oatmeal (it's National Oatmeal Month!)
Quaker Brand products
Super Bowl party foods:
Pepsi
Coke
Soda
Chips
Dips
Cheese
Sandwich items
Crackers
Snacks
Special promotions introducing new product lines, especially:
Hair color
Make up
Beauty products
Bath products
Clearance items:
Calendars, planners, anything dated items (these go "out of date" quickly after 1/1)
Christmas/Hanukkah/New Years party supplies
Wrapping paper, ribbons, bows
Ornaments
Candles
Winter clothing, coats, gloves, hats, boots, etc.
Computers
Home Gym equipment and gear
Seasonal Sales:
Soup, Chili, "warm you up" type foods
Cleaners/household items (winter cleaning, organization, storage)
White sales/home items
Furniture
Occasions:
January 1--New Year's Day
January 1--7 is National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
Super Bowl Sunday
Other Promotions this month:
Bread Machine Baking Month
National Candy Month
National Egg Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Meat Month
National Oatmeal Month
National Slow Cooker Month
National Soup Month
National Wheat Bread Month
Prune Breakfast Month
February:
FEBRUARY Sales/Deals:
National Canned Food Month
Canned Vegetables
Canned Fruits.
Canned tuna
Canned beans
Cherry pie filling
National Hot Breakfast Month Promotions:
Kellogg's, General Mills, Post, Quaker, etc....
Hot cereal
Eggo's
Wallfes
Syrup, etc.
Heart and heart-healthy products (American Heart Month)
Aspirin
Supplements
Low chloresterol oils and spreads
Westminster Dog Show February promotions
Dog food
Eukanuba
Pedigree
Purina
Iams
Valentine's Day promotions:
Chocolate (also Celebration of Chocolate Month)
Valentine's candy
Condoms (also National Condom week February 14-21)
KY, Monistat, etc...
Hershey's
Hershey's kisses promos
Chinese New Year Promotions:
Soy sauce
Teriyaki
Canned water chestnuts, bamoo shoots
Crunchy noodles
Ramen
Stir fry
Clearance items:
Valentine's candy
Candy, Chocolate.
Occasions:
Valentine's Day
President's Day
National African American Heritage Month
Chinese New Year
Women's Heart Health Day February 1
Groundhog Day
Susan B Anthony Day
Other Promotions this month:
Canned Food month
Great American Pies month
National Cherry month
National Children's Dental Health Month
National Fiber Focus Month
National Grapefruit Month
National Hot Breakfast Month
National Snack Food Month
Various Potato occasions
March Sales/Deals:
Frozen food month
All types
Frozen vegetables (box, bag, steam)
Frozen fruits
Frozen dinners/meals
Ice Cream
Waffles
Fill-a-bag or multiple-item deals
Cleansers and household items (spring cleaning month)
Easter Seal theme for insert coupons and promotions: Easter/Passover falls in March or April
Eggs
Ham
Asparagus
Horseradish
Butter
Coconut
Some Jewish/Passover items not found during other months
Peanuts: (National Peanut Month)
St. Patrick's Day
Potatoes
Canned beef
"Irish" foods
Gardening supplies
Clearance items:
Winter items
Popsicles, ice cream, frozen novelties, etc. (this is the time when "last year's flavors" are cleared out, packaging redesigned, etc., to make room for the new products in April)
Occasions:
St. Patrick's Day
Mardi Gras
Other promotions this month:
National Frozen Food Month
National Nutrition Month
National Peanut Month
National Red Cross Month
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
National Craft Month
Poison Prevention Awareness Month
National Pancake Week (March 2-8th)
Dr. Seuss's Birthday Read Across America programs
National Quilting Day
End of March--April National Sleep Awareness Week
Produce in season:
Artichoke
Asparagus
Avacado, Hass
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chards
Collards
Fennel
Kale
Leek
Lemon
Lime
Mushrooms
Onions, Spring
Orange
Peas
Radish
Rhubarb
Spinach
Strawberries
Tangerine
End of March--April National Sleep Awareness Week
April Sales/Deals:
Easter/Passover/other Promotions
Easter Seal theme for insert coupons and promotions:
Eggs
Ham
Asparagus
Butter
Coconut
Marshmellows
Chocolate chips
Cookie mix
Sugar
Powdered Sugar
Brown Sugar
Brownie mix
Cake mix
Food coloring
Dyes
Pastel colored items
Spices
Horseradish
Some Jewish/Passover items not found during other months
Gift basket supplies (baskets, cellophane, grass, bags, ribbons and bows, etc.)
