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! 🙂
i always use priceline to snatch great prices on hotel rooms for summer vacations
I tend to print coupons for products which are very highly priced and can that’s going to go on sale……..which will make them free or really really cheap. I’m cutting the habit of printing allcouons that tempt me. I’m still learning to get in control and save my ink:)
I can fit couponing in with meal planning by planning by meals around the sales for the week!
Only buy healthy foods with the coupons you have…a way to coupon and eat healthy!
My binder method has a draw back…I tend to have a ton of “toiletries” coupons and never enough space in my card slots for all of them. I end up folding a lot of the same type of product and punting them in the slots.
I have been couponing about a month and a half…and I still feel as though I am still trying to get the hang of it. I hope I REALLY get it all down soon. I spend about 2 hours or so a week plotting my savings.
7)How do you get the maximum use of coupons before the expiration date?
I use coupons with sales. If there’s a coupon I’d like to use that doesn’t corresond to a sale, I move it to the front of my binder into a clear pocket where I’ll see it so it keeps it on the forefront of my mind. Also, as I add new coupons, I note which ones are expiring soon & also move them to the front IF I think they are high value & I’m likely to use them. I don’t feel bad for not using coupons if they don’t corespond to a sale item. It just means I saved even more money by not buying a product I wouldn’t use!
1)How do you decide which coupons to print out and which ones to avoid? I print the one’s that my family or I use. Or when hip2save tells me I can get it for free! 🙂
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? Not long..a couple hours a week.
5)What/where can you find the best deals for summer traveling? check all the website like expedia. (i can’t remember the other one’s right now) weigh them agaist each other and go for the cheapest!
6)What are the pros/cons of your coupon organization method? Hard to find and can’t remember what coupons I’ve got. I need a better system!
8)How do you determine if it’s worth the extra trips (gas money, time) to special stores? I live in the country to it’s not usually worth a trip for me unless i’m going to be in town already.
#7 I truley don’t feel the need to use a coupon just b/c I have it. If I find that really great deal before the exp date, then I use it. I won’t use my coupons right before they expire just to have used them (Unless its a free item, or overage of course). I try to keep up with the latest deals and if they expire, they expire! No need to spend money I normally wouldn’t have just to have “saved” with a coupon.
I print out coupons for things I already use,, or for things that may be a different brand that I haven’t tried,, and my want to. I cut the coupons in Red Plum for the things I use,, and know that I will need..
I am trying to stay in the 1-2 hour a week category,, although I’ve been a little obsessed.
I don’t plan my days around coupons, but I have lists for specific stores.. and their coupon types.. Our Rite Aid gets extra business, because THEY carry Winder milk,, local dairy, great product,, and the milk is $2.69 per gallon! Cheaper than any of the bargain milks in the grocery stores. The people at Rite Aid here, told me they lose money on the milk, to help increase traffic. I buy most of my snacks, bathroom stuff, and small household and grocery items there,, I can use my coupons, the checkers all love us, and HELP us, and we get great deals, plus the rebate checks.
I go to target rather than the grocery store (Harmons locally owned), because Harmons won’t stack, won’t honor some coupons and give me a hard time. I print out high dollar coupons, on things I “might want to try”
I move coupons to the “expiring” section of my coupon accordion purse, and check them out as I make my list. I try to plan 8-10 meals at once,, half a month, then buy what I need,, I check stock in the basement when I put my groceries away… Say I need ketchup,, buy 1 bottle, and when I put everything else on the pantry shelves, I see no ketchup… I go ahead and leave ketchup on my store list for next trip.
My pantry is stocked, we are eating BETTER,, and I am MORE organized… I have also cut my grocery budget by over $200 a month,, cause I used to jsut wander aimlessly and buy whatever,, now I have focus for grocery expeditions..
Hip2Save also has fun lunch, dinner, and shopping coupons and ideas,, so I can have a fun day on less money when I have the time! (today we got the Barnes & Noble Frappachinos and went for pedi’s, then used a bogo lunch coupon at a local restaurant,, cause it was my birthday..
shopped at Target,, didn’t find anything fabulous.. so bought a couple of the purple sticker dollar items.. for white elephants.. and that was it,, fun day, not a lot of money and a great lunch!
I use the binder method and it’s great to be more organized, but it’s heavy to lug around and is time consuming to organize!
