YOU In Bloom: Answer Questions & Possibly Win an Amazon e-Card in Return!
Thanks to all the amazing participation in the original “Clip it to the Bank” Q&A post I have quite a few follow-up questions that I’m hoping you can all help me to answer. I want to make this extra fun for you guys, so I’ve decided to give away 20 $5 Amazon e-cards! How do you win? Here’s the deal – I have chosen 20 random numbers (1-1000) shown below. If your comment ends up being any of the 20 pre-selected numbers below, then you will win a $5 Amazon e-card. Please remember that your comment is only valid if it is an original comment (NOT a response to another reader’s comment) and if your comment is an ANSWER to one or more of the questions posted below. Please note that you do not have to answer all of the questions below…if you only want to answer one question, that is fine! Thanks!
Winning Comment numbers:
47, 80, 120, 164, 232, 276, 313, 390, 423, 459, 519, 572, 632, 661, 749, 787, 845, 860, 915, 995
Calling All Couponers – Beginners want to know…
1)How do you decide which coupons to print out and which ones to avoid?
2)How long does it REALLY take to get to a point where you feel like you know what you are doing?
3)How much time do you seriously invest in the process of organizing your grocery list, coupons, stores sales, etc. before you head out the door to go shopping?
4)How can you fit couponing into healthy meal planning?
5)What/where can you find the best deals for summer traveling?
6)What are the pros/cons of your coupon organization method?
7)How do you get the maximum use of coupons before the expiration date?
8)How do you determine if it’s worth the extra trips (gas money, time) to special stores?
As always, thanks for your input and good luck! 🙂
#8-if i can get better deals my making different trips then it is well worth it for me. but if the prices are only a bit different its not worth it going to different places.
#4
healthy eating:
sometimes its not the easiest with the coupons you get—however! lately ive noticed there are a lot more organic and whole grain coupons. plus, when you are making money on some of these deals and saving like crazy you can “splurge” on the more expensive healtheir items {organic produce/dairy/meat} etc.
*kelly
I have gone to the Chamber of Commerce and searched for coupons etc on summer traveling ideas.
To get max use, I go through the week before, and pull out Q’s….if its a product I will buy anyways I use it. If its something i can get a free travel size item, I hit the travel section. I still feel like lots go to waste though.
I coupon all week and make extra trips for the free or awesome deals!!
1) I am a total cheapo and I will only print a coupon if I know that I would use the product. There are a few coupons that I will print when I think I can find that item for dang near free. Plus, when I print, after the actual coupon prints, I hit the cancel button so it won’t print the ad at the bottom and I also flip the paper to use it for more coupons on the bottom .
#5-i suggest the entertainment book. they have soooo many coupons for local entertainment deals.
if going out of town you could purchase a book for that town or google different parks/museums and look for coupons.
1) free or high value usually
2) 6 months it is still hard to stand up for myself even though I know that I am right.
3) Way too long! My family just laughs but Sunday morning is mine I go through and cut out my coupons and sort them into where they go in my binder. Then Monday early I make my lists and update my binder. Once a month I clean out the binder just as many expire.
4) This is new for me but I have really been looking for the most economical way to get my daughter to national dance competition and make a great vacation for my family. I went on line and got all the brochures mailed (some have coupons), I also intend to use restraurant.com. Priceline seems to have the best deals but Hotwire’s travel-ticker.com is coming up with some great prices.
1)How do you decide which coupons to print out and which ones to avoid?
-This trial and error for me. I was printing a lot of coupons only to realize it was in the Sunday paper. Now I only print rare coupons (soda and tortillas to name a few) and high value coupons for things I will use.
#8 if its a better deal to go somehwere else then ill do it but if its only a bit of a difference then its not worth it.
8)How do you determine if it’s worth the extra trips (gas money, time) to special stores?
if the item is free then it is worth it!
I dont do special trips, but everywhere is on my way to work!!! So I only do trips that are part of regular shopping, or are on the way to work.
#7 I make an effort NOT to buy somehting just because my Q is expiring. . .I only buy it if I need it or if there is a great sale on it that I can pair with a coupon! 😉 Otherwise it isn’t worth it!!!
3)How much time do you seriously invest in the process of organizing your grocery list, coupons, stores sales, etc. before you head out the door to go shopping?
More than I want too…but it is so worth it!