Farm animal, Spring baby animal toys and items, rabbits, chicks.
Earth Day Promotions:
Organic Foods
Eco-conscious products
Energy savers
Go Organic for Earth Day! Coupon Booklet
Coupon inserts for environmental causes/eco-friendly products.
Usually free, or promotions, on reusable totes and shopping bags
Daylight Savings Time Promotions:
Batteries
Smoke detectors
Carbon Monoxide Monitors
Natural cleaners
CFL light bulbs
Clearance items:
Olive Oil (April starts the new season)
Winter items
Frozen items: Popsicle, ice cream, novelties, etc. (this is the time when "last year's flavors" are cleared out, packaging redesigned, etc., to make room for the new products in April.)
Occasions:
April Fool's Day
Earth Day
Arbor Day
Other Promotions this Month:
National Garden Week
Medication Safety Week
Income Tax (various promotions)
Secretary's/Administrative Professional's Week
National Soy foods Month
National Window Safety Week
Produce in Peak Season:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbages
Carrots
Grapefruit
Hass Avacados
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Rhubarb
May Sales/Deals:
May begins the summer with sales on things you might need throughout the summer. Sales on pools, garden furniture, etc. begin, with the best selection of the season. Clearances in September may bring better prices, but more limited selections.
BBQ Memorial Day/Beginning of Summer Promos:
Coupon inserts, Summer Blast-off themes
Focus on Barbecue and picnic items, beginning of summer items:
Salsa
Tortillas
Tacos, seasonings
National Pet Week Promotions:
Dog Food
Cat Food
Treats
Graduation:
Deli Platters
Balloons
Autograph hounds, pictures, photograph, other memories, scrap books
Clearance items
Occasions:
Memorial Day
May Day
Cinco De Mayo
Mother's Day
Other Promotions this Month:
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month
National Asparagus Month
National BBQ Month
National Egg Month
National Hamburger Month
National salad Month
National Salsa Month
National Strawberry Month
Skin Cancer Awareness/Prevention Month
International Pickle Week
Armed Forces Day
Kentucky Derby
Produce In Season:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avacado
Beans, Green
Beets
Blackberries
Carrots
Onions, Sweet Vidalia
Peas, Edible Pods
Peas, English/Shelling
Potatoes, New
Raspberries
Strawberries
Apple, Gravenstein
Avocado, Hass
Beans
Beans, Green
Berries
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Figs
Grapes
Melons
Okra
Onion
Peaches
Pears, Bartlett
Pepper, Bell
Plums
Raspberries
Squash, Summer
Tomatillo
Tomato
SEPTEMBER Sales/Deals
Back to School promos continue up to Labor Day
Artichokes
Beans
Bell Peppers
Chile Peppers
Cucumber
Eggplant
Grapes
Okra
Onion
Orange, Valencia
Pears, Asian
Pears, Bartlett
Pomegranate
Quince
Squash
Tomatillo
Tomatoes
Winter Squash
OCTOBER Sales/Deals
Halloween promotions
Apples
Artichokes
Arugula
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbages
Chard
Chestnuts
Cranberries
Kale
Kohlrabi
Kumquat
Lemons
Parsnip
Pears
Pomegranate
Potatoes
Potatoes, Sweet
Pumpkin
Quince
Rutabaga
Spinach
Squash, Winter
Turnips
Yams
NOVEMBER Sales/Deals:
Sadie Hawkins Day
Beets
Bok Choy
Bosc Pears
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbages
Carrots
Celery
Chard
Comice Pears
Cranberries
Kale
Kiwi
Kumquats
Leek
Lemons
Mustard Greens
Orange
Parsnip
Potato
Potatoes, Sweet
Rutabaga
Squash, Winter
Turnip
Yams
DECEMBER Sales/Deals
Christmas dinner/Holiday party foods
Monthly Sales Guide:
Here is a Monthly Sales Guide that I found through Google. It's very useful and this is when you'll find your coupons so that you can stock up on things that will be needed eventually. So during those months, be sure to look for coupons for these products that you'd like. Remember, products usually have a coupon quarterly, so if you miss it, don't fret, you'll find another in a few months. Also, another hint, for high value or rare coupons, such as the $5/1 any size bag of Purina One Beyond dog food (in 1/15/12 SS if I remember right), use those if you need them because those ones, I haven't seen quarterly, so they're harder to find.
