Sisterly Savings

CVS -Your Friendly COUPON STORE:

If you have been in the coupon community for long then you have probably heard people rave about two BIG stores when it comes to HUGE Savings and friendly towards couponers! CVS and Walgreens! Here I will give you a brief overview of the CVS system and how you can use it to really save your family a bundle!

First off CVS offers a customer card called “Extra Care Card” do not I repeat do not leave home without this little jewel! Everytime you shop at CVS NO matter what you purchase use your “Extra Care Card” you earn 2% back on all of your purchases!

These cards are FREE and it takes you two minutes to fill out and receive. Another benefit of owning this card is CVS will send you special coupons and savings you might not receive otherwise!

CVS Coupons:

Most CVS Stores have a scanner by their front door that will allow you to simply scan your “Extra Care Card” and it will automatically print you out coupons that are current that you can use in their store! Now that is a nice time saver!

These coupons can be used ALONG with your normal manufactors coupons that you collect from your newspaper! In other words, if you have a coupon for a $1 off Crest Toothpaste and CVS has a coupon for $.50 off Crest toothpaste, you can use them BOTH and save $1.50 off your tube of toothpaste!!!

CVS Extra Care Bucks:

One of the other perks of owning this little gem is the Extra Care Bucks you earn!

These are like instant rebates or CVS dollars you can use in their store to save you some big time money! If you look in your Sunday paper, on some sales items it will say “purchase 3 twelve packs of Pepsi and earn $5 in ECB”.

Once you make that purchase your ECB will print right on the bottom of your receipt and you use that on your next trip to substract $5 off your next purchase!! Here is a great example in plain English:

In the Sunday paper it says buy Huggies Diaper 90ct and receive $3 in ECB.

So you buy the chips and get your receipt, now on your next trip you need more diapers so purchase another package of Huggies on sale for $9.99 and you give the cashier your $3 in ECB and your diapers now just cost you $6.99!!

Now when you get really good at collecting those ECB and shopping frequently at your local CVS you can take HUGE shopping trips and walk out paying next to nothing for your regular purchases!

There are soo many ways to save at CVS from using their coupons and your manufactors coupons PLUS purchasing items to earn the ECB.

Extra Care Bucks Mailings:

Now on top of purchasing those items in the store to earn those ECB you earn 2% back on the dollar amount you spend every three months in CVS. And they reward you buy sending you out Extra Bucks in the mail for 2% of what you spent! So for example if you spent $100 in three months you will receive a ECB for $2 you can earn on your next purchase! And occasionally you will receive ECB just for being a member!

Taking advantage of Rebates and Refunds

Now that you have learned how you can save big money with your couponing, it is time to learn how you can save even more with refunds and rebates! Just takes a little more time and organization to accomplish!

A lot of times items in the store may be marked as having a rebate to go with it! Walgreens is really good about offering rebates and these are literally cash in your pocket for little effort so take advantage of these! Here is what you need to complete rebates:

1. Forms-You should be able to gain access to the rebate form at the customer service office or in their rebate catalog. On the forms you will need to fill in the basic information such as your name and address, birthdate etc.
2. Proof of Purchase-All rebates need to have a proof that you actually purchased the item in order for you to receive a rebate. So KEEP your receipts! Sometimes they may ask for receipt and also a cut out of the UPC code on the product itself so read those rebate forms THOUROUGLY so you are not wasting your time and effort.

Now where do you get those rebate forms?

1. • Online Printables-A lot of times you can find these on the manufactors website! Or you may read about it in a magazine so keep your eyes open!
   • Stores-Also in your stores on the products themselves or maybe in their weekly flier some customer services offices even have a stand out front with rebates forms right on them so you can stop and pick at the forms you will need! Walgreens has a rebate catalog monthly that you can look at earn some BIG times rebates each month!
   • Sunday Coupon Inserts-Not only will you find great coupons in your Sunday inserts but a lot of times you will find sweepstakes and contests and rebate forms in those inserts so search well and take advantage of those savings!

Things to Remember Before You Mail Those Rebates:

1. Make sure you put the correct address and name on your forms
2. Make sure you are sending out the rebates before the expiration date
3. Read the fine print that you are sending in everything that they requested
4. Make sure if they ask for proof of purchase that you have included that
5. Make sure you send the receipt and that the receipt is legible so they can read it
6. Make a copy of the form and your proof of purchase and in the upper corner mark the date that you are mailing your rebates forms out so you can keep your forms organized and then you can be aware of when you expect your rebates returned.
7. Make sure you put proper postage on the envelope
8. Make sure you double check that you sending this to the correct address and that everything is spelled correctly

BONUS:

Who doesn’t like getting HUGE Savings with coupons! In this bonus section I will also share with you some great sites to find FREEBIES and samples so that you constantly getting goodies in your email box!! One of my favorite sites is Freeflys! This is a wonderful site with a HUGE assortment updated weekly with great manufactors freebies!

Tips of the Trade of Couponing:

1.Take your grocery lists and stick to it!

2.Do not buy items from the end caps if possible a lot of times they mark these as “SALES” items but most of the times they are put there to tease you into buying them and they put a lot of impulse items on those end caps! Take the few extra steps and go into the aisles and you will nine times out of ten you will find the item you were looking cheaper!

3.Shop ONLY where you can get the best value for your coupons! If you have a store that allows you to double or triple your coupons take advantage of those HUGE savings!