I fit couponing into healthy eating the followingt ways:
I don’t care how great a coupon is, if it is for junk food that we wouldn’t usually buy I wont print it.
I try using new ingredients bought from coupons.
6) I use the binder method. I feel I can be more organized and flip right to what I need this way. BUT…I feel it takes way too much time sometimes.
Anytime I have overage for coupons, I try and grab something healthy like produce to soak it up. There never seems to be enough coupons for fruits and veggies!
7)How do you get the maximum use of coupons before the expiration date?
My method is to hold on to the coupons until I find a deal or until the last possible minute before expiration. If a coupon is too good to let go to waste, I will make sure to keep it in my purse and check each time I go to the store for a sale. If I reach the expiration date and still have it, I will use it. If its not a great coupon by itself, I just toss it.
I’m trying really hard to not clip coupons for “junk” food. That’s hard because there are lots of coupons for those items available and the deals can be really good! If I throw them away instead of putting them in my coupon stash then I’m not tempted anymore.
#7—dont worry if your coupons are about to expire. there will always be more coupons!!! Unless its for an absolutely free product!
I review my coupons a few days before the end of the month to ensure there isn’t a coupon I want to use before it expires
If it’s free or a moneymaker…I’m making the trip! 😉
I spend about 10 hours a week on couponing – on average
4)How can you fit couponing into healthy meal planning?
There are coupons to be found for all sorts of organic foods, whole grain foods, etc. When I find a good coupon I try to obtain as many as possible of them. Then I stock up. Even if I can’t find coupons for those items, I can find coupons for other things like toiletries and such so that I’m saving more money for my food budget.
4. I fit healthy meal planning w/ couponing by going to a lot of the healthy products websites and printing thier coupons ie: earths best, etc. Also, if you contact the manufacturers they will often send coupons in the mail. Also, I look for produce and meat coupons at the grocery store often on packages or close by.
#1-im bad with this! I try and only print coupons i know i will use—but that doesnt always work!
to get the maxium use of my coupons I match them with the instore specials. If the happen to expire, I know that another deal will be around the corner
ONE WAY IS STOCK UP ON CEREAL AND CANNED FOODS THAT WE USE WHEN IN SALES . PAIR UP COUPONS TO GET SOME FRESH PRODUCT AND MAKE MEAL AND FREEZE THEM OR CUT/CHOP SOME VEGES THAT CAN BE FREEZED.COUPONING TO FIT HEALTHY MEALS IS VEYR DIFFICULT FOR ME AS I COOK EVRYTHING FROM SCRATCH AND WITH FRESH INGREDIENTS. SO I WOULD LOVE TO FIND A WAY TO FIT THIS.
1)How do you decide which coupons to print out and which ones to avoid?
If the coupon is a high dollar coupon or one I hear is ‘hot’ then I print it, regardless. I’ve missed out on great deals by not printing a coupon thinking I wouldn’t need it. Now I print because I’d rather waste a penny or so printing than not to have it if I need it. We have a very economical laser printer though so its not like I’m always replacing ink.
I avoid coupons that are specifically for stores I don’t shop at or for deals at stores I don’t have access to.
5)What/where can you find the best deals for summer traveling?
I think the best things for summer traveling are samples! There are so many available and they don’t take up a lot of space. They are perfect!
7 – I have a special section in my coupon box for the freebies or extra high value coupons so I look at them frequently and am sure to use them. It’s not fun knowing you passed up something free because you could not find the coupon.
#2 I’ve been couponing for about 4 months and I think it may take me another 4 months before I really understand the “ins and outs” of what I’m doing.
As far as summer travel goes, I think it is always good to look into national parks and historic sites. Then, there is always camping or “cottages” at many of these amazing places. It makes for some real adventures, especially for people who are city dwellers. The kids are usually thrilled to see something green!! Of course, you are paying way less to camp than for a hotel. Also, because many of these museums and historic sites are run by the government, you are spending less than things like theme parks, etc.
We use ususally engage kids with summer reading proram, library shows, swimming classes and visiting places that a re drivable. Pack up some foos to save money and also avaoid so much junk and much pricier food on the go.
It’s a good time to visit friends who are little far away and combine your amusement ark/recreational visit too!
4)How can you fit couponing into healthy meal planning?
