My favorite place to find coupon match ups……for Michiganders!

Hands down my favorite go to spot for coupon match ups is…….drumroll………..

Bargins to Bounty

This site makes matching coupons to the current sales easy, peasy! Not only does it match everything up, it shows you which inserts the coupons can be found in and also where you can print off coupons you don’t have.

Doesn’t get any easier then that!

 

Old Blogs…..

I’ve had two other blogs besides this one.

If your just dying to read every blog post that I have ever written.

You can go here….http://brownbagbagels.blogspot.com/

and then go here….http://doing-things-differently.blogspot.com/

I’ve recently moved content here because I like the format of this blog host better.

Cheerio!

Meal Plan ~ Coupon Match Up

Now comes the fun part!  I am lying, it’s not fun.

You are going to need a calender.  Go get one…yes, right now!

Now go look at all of the groceries you currently have in your cupboards, pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Just take a good, but quick look.  This will give you an idea of what you already own.  Now a  meal plan can be made based on what you own and what is on sale.  The first time I did this, I owned practically nothing.  I never planned ahead, we always shopped week to week and there were NO staples in my cupboard.

Now, we do major grocery shopping every 3 to 4 weeks and do a meal plan that is 4 weeks long (yep, the whole month).  We shop every week or so for fresh produce and that fit’s into the meal plan as well.  Only buy the fresh ingredient’s the week you plan to use them.  Nothing is worse then finding rotten, wasted produce in the refrigerator.  I take that back.  Nothing is worse then finding rotten, wasted produce in your stow-a-way compartment.

Let’s get started

To do the meal plan, match up the ingredients that are on sale with the ingredients you already own.

Example:  You have in your cupboard 4 jars of spaghetti sauce and in the freezer 2 pounds of ground chuck, but you do not have any
spaghetti noodles.  You have the coupon for 1.00 off of 2 Muellers pasta’s.  Since you are going to Kroger you will purchase this pasta.  Now
on your calender choose two days you want to serve spaghetti and right them in.  This will leave you with the extra two jars of sauce & two extra boxes of noodles for next month or for a different meal this month such as chicken parmigiana.

You will do this till you fill in all the squares in one month. Make one or two of the days each week left over days.  We love left overs, but sometimes I make too much food; a curse I inherited from my mother.  Last week we ate chicken and dumplings 3 times; I won’t need to make that for awhile!

I only plan my dinners, but I know larger families that also plan breakfast, lunch and snacks.

There are many reasons for doing this.

• You will be less tempted to eat out.  Let’s face it, sometimes at the end of
  the day it’s hard to come up with a meal even though you have all the
  ingredients.  By having a plan you know what’s for dinner each day.
• Making a meal plan by matching up what you own with the stores sales and
  coupons is how you will save your family the most money.  Whoot! You go, you
  savvy thing you!
• You are more apt to cook something healthy and nutritious if it’s planned
  ahead of time.
• This process will make you aware of what each item costs.  Soon you will
  know the cost of every meal per serving.  It’s at this point that you will
  realize how expensive eating out is.  I love saying, “This meal cost us .50
  total!”
• You will still order a pizza now and then.  Plan for it and look for a
  coupon!

I have learned to be very flexible with our meal plan.  I often switch days, because sometimes you feel like spaghetti and sometimes you don’t.  Sometimes things need to used up before they go bad.  Don’t be so anal that the process becomes a nightmare that you hate.  Remember, this is supposed to be fun (haha).

Making a meal plan is really the back bone of saving money on groceries in our home.  Every now and then I get tired of doing it and I don’t.
It only takes a couple of shopping trips for me to realize that it NEEDS to be done.  Otherwise, I am sending the man up to the grocery store to purchase little items at high prices and no coupons just so I can finish dinner.  *tear.

Do something different today ~ Make a meal plan!

~*~ Make it Rain ~*~

Coupons~Coupons~Coupons

~*~Free$~Free$~Free$~*~

Here is my stack before the clipping begins!

There are many ways to get the most out of your coupons.  This is a lesson for Newbies!  For many of my readers much of this information will simply be a review.  However, if you are just getting started then this blog is for you.  First please view this poorly made video.

Shiny colorful….

So many I kinda got sick to my stomach…

It’s worth all the clipping and nausea…

I have so many ~ I could “make it rain.”

I am going to use REAL time examples for people who live in my area and shop at local stores.  I will list the stores that I found the deals and the coupon combination that can be used.Combine your coupons with sale itemsI can not stress the importance of knowing what coupons you have in your arsenal before you begin looking at the sale ads.  If you know what coupons you have it will be easier to match up the coupon with the sale.Here is an example:

This weeks Kroger AD

Coupon Sent to me for signing up to…Better Coupons

The sale at Kroger
is 1 box of Cheez-its for 2.28.

The coupon is 1.00
off of 2 boxes.

Kroger doubles that
to 2.00.

So each box
is 1.28

IS this a good eal…no.  I would not buy it, because we do not normally eat Cheez-its.  Now if they were under .50 cents I might purchase them for a snack.  However, if you ike the little cheesy squares, a buck twenty eight is a fine price to pay.

Combine a Store Coupon with a Manufacturing Coupon and a Sale

Many stores have their OWN coupons.  In some cases like at Target, Kroger and Meijer if you have a store coupon you can combine that with a manufacturing coupon.  If that item is on sale, you can save BIG!