4.Get your coupons ready for your trip! There is nothing worst than sitting in an aisle trying to find that one coupon you needed for an item that is ON SALE this week! Try to organize your shopping trip according to the weekly sales flier and have all of the coupons you will be using for this shopping trip in ONE Location that is easy to find in your coupon book.

5.Do not buy items from the first aisle or at the checkout! We have all been there where we are lured into buying those impulse items like a magazine or something we weren’t planning on buying only because it is on sale! Grocery stores set up their design with YOU in mind! They make sure to put those impulse items on the end caps and at the checkout to tease you! RISE ABOVE and resist your urges!

6.When using your coupons another great tip to help you save LOTS of money is to purchase the smallest size item for the coupon you have! Another words if you have a $1 off a box of Crest toothpaste purchase the smallest size allowed. Why you ask? Because nine times out ten the smaller size is going to be a lot cheaper and then you combine that with your coupon you are using and your savings can be huge! PLUS if you stockpile your coupons you can MULTIPLES of that Crest toothpaste for pennies!

7.When purchasing and item that is BUY ONE GET ONE FREE most stores will allow you to use TWO coupons on these since you are techinially getting two items! That can lead to HUGE savings for you!

8.If you go to your store to buy an item that is on sale and that you have a coupon for and you find out they are sold out! By all means head straight to your customer service office and get a rain check! Also make sure you can multiple of that product if they allow it!

There are soo many terms and abbreviations that it can seem overwhelming especially if you join a message board looking for coupons and freebies. I have compiled a list below to help you learn and understand the coupon lingo.

AC = After Coupon
ACTUALS = The actual item as opposed to a coupon for it (an item from your stockpile)
ADDIE = Address
AR = After Rebate
BIL = Brother-in-law
BLINKIES – instore smartsource coupon dispensed near product, usually from red blinking box
BOGO or B1G1F = Buy one get one free
BOLO = Be On the Lookout
BTFE = Box Tops for Education
BTW = By the way
B&M – Brick & Mortar, as opposed to an online store
CAT or Catalina = coupon dispensed at register after purchase, usually has a red border
CBAD = Chef Boyardee
CLFE = Campbell’s Labels for Education
CO = cents off coupon
COH = Cut Out Hunger
CRT = Cash register tape
CYE = Check your email
DB = The HotCouponWorld database
DCRT = Dated cash register tape
DCRTC = Dated cash register tape with the price circled
DD = Dear Daughter
DH = Dear husband
DIL = Daughter-in-law
DS = Dear Son
DW = Dear Wife
DND = Do Not Double (the coupon is not supposed to be doubled)
DOUBLE COUPON = coupon that a grocery store doubles in value
ECB – CVS Extra Care Bucks earned for purchases
ENVIE = Envelope
EPOP = Each pay own postage (trading term)
ESR = EasySaver Rebate (Walgreens Monthy Rebate)
ETA = Edited to add
FAR = Free After Rebate
FIL = Father-in-law
FLIP = Food Lion Internet Printable
FREE ITEM COUPON = A coupon that allows you to get the product completely free
FSOT = For Sale or Trade
GDA = Good Deal Alert
GG = Grocery Game
HBA = The health and beauty aid section in the grocery store
HCW = Hot Coupon World
HDA = Hot Deal Alert or Home Delivered Ad
HL = Have list
HT or HGT = Hang tags for refunds or coupons hanging on a product
HTH = Hope this / that helps
IMO = In My Opinion
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
ISO = In Search Of
IDSO = In Desperate Search Of
IVC = Walgreen’s Instant Value Coupon ( Found in the monthy EasySaver Catalog )
IVDSO = In Very Desperate Search Of
IP = Internet Printable
JMHO = Just My Humble Opinion
KWIM = Know what I mean?
LFE = Campbell’s Labels for Education
LMK = Let Me Know
MIL = Mother-in-law
MIR = Mail In Rebate
NAZ = Name, address, zip code
NED = No expiration date
NP = No problem
NBPN = No Beer Purchase Necessary
NWPN = No wine purchase necessary
OAS = a coupon that is good on one purchase, any size
OOP = Out of Pocket
OOS = Out of Stock
OP = Original Poster; Author of a thread
OSI = On a single item
OYNO = On your next order
OT = Off Topic
P&G = Proctor & Gamble Sunday supplement coupons
PEELIE = coupon that you peel off the package
PITA = Pain in the ***
PLMK = Please Let Me Know
PM = Private Message
POP = Proof of purchase
PP = purchase price
PPHF = Paypal handling fee
PSA = Prices Starting At or Public Service Announcement
Q or QUALIFIER = The POP required for a refund offer that is physically taken from that package
RAOK = Random act of kindness
RC = Raincheck
RP = Red Plum Sunday Supplement Coupons
RR = Register Rewards
SAHM = Stay At Home Mom
SAHW = Say At Home WIfe
SASE = Self Addressed Stamped Envelope
SCR = Rite Aid Single Check Rebate
SD = Store Display
SF = Store form
SIL = Son or sister in law
SMP = Specially Marked Packages
SS = Smart Source or Sunday Supplement coupons
STACKING = Some stores allow the use of more than one coupon per item, IF the coupon itself does not restrict such usage.
SUPER DOUBLES or DOUBLES = coupons that are doubled $1 + in value (ie, a $1 coupon = $2, etc)
TEAR PAD = A pad of refund forms or coupons found hanging from a store shelf or display
TIA = Thanks in advance
TMF = Try Me Free
TRIPLE COUPON = a coupon that a grocery store triples in value
TYVM = Thank you very much
V = Valassis Sunday supplement coupons
WINE TAG = coupon, usually for $ off any meat, cheese or produce.
WL = wishlist
WPN = Wine purchase necessary
WSL = while supplies last
WT = winetag
WYB = When You Buy
YGEM = You’ve got a email
YGPM = You’ve got a private message!
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary= success of the attempt may vary at your store
YVW = Your very welcome