If what I have a coupon for is not the healthiest I think about what I can serve with it to make the dish a little healthier. Example, I got a coupon for a free box of mac and cheese, if I can add some broccoli to it the kids are getting some veggies in there too add that with a glass of milk and a yougurt cup (I always have coupons for that) and it is not so bad!
5.The best deal for Summer travel are definitely on the search engine Kayak. Flights, hotels, cruises, tours, you name it. They’ve got everything. Go with flexible travel dates for HUGE SAVINGS. I always couple that with a few visits to retailmenot to look for online booking codes. Don’t be shy of getting airmiles memberships with the airlines you fly with the most. Check out no annual fee airmiles creditcards – if you fly constantly, they will net you free trips in a year, sometimes less!
8. I usually visit a locally-owned store and a walmart supercenter once a week. If however, after checking out a roster of couponing blogs and seeing a few GREAT coupon/sale pairings in other stores, I will begin considering. Since I live in a small town, I think about it in terms of my time, gas money and quantity of stuff I can snag a real deal on. I see my time in terms of minimum wage per hour spent driving to store and actually shopping . I use a formula – (Total money saved with coupon deals – “my hourly wage” – gas usage = ACTUAL savings) Example: If I find $20 in coupon deals – $8.00 (two hours sepnt driving/shopping) – $10 in gas = $2 ACTUAL SAVINGS; I see this deal is NOT worth the trip, no matter how much I need/want those items.
#1. I usually only print the coupon if there is a deal posted for a product I know I would use.
6)What are the pros/cons of your coupon organization method?
I have tried a few different methods but I haven’t found the ONE that works for me yet. I hated the binder method. The coupons didn’t seem to fit right, the binder was bulky and carrying it around trying to flip through it in the store.
What I have finally settled on (for now) is to just cut out the coupons I plan to use for that trip. I will make a note of any sales I see that I think I have coupons for and go back later to look at those items. I carry 10 to 40 coupons in my purse and use them as my shopping list.
using craigslist to buy tickets for amusement parks near by you helps a lot in saving big bunch of money
As far as feeling like I know what I’m doing, when I started getting tons of items for free or almost free, then I felt like I was confident in being a couponer!!
takes 2 hrs atleast for eacch store to clip, oragnize and write the list before i hit the store
I will only make a special trip to a store I don’t normally go to if its a smoking hot deal, and I can get a bunch of something I NEVER find sales on. Otherwise I put it off till the good deals come to my regular stores (most of the time they do). If it’s a specialty Item, or something around a holiday or my childrens birthdays and they really want that item as a gift, I’ll make the trip. (Usually only ends up being for toys! LOL)
#8 – For some items, I check on Amazon.com first before driving somewhere for a purchase. It is often cheaper or a similar price on Amazon, and shipping is free with Amazon Prime. If you are only going to save a little bit by going to the store or with a coupon, it is not worth spending the money in gas (unless you are going to that store anyway for other things).
Since I have to drive at least 30 minutes to get to a store, I try to do all my shopping on one day and prepare (at least mentally) where I want to go. That way I can decide to which town I want to go to because the stores are all different!
I also keep a planner so that I know where I need to be through the week and will try to save my shopping for a day when I know I will be in town.
1. I try to only print out coupons for things that I very regularly buy. I often am throwing coupons away that I printed, so I am still having a lot of difficulty with this. Originally I printed them for anything I might be interested in, but that seems like a waste of paper and ink, so not so worth it. I think it is also good to be aware of what you will need within the next month or check before you go to the grocery store to print them.
5. I think the best thing to do is to find free things to do. For instance, Washington DC has many free museums and activities to participate in. If you visit a place like this, you will be saving money on the activities. You can also spend time “on vacation” doing free activities or low price activities in your area. This could include camping in your yard, going for a hike, going to tourist locations in your area.
I’ve been meaning to eat more healthy so if its not in my healthy range, I throw it out (ie fast food)
5 – Summer travel deals can easily be found by contacting the Chamber of Commerce in the city you plan to visit. Often coupons will be included in the info packets they send in the mail. I’ve also searched for “City Name +coupons” and found some great ones. Once we got 20% off our hotel, even though we booked on a super promo special – we ended up in a suite with kitchenette and were served a deluxe hot breakfast which actually tasted good and had fresh fruit at a great place in Bloomington, IL for about $70/night.
I only organize for about an hour through the entire week and definitely not all on one day! I could be more organized in my ways though, I have piles of coupons all over the house!