Here is an example:

At Target Pantene is on sale…

I have a Target coupon for 1.00 off of Panteneand I also have a manufacturing coupon for 1.00 off of Pantene

The Pantene Shampoo is on-sale for 3.49.  That makes the Pantene 1.49 cents per bottle that you have sets of coupons for.

Knowing the prices or items that you regularly use, is also helpful when couponing.  Sometimes you will get a coupon that once doubled, will make the item FREE!  Sometimes it will be MORE then free and you will get PAID to buy it. Whoot Whoot!

Here is an example:

This coupon is for 1.00 off of any two boxes of pasta.

I know at Kroger where I shop that this pasta is regularly only 1.00.  Kroger doubles this coupon to 2.00.  That means I will get both boxes of pasta for FREE!  I am super pumped, because I have 2 of these coupons.

After looking at all of this weeks ads, I determined that for me and my family this is NOT a good week to shop.  Many of the sale items we do not eat or use.  However, last week was fantastic!  See what we bought and how much we saved here.

It’s like poker, you gotta know when to hold’em and when to walk away 🙂  Don’t just use your coupons because you have them.  Use them to save  money, by combining them and waiting for sales you can get the most out of your coupons!

Now go shop differently today!

Girl ~ Where are you finding those coupons?!?

Everywhere!

I don’t like to invest to much money  procuring my coupons.  The more coupons you can get by not spending money the better.

Here are some tips:

The Sunday Paper
The Sunday paper is a great source of coupons and is well worth the 1.50 it cost to purchase it; most of the time.  I say most of the
time, because every now and then there will be zero coupons that you will use.  It helps to have a buddywho will call or text you when they get their paper and let you know if you should bother with it this week or not.  You do the same, if you get your paper first.  My coupon buddy is my sister.On a good coupon Sunday, it’s worth it to buy a couple different papersor double of the same one.There are ways to end up with the Sunday morning coupon inserts for free.

Ask for them.  If you know someone who gets the Sunday paper, ask them if they are using their coupons.  My MIL saves them for me and that makes me smile.  You will be surprised to find out, that most are not and they are more then willing to pass the inserts off to you.

Check the Library.

Our local library in Pigeon, Micigan clips the coupons and leaves them by the pamphlet area near the door.  They are all filed and ready for you to pick through and take what you need.Printing CouponsPrint coupons are fantastic, because you can choose only what you want to print according to what is on sale or what you may need. Sometimes they suck, because the say DO NOT DOUBLE!I have listed links on my blog that you can use to find printable coupons.  However, do not stop there.

You can find more at Red Plum , Smart Source & Mambo Sprouts.Tips for Printing CouponsPrint ONLY what you are planning to use.  Coupons expire, if you print items you aren’t going to use right away they could expire before you use them.  This is a waste, because it cost you ink and paper to print them.

You can get more then one print, when printing your coupons.  Back space and refresh the page and wa~la two should pop out.  Winning!If you find a high value coupon and want more then just two.  Ask a friend or family memberto print a couple for you, they will be happy to help you save money.Print coupons from the manufactures websites.Print coupons in black & white and on quick print.  This will save money on ink.  You can also print on scrap paper to save money on paper
costs.

Recycle your ink cartridges at places like Staples and get discounts on your next ink purchase.

Refill your cartridges at places like Wal-Greens, to save money on ink costs.

Free Sample Requests

When you fill out forms online for free samples, they often come with a coupon.  Here are a few places you can request free samples from click here.

Hidden Coupons

Companies regularly slip coupons into the product.  I find coupons in coffee, cat food, dog food etc.

Unhidden Coupons

Companies regularly stick coupons to the outside of packages to entice you to make a purchase.  Once there was a 1.00 coupon stuck to nestle refrigerator cookies at Kroger.  The cookies were on sale for 2.00 and my Kroger doubles.  That means right on the shelf were all the free cookies I could ever want, for free!  I wanted 3 packs. I gave one to my sister, one to my mom and I kept one for myself.

Facebook Coupons

Companies are now using Facebook to promote their products with printable coupons.  Use the search bar to look up your favorite products and companies.  You may find a money saving coupon waiting for you.

Call or Email Companies

This is a super tip, from my coupon savvy sister.  I have started doing this and have received some HIGH value coupons.  I emailed companies that produce products that we use and explained to them that I enjoy their product, but because of cost I can not always purchase it.  I then asked them to please send me a coupon, so my family may enjoy their product.  You will be surprised to know that so far, I have gotten a great response and awesome coupons.  Some of those coupons, even scored me items for FREE!

ReCycle BankThis company lets you perform tasks and earn points to purchase coupons.  I have received lots of great coupons from them.  Many items from them turn out to be free, which is AWESOME!  Sign up here.Sign up to Money Saving BlogsLike this one!  By signing up to money saving blogs, you are one of the first to be notified when High Value Coupons are on the loose!

Search for Them

A small amount of searching, can net you the coupon you are looking for.  Use the swagbucks tool bar and earn points while searching.  Type in the product….ex.  Mom’s Best Cereal.  Look under tabs like Special Offers and find a coupon.  Sometimes it’s printable and sometimes they will send it to you.  Either way it is worth the time!

Like I said, coupons are everywhere…

Now go use these skills to find coupons,
so that you can shop differently today!