Now when stockpiling please keep in mind that you need to have room in your home for these items. You can store non perishables in closets or in the basements, and perishable items make sure you have a large freezer to help you out.

The idea is eventually your house is going to be stockpiled with all of your goodies that it will make your grocery shopping a lot easier because then you will only be shopping for items you can get good deals on not items you need because you are already stockpiled. And don’t forget to combine your coupons with store sales and rebates to make your savings even bigger.

While stockpiling is your ultimate goal you want to make sure that the item or items you are stock piling are things you use regularly or that you family does use, also that you are truly getting a very good deal. You do not want to stock pile items just because you have a lot of coupons it is always best to wait for those sales so that you are truly saving yourself a lot of money.

Here is a good example of starting your stockpile:

You have a coupon for Kelloggs cereal $1.50 on one box, and your local Walgreens is running a special on Kelloggs cereal 2 for $3.

So you take your coupons and go to Walgreen and stockpile of FREE Cereal and your stockpile is born.

Remember you will take time to get your stockpile full and that is ok. No one can get a large stockpile in just a few grocery trips. But it is the constant bargains and deals that allow you to stock up on items that are free or nearly free that is when you need to stockpile.

Organizing your stockpile:

Now I think more important that building your actual stockpile is keeping an idea of what all if in your stockpile. You don’t want to overstock on one particular item to the point that it will be no good when you finally get around to using it.

• Space in your home-It is best that you control your stockpile not letting your stockpile control you, another words you do not want to sacrifice space in your home or in your living areas just to fill with stockpile items. Stockpile items should fit nicely into closets or freezers out of sight and not in your families living space.
• Expiring Food-You should also make sure that when storing your food that you keep items that are expiring first in the front and the ones with a longer expiration date in the back. You want to keep a good eye on this as the last thing you want to do is serve your family food that is not safe because it is way past the expiration date.

Tips of the Trade of Couponing:

*Use coupons that you find in the stores! You know we have all seen them the blinkies that are in the aisles with the coupons that pop out! Now it is only proper NOT to take them all but take what you can and will use.

Also look for coupons on the products themselves, also look at your receipt often time you will get coupons when you check out. Keep those for your next trip.

And if your local store has rebate forms, be sure to check because a lot of times you can get your items for free or a great discount so always ask your local grocery store.

*Rainchecks-If you go into a store to stock up on a item that is on sale and they are currently out of that item, go to your customer service area and ask for a rain check!

*Smaller is better-Unlike shopping at your warehouse stores buying items in the smallest size allowed on the coupon often times will save you big bucks! So be sure to be aware of the sizes of the products you are purchasing with your coupons!

How do I get my Coupon Stockpile Going?

There are several ways to get stockpiles of coupons and you use any of the methods that I suggest below and see which ones work the best for you.

First off there three kinds of Sunday Inserts in your Sunday Papers there is the Proctor and Gamble (P & G)( this is not usually in every Sunday paper but usually once a month). Then the two staple are Valassis (V) and Smart Source (SS) .

There are also great sites that can you tell on the Thursday before what coupons are going to be coming out on Sunday! The site I use most often is Taylortown Preview, they will have the latest coupons posted usually by noon on Thursday before they come out.

*Like most people you can subscribe to your local paper or a lot of my friends will ONLY Get a subscription the Sunday edition of the paper simply to get the coupons. You can also grab a couple of papers from your local store, gas station or newsstand.

*You can go in the evenings and see if stores or gas stations that still have Sunday Papers left will sell you the rest of the papers to you at a discount so you can get a nice stockpile of that week’s coupons.

*Visit your local Recycling center. Some recycling centers will allow you to visit their sites on Monday to pull Sunday inserts from the papers they get, you will need to call your local recycling center and see what their policies are.

*Ask friends and families , neighbors and church members that if they do not use their Sunday coupons if they can stockpile them for you and you can stop by and pick them up once a week or every two weeks.

*There are also great services online that will send you whatever coupons you want out of the Sunday paper all ready clipped and ready to for you! All you have to pay is a small handling fee usually $.05 per coupon plus shipping fees, one of these sites I have used and highly recommend is The Coupon Master

*Blinkies: Pull these coupons from the “blinking” machines at the grocery storePeelies: Coupons that are stuck to the actual product

*Tearpads: Pads of coupons typically found on special displays at the store, tear off one or two or three…

*Winetags: Coupons that hang on the neck of a bottle of wine, they may or may not require a purchase of wine to use the coupon

*Home Mailers: Coupons that are sent directly to your mailbox

*Internet Printables (IPs): Coupons that are printed from the internet – not all stores accept these!