Most products are 'sales-priced' at lease once every three months, However, a typical sales price may not provide a great deal. Brand name product coupons also appear quarterly, on average, in Sunday newspaper inserts. Teaming those coupons with sales prices might give a great deal. The best deals, however, usually come along once a year. They are generally predictable, and knowing when rock bottom prices, along with coupons, will arrive is key to getting a rock bottom price and high level savings.
Sales cycles are often a function of nature. Produce comes in season once a year. Fresh fruits and vegetables are generally cheapest during the peak seasons. But in addition to the fresh produce, canned and frozen produce has it's own sales cycle. Last year's freshly canned vegetables in last year's labeling needs to be sold, making room for the new cans in newly designed packaging. And, since shelf space is limited in any store, end of season frozen and canned goods need to move off of shelves to make room for other seasonal items. Other sales cycles may not be so obvious. The following pages provide lists of rock bottom sale prices to look for, by month. In addition, here are a few tips to keep in mind when hoping for a great sale price.
New Products: Manufacturers typically launch promotions around new products. Look for clearance prices right before a new product is announced (if you take consumer surveys or are on email newsletters from brands, you will probably get advanced notice of new products). Slotting fees for products are expensive, and they need to make room for new products by selling off the old products.
Once a new product arrives, look for major promotions to clear the first wave of the product. Stores don't stock products that don't sell, so comanies want to "prove" that the product should be stocked.
New Packaging: No one likes to purchase "old" products, so any products packaged in holiday, special occasion, sporting event, or special promotion packaging will go on clearance after the event. Some of the largest packaged events will include Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but also Super Bowl/Football, World Series/Baseball, Olympics, etc. Special packaging is common for any "party foods", like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, crackers, and chips.
Special Occasions: Store promotions of loss leaders and special deals are usually timed around special occasions. The "loss leader" is just that...they are designed to "lead" the customer in the store. Most consumers shop only at one or two stores each week, so the 10 cent bottle of BBQ sauces goes in to the cart with hundreds of dollars on meat, produce, cleansers, and other items priced higher than at other stores that remove potential savings.
Any food customized to a holiday (cookies, candy, sprinkles in colors, etc.) will be on clearance after the holiday. Examples might ibe refridgerated cookie dough in ghost shapes after Halloween, or Red/White/Blue sprinkles after July 4th.
National xxx Product Month/Week/Day: Manufacturers and stores like to coordinate their offers, even if they are competing for business. For example, if Planters peanuts go on sale, you might not really notice. But for "National Peanut Month", if Planters, Sunkist, Skippy, Jif, etc. ALL put out sales and coupons, consumers are more likely to notice and to purchase them during the promotional period.
Lists to sales cycles by month:
JANUARY Sales/Deals:
New Years Resolutions!
Diet foods and products
New Year, New You type promotions
Healthy Choice
South Beach
Lean Cuisine
Yogurt
100 calorie packs
Special K, K20, Right Bites, Smart Start
Diet Aids
Winter Health
Cold Medicines
Pain Relief
Health products
Vitamins
Oatmeal (it's National Oatmeal Month!)
Quaker Brand products
Super Bowl party foods:
Pepsi
Coke
Soda
Chips
Dips
Cheese
Sandwich items
Crackers
Snacks
Special promotions introducing new product lines, especially:
Hair color
Make up
Beauty products
Bath products
Clearance items:
Calendars, planners, anything dated items (these go "out of date" quickly after 1/1)
Christmas/Hanukkah/New Years party supplies
Wrapping paper, ribbons, bows
Ornaments
Candles
Winter clothing, coats, gloves, hats, boots, etc.
Computers
Home Gym equipment and gear
Seasonal Sales:
Soup, Chili, "warm you up" type foods
Cleaners/household items (winter cleaning, organization, storage)
White sales/home items
Furniture
Occasions:
January 1--New Year's Day
January 1--7 is National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
Super Bowl Sunday
Other Promotions this month:
Bread Machine Baking Month
National Candy Month
National Egg Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Meat Month
National Oatmeal Month
National Slow Cooker Month
National Soup Month
National Wheat Bread Month
Prune Breakfast Month
February:
FEBRUARY Sales/Deals:
National Canned Food Month
Canned Vegetables
Canned Fruits.
Canned tuna
Canned beans
Cherry pie filling
National Hot Breakfast Month Promotions:
Kellogg's, General Mills, Post, Quaker, etc....