Don’t forget to look on the packages for coupons, these include:

1. Removable labels on canned foods and jars.
2. Lids of cans or bottle caps.
3. Cardboard covers on frozen foods.
4. On the paper which wraps around soaps and candy.
5. Tiny folded coupons within the product, such as in dog foods.
6. Printed instructions. Example – hair color products.

*Manufactors Websites: If you have a favorite product or a product that your family uses frequently visit their website and see if they display coupons or other promotional information on their sites. Even if you do not see any coupons or offers you can contact customer service and explain your are frequent user of their product do they offer any coupons! A lot of times the companies will send you freebies and or coupons just for the asking.

*Free Grocery Coupon Websites- There are specific websites designed for shoppers looking for printable grocery coupons. One of my most favorites sites is coupons.com you can access their site by clicking here.

They offer a wide variety of coupons that you can simply point click and print and the coupons varies weekly which gives you a nice assortment and variety!

A great place for online coupons to stores that you frequent is Ebates they help you combine online coupons that they offer on their sites PLUS rebates to help you get the BEST price you can for things you buy online! Don’t shop online without signing with Ebates plus you can earn a FREE $5 just for signing up!

Find below a great listing of other great sites where you can find ONLINE printable coupons:

1. Boodle.com
   Enter your zip code and find printable coupons for your area.
2. CoolSavings.com
   Offering food coupons for online and brick & mortar shopping.
3. SmartSource Savings Network
   Comprised of leading grocery and retail chains, newspapers, lifestyle websites, interactive companies and others bringing online savings to you. Printable coupons available.
4. Upons
   Offering free grocery coupons, special promotions and product samples. Local coupons available.

Find your Local Store Ads:

In my area our grocery store ads come in the Mail on Tuesday’s and Wednesdays. This is a great way to sit down and compare the current sales with your coupons you have on hand. If you cannot find a sale ad you can always visit that store’s website to see if they have their sale ad on their sites.

Another tip or tricks is the best way to get the best savings is to visit more than one store per week because each store will have different sales and specials going on and this will allow you to save the most.

Couponing Catagories:

Sample Categories

Baby Products
Baking (cakes, muffins, etc)
Beverages
Body (lotions, make up)
Bread
Candy
Canned Goods
Cat Food
Cereal
Cleaning Aids
Cookies
Crackers
Dairy/Cheese
Deodorants
Dessert
Dog Food
Feminine Hygiene
Film
Frozen Foods
Hair
Household (film, batteries, light bulbs)
Instant Dinners
Jar Items
Laundry/Detergent
Meat
Medicines
Mouth (Toothpaste/Brush/Mouthwash)
Oil/Shortening
Pantyhose
Paper Products
Pasta
Plastic Bags
Rice
Snacks
Seasoning Mixes
Soaps
Soup

Organizing Methods:

This is probably the most important aspect of your couponing experience is there are several ways to organize and stockpile your coupons! You need to find out which way is going to be the easiest for you and your family. Here are just a few examples:

There is no wrong way or right way to organize your coupons only what works for you. Here are just a few suggestions to help you out.

File System- A lot of people will get an accordion type of file cabinet and for each week they will put a file folder inside with that week’s coupons they collected. Then when it comes time to start making your grocery list you can go through your folders and find the coupons that you need.

Some people will also use this system as a back up system to store coupons that they might not need right away. This is a fine system for storing your coupons, but I found it can be quite time consuming going through folder after folder just looking for particular coupons that you need for a particular shopping trip

Binder Method- Another great way to store your coupons is using a binder. Usually they purchase a 3 ring binder and fill with baseball card clear pages inside. The idea with using the binder method is to keep things simple and to help you find your coupons in a fast and timely manner.

You will need to make sure that you trim your coupons good in order for them to fit into the baseball card sleeves, and you may have to fold them in half if they are large coupons. You also will do better to put the longer coupons on the bottom row so they are not covering up all your other coupons or sticking out of the top of your binder. These will hold your coupons.

Now you are can organize them by putting in page dividers and divide each section such as bath and body, pets, baby care etc. Then the pages that are in each section you can divide up into a Alphabetic. You can even include pages in the back of your binder for rebates and refunds that you have received.

This is a very popular method,but for me personally I did not like having to carry around a big and bulky binder. Because if you are anything like me I have a ton of coupons and this can prove to be a very heavy and awkward to carry binder.

Shoebox or Recipe Box or Baby Wipe Box-  Depending on how many coupons you have stockpiled will depend on whether you a simple plastic recipe file container or a large shoe box. But then you use index card dividers to divide the areas into your coupon categories.

CD Holder- Much like the binder method some people will use those small CD holders to hold their coupons in. You can use the large CD Holders the nice thing about this method it easily holds larger coupons and it is very easy to tote around.

Envelope Method- This is also a very popular method. But I must stress up front that method is very easy for you to lose or accidently throw away a whole envelope of coupons on accident so keep them somewhere safe!

But you basically have one envelope for each category of coupons you need and you simply insert your coupons inside the envelopes and then head to the grocery store. You may want to hold all of your envelopes in a folder to keep them all in one place.

My Favorite Organizer- Is the Couponizer this is my personal choice and one that I use!

Couponing 101- Getting Started!

So you have decided it might be time for you to look into trying to save your family some serious money by starting to coupon. Couponing can save you hundreds of dollars a month on your regular groceries and also your toiletries and household goods.

One of the first things you will notice once you really start getting the hang of couponing, is it can seriously become very addicting. There are a few things you will need to do to get yourself prepared before you set off for your first trip to your grocery store.

Also at this point let me reassure you that you may not save $50-$75 or more on your first trip, and that is ok. Once you start to get a huge stockpile of coupons and start learning the tips and tricks your savings will start to amaze you and your family members. So do not be hard on yourself if you do not save a large amount right out of the gate give yourself time to stockpile your coupons and also to learn the system so that it become easy and second nature for you.

The first thing we need to figure out is what stores are in your area. Use a notepad and write down all local stores and do not discount your dollar stores. A lot of the dollar stores such as Dollar General also will accept coupons and these can be great ways for you to save a bundle. Next thing you will want to do is to familiarize yourself with their coupon policy. A simple phone call can save you embarrassment while standing in the checkout line.

Here are some of the things you should find out before you head out to the store of your choice:

Do they offer Coupon Savings- Some stores offer a particular day of the week where they offer DOUBLE or TRIPLE coupons. These can save you a ton on your overall grocery bill. Most store will only double your coupon value up to $.50 so for example, if you had a coupon for Ragu Spagetti Sauce for $.50 off one jar, and your local stores offer double coupons, your $.50 coupon now is worth $1.00 off one jar of Ragu Spagetti sauce!

If you combine this with a sale you can get your Spagetti sauce for FREE or next to nothing. But we will go more into detail on this later on.

Do they accept Online Printable Coupons- Most stores in this day and age are NOT allowing you to use printable coupons for the simple fact they are too easily manipulated using programs like Paint Shop Pro and Adobe Photoshop. But call your local store and find out their policy on this.

Can you stack your coupon with their coupons- A lot of stores such as Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy will allow you to use a manufactors coupon ONTOP Of their coupons they put in their Sunday ads! These are HUGE for saving you TONS of money! So be sure to ask your locals stores on their policies on this also.

Do they accept Competitors Coupons? Save you have a coupon from a Shop N Save for $1 off Crest Toothpaste but today you are going to go shopping at Schnucks do they accept and acknowledge a coupon from their competitor Shop n Save for example.

Now that you have all your questions answered and probably should of written them down for future reference, you are ready to start stockpiling and collecting your coupons to get you started on organizing them and storing them!

Are you looking for a great way to save money on your groceries? A Menu Planning Service can come to the rescue. These ingenious services help you plan, save on grocery costs and manage your dinner meals simply and easily.

Menu Planning services provide moms with a simple to follow dinner menu for each week. Not only do you get awesome dinner meal ideas including main dishes, side dishes and desserts that are satisfying, simple to prepare and healthy, but you also get a personalized grocery list to simply shop for the ingredients for the upcoming week. You can save loads of money, because when you know which meals you will be preparing and which ingredients you will need you won’t wastefully purchase ingredients and items that are not required.

Many people spend hundreds of dollars each year buying food ingredients that they don’t need. In many cases foods are wasted, because they sit around not being used in any meals you prepare. Once you find a meal idea for these ingredients, they are usually too old, spoiled or stale.

By utilizing a menu planning service you will also save on fast food and casual dining restaurant bills. Many families become frustrated when there is no food in their refrigerator. Instead of preparing a healthy and low cost meal at home, they opt for the ease of visiting fast food and casual dining restaurants that can easily cost $20, $50, $100 or more. If you are looking for a reason to keep you at home rather than at high priced restaurants, a meal planning service is an affordable and practical solution.

Another way you can reap the rewards from menu planning is with all the time you will save. Now that everything is planned out for you, you won’t have to spend time each day running back and forth to the grocery store to buy needed food items, you can have your whole week’s meals planned out and have a comfortable and relaxing time at home with your family.

If you are looking for an awesome way to save on your grocery bills, check out a menu planning service.

Dine Without Whine is a great menu planning service for active families. Go to Dine Without Whine to discover even more rewards to menu planning.

I was chatting with a couple of bloggy friends of mine, Alyssa and Denise on their BlogTalkRadio show a few weeks ago.  The topic was CVS, but what I said (I’m parsing below) is true for anyone out there who’s just stumbling into this “couponing” and “frugal living” thing:

It’s easy to forget how challenging this is when you’re a beginner.

If you’re just starting to consider how you can cut costs and save money – whether because you’re trying to get ahead a bit or as a response to the current economic realities of job losses, dwindling home values, or vanishing retirement investments – start with some small steps like these:

1. Breakup with Starbucks. Even a cuppa joe at McDonald’s ($1.06 for a small when I was there on Saturday as a treat for my kiddo) is far more than you’d pay if you brewed your own coffee at home. Depending on the type and the cost of the coffee you use, you can brew your own coffee for nickels and dimes at home and save the dollars you’d have spent on a cappucino in your piggy bank instead.

2. Divide and Conquer. If you use fabric softener sheets, double your money by cutting them in half. You probably won’t notice much, if any, difference at all in how your clothes smell and feel.

3. Zip Twice. Those plastic storage bags – the zippy ones for your freezer and the regular ones for your pantry – can be washed out, dried inside-out, and re-used. I do this with *most* of mine; if I’ve used them to defrost meat, I pitch them to reduce the chance of cross-contamination.