Hot cereal
Eggo's
Wallfes
Syrup, etc.
Heart and heart-healthy products (American Heart Month)
Aspirin
Supplements
Low chloresterol oils and spreads
Westminster Dog Show February promotions
Dog food
Eukanuba
Pedigree
Purina
Iams
Valentine's Day promotions:
Chocolate (also Celebration of Chocolate Month)
Valentine's candy
Condoms (also National Condom week February 14-21)
KY, Monistat, etc...
Hershey's
Hershey's kisses promos
Chinese New Year Promotions:
Soy sauce
Teriyaki
Canned water chestnuts, bamoo shoots
Crunchy noodles
Ramen
Stir fry
Clearance items:
Valentine's candy
Candy, Chocolate.
Occasions:
Valentine's Day
President's Day
National African American Heritage Month
Chinese New Year
Women's Heart Health Day February 1
Groundhog Day
Susan B Anthony Day
Other Promotions this month:
Canned Food month
Great American Pies month
National Cherry month
National Children's Dental Health Month
National Fiber Focus Month
National Grapefruit Month
National Hot Breakfast Month
National Snack Food Month
Various Potato occasions
March Sales/Deals:
Frozen food month
All types
Frozen vegetables (box, bag, steam)
Frozen fruits
Frozen dinners/meals
Ice Cream
Waffles
Fill-a-bag or multiple-item deals
Cleansers and household items (spring cleaning month)
Easter Seal theme for insert coupons and promotions: Easter/Passover falls in March or April
Eggs
Ham
Asparagus
Horseradish
Butter
Coconut
Some Jewish/Passover items not found during other months
Peanuts: (National Peanut Month)
St. Patrick's Day
Potatoes
Canned beef
"Irish" foods
Gardening supplies
Clearance items:
Winter items
Popsicles, ice cream, frozen novelties, etc. (this is the time when "last year's flavors" are cleared out, packaging redesigned, etc., to make room for the new products in April)
Occasions:
St. Patrick's Day
Mardi Gras
Other promotions this month:
National Frozen Food Month
National Nutrition Month
National Peanut Month
National Red Cross Month
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
National Craft Month
Poison Prevention Awareness Month
National Pancake Week (March 2-8th)
Dr. Seuss's Birthday Read Across America programs
National Quilting Day
End of March--April National Sleep Awareness Week
Produce in season:
Artichoke
Asparagus
Avacado, Hass
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chards
Collards
Fennel
Kale
Leek
Lemon
Lime
Mushrooms
Onions, Spring
Orange
Peas
Radish
Rhubarb
Spinach
Strawberries
Tangerine
End of March--April National Sleep Awareness Week
April Sales/Deals:
Easter/Passover/other Promotions
Easter Seal theme for insert coupons and promotions:
Eggs
Ham
Asparagus
Butter
Coconut
Marshmellows
Chocolate chips
Cookie mix
Sugar
Powdered Sugar
Brown Sugar
Brownie mix
Cake mix
Food coloring
Dyes
Pastel colored items
Spices
Horseradish
Some Jewish/Passover items not found during other months
Gift basket supplies (baskets, cellophane, grass, bags, ribbons and bows, etc.)
Farm animal, Spring baby animal toys and items, rabbits, chicks.
Earth Day Promotions:
Organic Foods
Eco-conscious products
Energy savers
Go Organic for Earth Day! Coupon Booklet
Coupon inserts for environmental causes/eco-friendly products.
Usually free, or promotions, on reusable totes and shopping bags
Daylight Savings Time Promotions:
Batteries
Smoke detectors
Carbon Monoxide Monitors
Natural cleaners
CFL light bulbs
Clearance items:
Olive Oil (April starts the new season)
Winter items
Frozen items: Popsicle, ice cream, novelties, etc. (this is the time when "last year's flavors" are cleared out, packaging redesigned, etc., to make room for the new products in April.)
Occasions:
April Fool's Day
Earth Day
Arbor Day
Other Promotions this Month:
National Garden Week
Medication Safety Week
Income Tax (various promotions)
Secretary's/Administrative Professional's Week
National Soy foods Month
National Window Safety Week
Produce in Peak Season:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbages
Carrots
Grapefruit
Hass Avacados
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Rhubarb
May Sales/Deals:
May begins the summer with sales on things you might need throughout the summer. Sales on pools, garden furniture, etc. begin, with the best selection of the season. Clearances in September may bring better prices, but more limited selections.