4. Get Clipping. Coupons will save you TONS over time once you master how to use them effectively with sale items and start shopping with a stockpiler’s mentality. But even if you’re brand new to coupons, you can save a few bucks a week while you learn the ropes; you’ll get hooked quickly once you get the hang of it!

5. Make Family Dinner Nights the Norm. Eating out costs serious cash – even at fast food joints – when you stack the cost up against cooking a meal at home. If you’re living a drive-thru dinner life, consider planning ahead to cook at least (1) dinner at home a week. Visit $5 Dollar Dinners for help with planning nutritious and inexpensive family meals. Already kitchen savvy? Step up your game with the whizbang girls over at Once A Month Mom; Tricia and Cortney will show you how to cook a MONTH of meals in one day, saving you serious time, money, and stress!

Going frugal doesn’t happen overnight. Take small steps to change your day-to-day spending behavior and start looking at what you have with the idea of making it last for the longest time possible. Before you know it, you’ll be a bonafide frugalista, too!

Catch up with Marianne online at her frugal living blog, The New Frugal Mom or her personal blog, Writer-Mommy.

While I can write posts about Couponing 101 and how to save more at the grocery stores, I find that the majority of posts out there are sufficient enough and basically all cover the same concept of helping beginners learn how to save more. Here is a list of my favorites that can help you along the way if you are new to couponing or need a refresher!

Read Grocery Store Savings Secrets to get the most for your buck.

You can start by learning how to use the Couponmom’s system of how to save money by watching this short video.

Coupon lingo is a must as there are so many acronyms out there and making sense of it all at 1st can seem daunting. Ginger has compiled an extensive list that can help you sort through the language of coupons.

HotCouponworld has the best and most comprehensive lists available:

Coupon 101 for Complete Beginners

Coupon 102 for Trading,Rebates & Tracking your Savings

Coupon 103 for Rebates, Refunds & Special Promotions

Slickdeals has a great thread on CVSing for Beginners here.

Need help with Walgreens? Get the basics here.

Hopefully this list will serve as helpful tool that will encourage you on your Frugal Path!!

Sit back and take a moment to prepare to embark on a wonderful savings journey all courtesy of your local CVS/pharmacy. The actual art of saving money at CVS can be hard to understand at first but no doubt you will catch on and before you know it you will have been bitten by the CVS bug and will be addicted to shopping at CVS on a more than regular basis.

First things first you will need an ExtraCare Card; this is CVS’s loyalty card program. You can get an ExtraCare Card at any CVS store or online and have it mailed to you. If you want to start right away it is best that you get your card in the store rather than requesting one online. You will want to use this card every time you make a purchase at CVS including filling a prescription.

Why is having an ExtraCare Card so important?

Each time you scan your ExtraCare Card at CVS or enter it online when you make a purchase you receive 2% back, excluding prescription purchases. For every two prescriptions you have filled in-store or online you receive 1 Extra Buck or ECB. These ExtraCare rewards are redeemable quarterly, every 3months. Additionally many sale items at CVS indicate additional savings with ExtraCare Card, if you do not present your ExtraCare card you will have to pay full price. You can also earn Extra Buck rewards by purchasing featured items in the CVS weekly circulars and monthly booklet.

What is an ECB?

ECB is short for ExtraCare Buck, also known as Extra Bucks. ECBs are good as cash at CVS, think of it like CVS currency but with an expiration date. ECBs expire 4 weeks from the date earned/received.

What can I use ECBs on?

You can use your ECBs on anything in the store with the exception of alcohol, tobacco, lottery, gift cards, money orders, postage stamps, pre-paid cards, prescriptions, and special order Home Health Care items, including footwear.

How do I earn ECBs?

ECBs are earned by purchasing featured products in the weekly sales circular, monthly ExtraCare booklet, quarterly rewards, and by participating in the CVS Advisor Panel. In order to receive rewards for participating in the CVS Advisory panel you must register as a member and be invited and qualify for participation to earn ECBs. More information on the CVS Advisory Panel and it’s opportunities can be found here.

How do I receive CVS coupons?

CVS coupons can be found in booklets and pamphlets often near the pharmacy. You can also scan your card if your store has a price check machine with a printer. If a scanner is not available at your store coupons will print on the end of your receipt. Also go to the CVS website and update your ExtraCard account be sure to include an email address and check yes I want to receive valuable coupons and offers by mail. CVS emails out printable or online coupons almost every Thursday.

Now that you have a little bit of background on the CVS ExtraCare rewards program we can get down to how to utilize it to save money.

Saving money at CVS is easy and addicting once you get the hang of it. It’s an easy concept in that you combine CVS coupons with manufacture coupons for increased savings. You can also save even more money by using ECBs towards your total so that you pay as little out of pocket (OOP) as possible.

For example let’s say Colgate Total Advanced Whitening Toothpaste 4oz. is listed in the weekly circular as $2.99 with $2.99 Extra Bucks Rewards. The ad will most likely note: It’s like getting it for…FREE. Below this in small print you will see Extra Bucks offer limit of 5 per household. This limit denotes that you are limited to a total 5 Extra Buck rewards on this particular product. Since this is listed in the weekly ad that means limit 5 that sales week, if it were in the monthly booklet that would mean the entire month. ECB offers are limited to so many per household or cardholder; limits vary for each individual featured reward. On a quick side note you must pay close attention as CVS has a habit of sticking a monthly featured ECB item in the weekly sales circular and many CVS shoppers will think the limit has been lifted or reset, however this is not true. Moving on with our example trip, let’s say we purchase 2 tubes of toothpaste and we have 2 manufacturer coupons on these items. See below for example.

2 Colgate Total Advanced Whitening Toothpastes ($2.99ea) = $5.98

Less (2) $1 manufacturer coupons

Subtotal = $3.98 + (tax)

After paying and receiving your receipt (CRT aka cash register tape) you will notice at the bottom of your receipt an Extra Buck it will look somewhat similar to the computer generated ECB example below.

———————————————————
CVS/pharmacy

Your Name

Here are your Extra Bucks for
having purchased Colgate
Whitening Toothpaste:

$5.98 EXTRA BUCK (S)
(Up to $5.98 value)

Expires MM/DD/YYYY

BARCODE
| ||| ||||| | ||| |

ExtraCare Card #: ********XXXX

EXTRACARE CARD MUST BE PRESENTED TO
GET THESE SAVINGS: EXCLUDES
PRESCRIPTIONS. OTHER EXCLUSIONS APPLY
NO CASH BACK. TAX CHARGED ON
PRE-COUPON PRICE WHERE REQUIRED.
———————————————————

For the above example purchase you spent $3.98 OOP, but in return earned $5.98 cents in ExtraBucks thus making a $2 profit by purchasing 2 tubes of toothpaste.

You may notice a coupon(s) as well on the bottom of your receipt. These are commonly referred to as CRTs since they print on the cash register tape. CRT coupons have short dated expiration dates approximately 2 weeks. When you first start shopping at CVS your may or may not receive CRTs, you will eventually it just may take several trips before you start receiving them.

You will also notice a section on the bottom of your receipt that says: this week’s Extra Buck Offers and Balance. This is what you can refer back to if you are unsure how many of an item you have purchased that have Extra Buck rewards. Using the above mentioned example purchase your receipt may say something similar to: Colgate, Buy 1 Get 2 EB. Quantity Toward this Reward 2. Quantity Needed to Earn Reward 1. This means that you have received two rewards for purchasing this item and you will receive another reward the next time you purchase another of the same item. When you have reached the limit on a reward your receipt will state: *Offer Limit Reached.

Now that you have earned your first Extra Bucks rewards and/or CRT you will want to cut it off your receipt and hold onto it to use towards a future purchase.

The key to playing the Drug Store Game at CVS is to continue to roll your ECBs. Rolling and/or growing your ECBs is done by working deals that include items with ECBs on them.

This concludes CVS 101, have fun CVSing!

This information is provided by More Than Cents and is for information purposes only. It is the sole copyright of its author (cent_saving_mom) and may not be reused, copied, or duplicated in whole or part without permission of the author.

At the bottom of a few of my recent weekly deal posts, I inserted a small comment on buying coupons from a coupon clipping service. In response I recieved an email from reader Jillian who asked if  ”buying” coupons defeats the purpose of the money being saved?

I thought that this might be a good topic to discuss here since I am all for buying coupons and have had great success with my savings!

 I personally buy from clipping services when I need multiples of coupons for a really good sale that I am anticipating. I usually will buy only 1-2 papers a week, sometimes more given the inserts but I have found that it is much cheaper to buy just the coupons I need for a sale. It also saves me the time it takes to look, clip, sort & save when all I have to do is look online and click on how many of each coupon I need.

Another added bonus I find, is that if I use a particular product a lot in my household, I can “pre order” the coupons I use most according to the expiration date of the coupon. For instance, in my household, we love the Knorr Pasta dishes and if the coupons don’t expire until April, I’ll certainly pick up quite a few because it is something we always buy and I’ll be prepared in case there is a sale. Makes sense?

To show you the case at hand, let’s take this past weekend as an example of my savings by “buying” my coupons.

1. I researched what items were on sale and did my coupon matchups for ShopRite on Tuesday.

2. I ordered what coupons I needed for the sale items on Wednesday which came out to be $9.35 for 86 coupons -all which were in multiples of 5 or more.

3. My coupons arrived on Friday (yes that fast) and I went shopping with my list in hand.

Here is what I bought:

(6) 12 pks of Angel Soft Bath Tissue
(4) Boxes of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
(5) Boxes of Cap’n Crunch Cereal
(3) Boxes of Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix
(2) Bottles of Aunt Jemima Syrup
Turkey Hill Ice Cream
ShopRite Butter
(5) Packs of Bic Razors
(5) Boxes of Totino’s Pizza Rolls

My total before Coupons was $46.97. After Coupons, I paid only $19.21! I saved $27.76 with my multiples and I still have plenty more in my Couponizer stored away for another sale!

So yes, I do believe in buying from a Coupon Clipping Service because sometimes its worth its weight and more in value!

And I highly reccomend using Coupons & Things by Dede!! The site is well organized and you can even order full inserts if you like. The amounts per coupon are fantastic and you get to see an estimate as to when your order will ship which makes planning so more easier! Wonderful site!!

Now let’s hear from you, the readers! Have you ever “bought” coupons? Did it save you money? Please leave a comment and tell us about it!

Here is a little Coupon Trivia for you. Thought it might be fun to know taken from CouponMonth.com where you can learn about all the new coupon trends, where to find coupons and some great, easy clipping tips!