BBQ Memorial Day/Beginning of Summer Promos:
Coupon inserts, Summer Blast-off themes
Focus on Barbecue and picnic items, beginning of summer items:
- Condiments: Barbecue sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonaise, Marinades, Pickles, relish, A1 steak sauce.
- Grilling meats; Steaks, beef, beef ribs, rib eye steak, porterhouse steaks, pork ribs, baby back ribs, hot dogs, ground beef, hamburger, hot dogs, polska kielbalsa, chicken, sausage, barbecue beef.
- Cheese
- Produce: salad greens, lettuce, spinach, fresh express salads, strawberries, watermelon, corn, (usually grown in Florida or Sounthern states), salad dressings, Kraft and Ken's.
- Charcoal and free charcoal when you buy other item deals, lighters and fluid
- Potato Chips: Frito's, Lay's, Dorito's, Tostidos, clips, salsa
- Popsicles, ice cream, ice cream bars, novelties.
- Hamburger buns, hot dog buns, hoagie buns
- Paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils, paper towels, cups, beverage bottles, insolated bottles.
- Coolers: ice chests, Igloo
- Soda: Pepsi, Coke, Coca-Cola, 7-Up, Ice Tea, Gatorade
- Insect repellent.
- Sunscreen
- Allergy medications: Clariton, Zyrtec, Alavert
- Garden décor, patio furniture, wicker, gazebos, pools, hammocks, swings.
- Barbecue Grills, utensils
- Pools, swim toys, floats, beach toys
Salsa
Tortillas
Tacos, seasonings
National Pet Week Promotions:
Dog Food
Cat Food
Treats
Graduation:
Deli Platters
Balloons
Autograph hounds, pictures, photograph, other memories, scrap books
Clearance items
Occasions:
Memorial Day
May Day
Cinco De Mayo
Mother's Day
Other Promotions this Month:
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month
National Asparagus Month
National BBQ Month
National Egg Month
National Hamburger Month
National salad Month
National Salsa Month
National Strawberry Month
Skin Cancer Awareness/Prevention Month
International Pickle Week
Armed Forces Day
Kentucky Derby
Produce In Season:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avacado
Beans, Green
Beets
Blackberries
Carrots
Onions, Sweet Vidalia
Peas, Edible Pods
Peas, English/Shelling
Potatoes, New
Raspberries
Strawberries
JUNE Sales/Deals:
June deals start on June First with the month-long promotions for National Dairy Month. Most stores will offer loss-leader sales on milk, eggs, and ice creams, while hoping you make up the difference on full price sun screen, allergy medications, and other summer items that were introduced to shelves at sale prices in May.
National Dairy Month promos
Dairy Products: Many dairy products are locally produced, so the National Dairy Council often teams with stores to promote dairy products, like milk and eggs. Look for in-ad store coupons or offers promoting 99c eggs, free milk, etc. Also, look for “free eggs/milk/etc.” when you buy cereal (Kellogg’s, General Mills, Post, Quaker), ice cream, “breakfast deals”, etc, and in-store coupon booklets for a range of dairy products.
Milk
Eggs
Juice
Cheese, sliced cheese, cottage cheese
Butter, margarine, dairy type spreads
Yogurt, probiotics, smoothies
Sour cream, cream cheese
cream, coffeemate or creamer,
Ice cream, as well as popsicles, novelties like Drumsticks and ice cream sandwiches
whipping cream, whipped cream, Cool Whip
Easter Seals and Special Olympics Summer Games
(Early June – Children’s Miracle Network theme coupons)
Father’s Day and July 4th promotions
Focus on Barbeque and picnic items; overall sale prices may not be as low as in May (beginning of season) and September (end of season), but individual items may be low as store-featured loss leader sales.
BBQ equipment: Father’s day gift promotions often include BBQ mits, aprons, grill sets, grills, charcoal, etc
Condiments: BBQ Sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Marinade, Pickles, relish, A1 steak sauce
Grilling meats: Steak, beef, beef ribs, rib eye steak, porterhouse steaks, pork ribs, baby back ribs, hot dogs, ground beef, hamburger, hot dogs, polska kielbalsa, chicken, sausage, barbeque beef
Cheese
Produce: Salad greens, lettuce, spinach, Fresh Express salads, strawberries, watermelon, corn (usually grown in Florida or southern states), salad dressing, Kraft and Ken’s
Charcoal, and free charcoal when you buy other item deals
Lighters and fluid
Potato chips, Fritos, Lays, Doritos, Tostitos, dips, salsa
Popsicles, Ice Cream, ice cream bars, novelties
Hamburger Buns, Hot dog buns, hoagie buns
Paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils, paper towels, cups, beverage bottles, insulated bottles
Coolers, ice chests, Igloo
Soda, Pepsi, Coke, Coca-cola, 7up, ice tea, Gatorade
Insect repellent
Sunscreen, self-tanner
Allergy medications, Claritin, Zyrtec, Alavert
Garden décor, patio furniture, wicker, gazebos, pools, hammocks, swings,
Barbeque grills, utensils
Pools, swim toys, floats, beach toys
National Headache promos
Aspirin
pain relievers
headache meds
allergy / sinus headache meds
Other Occasions:
National Cancer Survivor’s Day
National Hunger Awareness Day
Flag Day
Special Olympics Summer Games
Summer begins
Other Promotions this month:
National Candy Month
National Dairy Month
National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month
National Iced Tea Month
National Safety Month
National Seafood Month
National Turkey Lover’s Month
Produce in Season:
Apricots
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Cherries
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Grapes
Honeydew
Loganberries
Nectarines
Ollieberries
Peaches
Potatoes
Raspberries
Red Onions
Squash, Summer
Strawberries
Sweet Vidalia Onions
Tomatoes
Watermelon
JULY Sales/Deals:
Back to school starts school supply “deals”
July 4th promos – best BBQ sales of year through 7/4
BBQ Sauce
Baked beans
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayonnaise
Marinade
Hot dogs
Hamburger/ground beef
Ribs
Steaks
Buns
Paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils, etc.
Soda
Insect repellent
Sunscreen
Blueberries
Fireworks
Occasions:
July 4th
Parents Day
Other Promotions this month:
National Baked Bean Month
National Blueberry Month
National Ice Cream Month
National Hot Dog Month
Canada Day
Running of the Bulls
Produce in Season:
Asian Pears
Bartlett Pears
Beans, Green
Blueberries
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Figs
Garlic
Gooseberries
Grapes
Nectarines
Okra
Onions, Red
Oranges, Valencia
Peaches
Peppers, Sweet/Bell
Plums
Potatoes
Squash, Summer
Tomatoes
Watermelon
AUGUST Sales/Deals:
Back to School promotions
Lunchbox foods/meals
Pudding cups
Lunchables
Lunch meat
Bread
Cold cereal
Waffles
Kellogg’s promos
School and office supply
Pens
Pencils
Markers
Crayons
Glue
Paper
Backpacks
Lunchboxes
Fuel for School/Back to School coupon inserts and rebates
Teacher Appreciation Days at various stores (Staples, Office Depot, etc.)
1-cent sales on items each week at Staples and Office Depot
Clorox Classroom cleanup
disinfecting wipes
Purell, sanitizers
Clearance items:
BBQ equipment
Patio furniture, equipment
Charcoal, lighter fluid, etc.
August White sale/linens
Summer items
Sunscreen
insect repellent
Produce in Season:Apple, Gravenstein
Avocado, Hass
Beans
Beans, Green
Berries
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Figs
Grapes
Melons
Okra
Onion
Peaches
Pears, Bartlett
Pepper, Bell
Plums
Raspberries
Squash, Summer
Tomatillo
Tomato
SEPTEMBER Sales/Deals
Back to School promos continue up to Labor Day
Lunchbox foods/meals
Pudding cups
Lunchables
Juice boxes, Capri Sun
Pop Tarts
Lunch meat
Bread
Cold cereal
Waffles
School and office supply
Pens
Pencils
Markers
Crayons
Glue
Paper
Tomato products begin
Spaghetti Sauce
Tomato soup
Canned tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Diabetes Smart coupon themes
Diabetic meters
Glucerna/Boost, etc.