Coupon Facts:

• 89% of the United States population uses coupons.
• Shoppers saved approximately $2.6 billion last year by using coupons.
• The typical coupon was worth $1.25 savings in 2007
• Coupon users report an average of 7% savings on their grocery bill with coupons.
• The typical family saves between $5.20 and $9.60 per week using coupons.
• Manufacturers offered more than approximately $350 billion in coupon savings in 2007.

• 88% of coupon shoppers say they use coupons when planning their shopping list.
• 92% of coupon shoppers say they use coupons to choose the brands they buy.
• 94% of coupon shoppers say that coupons influence them to try new products.

Enjoy!

Here are a few of my favorite sites/tips that offer some great information on Saving at the Supermarket that can help you as you start on your moneysaving journey.


1. Be sure to plan ahead before going to the grocery market:

Check your local sales ads and favorite sales blogs before making your grocery lists out to see what’s on sale.

2. Gather/Clip your coupons:

Match up your coupons with the sales. There are plenty of sites that do the matching up for you:

Coupon Mom
Becentsable
The Grocery Game

Or print coupons online:

Coupons.com
Smartsource.com
Coolsavings.com
Boodle.com

(Try and go to markets that double the manufacturer coupons to double the savings! )

3.Try the store brand instead of the name brand items.
Believe it or not, sometimes there really isn’t a difference other than the price. For instance, I actually prefer the Pathmark brand of loaf bread to stroehmann bread as it is so soft and fresh!

4. Check unit prices per size vs cost.
This can sometimes make a really big difference in derterming whether the price is good for the value! More doesn’t alway mean better savings. Stay informed and you’ll save more.Do you know the difference between an item price and a unit price? If not, you can get more details here.

5. Buy your meats in bulk family packs and separate into smaller packs for freezer storage.

6.If an item is on on sale for example 3/$5, you don’t always have buy the full 3 items unless stated “You Must Buy 3″.
Example: That pasta that is advertised at 3/$5 is really only $1.66 wyb buy just 1.

7.If an advertised item is out of stock, get a raincheck! Most stores will issue you a raincheck for the sale price so that you can the item for that price.

A few more tools to help guide you as well!

Newbies can start here with HCW’s Couponing 101 article.

Track all of your rebates with an Online Rebate Tracker .

Start a Grocery Price Book .You can download and print your own. ( I actually have this spreadsheet!)

Download a Grocery Savings Tracker and a Stockpile Calculator here to help keep you aware of your savings and needs.

Do you have any ideas or tools that you use?

Sales Price Cheat Sheet:

When I go shopping, sometimes there’s some confusion as to when an item is listed 4/$5 or 5/$3 etc. and how much the item costs by itself. Of course the marketers want to you purchase said amount and it may seem like a great deal ,but sometimes it may or may not be.

I’m not much of a mathematician so I used to carry around a small calculator to help figure out the cost quickly- to see whether it really was worth buying at the indicated amount.Then I found a Cheat Sheet that broke it all down for me making it quite quicker and I refer to it a lot, in fact, I printed it out and have a copy in my Couponizer so I’m never without it! It’s become an invaluable tool that helps me save more by making smarter decisons :

Sale Price Cheat Sheet Breakdown:

2/$1 = $0.50
2/$2 = $1
2/$3 = $1.50
2/$4 = $2
2/$5 = $2.50
2/$6 = $3
2/$7 = $3.50
2/$8 = $4
2/$9 = $4.50
2$10 = $5

3/$1 = $0.33
3/$2 = $0.66
3/$4 = $1.34
3/$5 = $1.66
3/$6 = $2
3/$7 = $2.33
3/$8 = $2.67
3/$9 = $3
3/$10 = $3.33

4/$1 = $0.25
4/$2 = $0.50
4/$3 = $0.75
4/$5 = $1.25
4/$6 = $1.50
4/$7 = $1.75
4/$8 = $2
4/$9 = $2.25
4/$10 = $2.50

5/$1 = $0.20
5/$2 = $0.40
5/$3 = $0.60
5/$4 = $0.80
5/$6 = $1.20
5/$7 = $1.40
5/$8 = $1.60
5/$9 = $1.80
5/$10 =$2

6/$1 = $0.17
6/$2 = $0.33
6/$3 = $0.50
6/$4 = $0.67
6/$5 = $0.83
6/$7 = $1.17
6/$8 = $1.33
6/$9 = $1.50
6/$10 =$1.67

7/$1 = $0.14
7/$2 = $0.29
7/$3 = $0.43
7/$4 = $0.57
7/$5 = $0.71
7/$6 = $0.86
7/$8 = $1.14
7/$9 = $1.29
7/$10 =$1.43

————————————————————————–

Keeping Track of your Rebates Online:

Do you need to remember how much money you’ve saved using rebates, and which ones are still pending? Or maybe how much you actually paid for items after rebate, coupons, and postage costs are deducted? This freeware will enable you to better track your rebate mailings. After entering the what, where, when, and how much of your rebates, you’ll have a clear record of your rebate activity, as well as the net costs of your purchases.

Download Rebate Tracker Here.

*Please Note: Theses resources Came from HCW that I myself do utilize and wanted to share with you!!

Do you have a “Tool” that you use or find helpful in Couponing? Let us know about!!