Diabetic care
Baby Item Month
Look for sales mid month on major baby equipment, baby safety, general new baby “stuff”
Organic Harvest month sales
Clearance items:
Summer holiday and picnic supplies
After Labor Day end of season clearance – look for 75% off BBQ and picnic supplies this weekend and after
Occasions:
Labor Day
Patriot Day
Autumn Begins
Rosh Hashanah
Other Promotions this month:
Baby Safety Month
Better Breakfast month
National Chicken Month
National Coupon Month
National Dog Week (9/21 – 9/27)
National Honey Month
National Potato Month
National Rice Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Sewing Month
Hispanic Heritage Month (September – October)
Produce in Season:
ApplesArtichokes
Beans
Bell Peppers
Chile Peppers
Cucumber
Eggplant
Grapes
Okra
Onion
Orange, Valencia
Pears, Asian
Pears, Bartlett
Pomegranate
Quince
Squash
Tomatillo
Tomatoes
Winter Squash
OCTOBER Sales/Deals
Halloween promotions
Candy
Cookies
Baking season begins
Baking chocolate chips
Fruitcake/candied fruit
nuts
Fall promotions
Apples
Pumpkins (fresh)
Pet products, food
Car care products
Daylight Savings time ends promotions
alarm clocks
batteries
safety equipment
smoke alarms
Clearance items:
“last year” flavors of holiday foods – time to clear the shelves for new products and packaging…
Occasions:
Columbus Day
National Children’s Day
World Food Day/UN and UNICEF
Halloween
Daylight Savings time ends
Other Promotions this month:
Adopt a Shelter-Dog Month
Fire Prevention Week (10/5 – 10/11)
German-American Day
Pledge Across America/Reading/School Celebration
National Animal Safety and Protection Month
National Apple Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Chili Month
National Cookie Month
National Dental Hygiene Month
National Dessert Month
National Pizza Month
National Pork Month
National Pretzel Month
National Seafood Month
Produce in Season:
AlmondsApples
Artichokes
Arugula
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbages
Chard
Chestnuts
Cranberries
Kale
Kohlrabi
Kumquat
Lemons
Parsnip
Pears
Pomegranate
Potatoes
Potatoes, Sweet
Pumpkin
Quince
Rutabaga
Spinach
Squash, Winter
Turnips
Yams
NOVEMBER Sales/Deals:
Quilts, blankets
Hot cocoa, coffee, tea
Canned foods – soup, broth, condensed milk, vegetables, fruits, spaghetti sauce
Baking goods
Great American SmokeOut promotions -
Smoking cessation products (Nicorette, Commit, etc)
Holiday/Thanksgiving dinner foods
Turkey
Pumpkin (canned)
Stuffing mix
Potato mix
Butter
Sweet potatoes
Fresh potatoes
Gravy
Bread/rolls
Frozen pies
Cranberry sauce
Fresh cranberries
Clearance items:
pre-season clearance on holiday items
Occasions:Sadie Hawkins Day
Election Day
Veteran’s Day
Great American Smokeout – 11/20
Thanksgiving
Other Promotions this month:
American Diabetes Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
National American Indian Heritage Month
Peanut Butter Month
Produce in Season:
Anjou PearsBeets
Bok Choy
Bosc Pears
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbages
Carrots
Celery
Chard
Comice Pears
Cranberries
Kale
Kiwi
Kumquats
Leek
Lemons
Mustard Greens
Orange
Parsnip
Potato
Potatoes, Sweet
Rutabaga
Squash, Winter
Turnip
Yams
DECEMBER Sales/Deals
Christmas dinner/Holiday party foods
Party/Deli platters
Cold cuts
Sour cream, dips
Crackers, chips
soda
Ham
Stuffing mix
Potato mix
Butter
Fresh potatoes
Gravy
Bread/rolls
Frozen pies
Green beans
Fried onion
Cream soups
Broth
Pie filling
Egg nog
Christmas dinner/Holiday party supplies
wrapping paper
cards
ribbon
bows
tape
paper plates
napkins
Baking supplies
Flour
Sugar
Butter
Cream
Cake mix
Brownie mix
Muffin mix
Breads
Pie Crust
Marshmallow
Whipped cream
Clearance items:
Post Thanksgiving clearance
Fall décor and craft clearance
After Christmas clearance
Occasions:
Chanukah
Winter begins
Christmas
New Year’s Eve
Kwansaa
Produce in Season:
Anjou Pears
Bok Choy
Bosc Pears
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Dates
Grapefruit
Haas Avocados
Kale
Kiwi
Kumquat
Lemon
Napa Cabbage
Oranges
Quince
Potatoes, Sweet
Red Cabbage
Rutabaga
Savoy Cabbage
Spinach
Squash, Winter
Yams
Turnips
White Potato
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(*MANY* Thanks to: Grocery Coupon Guide for this information!!!)
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