My husbands goes through every week to pull out expired coupons.
still trying to work on the healthy eating with couponing. i try to stock pile organic when I see those deals…still need help on this one though!
I print every coupon that you post on your blog just aboutr!
The best tip to save $$ while on roadtrips is to bring our own food. Also, in Vegas we stayed off the strip and saved major bucks!
For summer travel, we plan ahead of time and stay organized! Booking is usually cheaper if you plan in advance and do lots of research. Also, especially when we take long trips in the car, we save money by stocking up ahead of time – for example- snacks and drinks for the car, which tend to otherwise add up fast if you are buying lots of prepackaged stuff at rest stops. Be thorough in packing all the supplies you might possibly need, from sunscreen to bug repellant to rainwair. And if you can rent a hotel room that has a small kitchen (like an extended stay place), you can save a LOT on food by cooking your own/bringing meals.
I love to save money by vacationing at home!
#4 Buy what you would normally buy (or a similar product). . .not just somehting because it is on sale!!! It takes restraint sometimes! Think . . .does this fit into our plan?
I only print out coupons I know I will absolutely use. I don’t print out every one in hopes of a great deal, there is way too many!
I never let a huggie sidaper coupon pass by………I always print the daiper coupons and probably now the facbook coupons which seems really worth.
Most of all I print coupons for product on sale for that week or up comming week so that I know I’m not wasting my ink
Best deals can be found if you ask around to your friends! Or there are travel sites that help ppl save money. Ie kayak.com
I print out any high value coupons because there most likely will be a good sale on that product soon after. I also print off any for products that I like and see go on sale frequently. My problem is printing out too many and ones that I already have in my inserts.
I find the best deals when traveling is local mom and pop deals. They are super cheap and really great food. But normally we pack tons of snacks and make sure we have everything we need for the trip before going. We just work really hard on finding great deals and just saving.
1)How do you decide which coupons to print out and which ones to avoid?
-High Value ones
-I also print the ones when I know I am running low on the product in my stock pile
-Avoid any food ones that I know we just won’t eat
-Trial and Error
2)How long does it REALLY take to get to a point where you feel like you know what you are doing?
-Took my 1 year.
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?
-1 hour
6)What are the pros/cons of your coupon organization method?
I use the according (sp) style. I need to upgrade.
Cons-have to search through all the coupons to find the one you know you have somewhere in the pile.
7)How do you get the maximum use of coupons before the expiration date?
Watch what I print and cut out to make sure I will actually use it before the expiration date. I have gotten pretty good about what I will use and what I won’t.
8)How do you determine if it’s worth the extra trips (gas money, time) to special stores?
I only stop by when I will be in the area or if it is on my way home from work. I usually never make a special trip.
when we travel with 3 kids we pack ALOT of snacks instead of stopping along the way
1) I clip things my family uses. or what would normally be expensive that I could get for cheap or free. (like razors)
My family has saved hundreds of dollars by renting time share condos diresctly from the owners. It is also great to have a full kitchen when traveling with kids. They eat better and it saves money also. And the dishwasher, washer and dryer etc all save maoney and time.
8 – Our nearest real grocery store and Walgreens ares over an hour away, so we never make a special trip to get the real deals. We make due with our local Walmart, but I rarely spend more than $20/week there on produce and dairy. When we do go to town and do real shopping, I maximize my coupons and add to my stockpile. This allows me to only buy the bare minimum locally and make the most of the trips (which we always combine with something else – a doctor’s visit, etc.)
the pros of my coupon organization is that its EASY! I am not organized and dont have time to clip and file so I just file the entire insert.
the biggest con is that it takes up so much space! and then I might miss a really great coupon for something I need!
Our family has saved hundreds of dollars every year by renting time share condos dirrectly from the owners. It is wonderful to have a full kitchen when traveling with children. They eat healthier and it saves money to not have to go out to eat. Add to that the convenience of having a dishwasher, washer and dryer and all the rest it is the only way to go!
5. Another great travel site for knowing what hotels are being won on priceline
http://www.betterbidding.com
http://www.biddingfortravel.com
Pros of coupon organizing method – my little box with category dividers works well for me. My con is that it is an absolute disaster when it falls. Someone ran into me once as I was going into the store and everything fell out – nightmare!
1. that hard you dontwant to print them all and run out of paper, I print the ones that I can say if I can get this for cheep/ free will we use 🙂
1—I only clip for products we use
2–6mo
3–30 minutes
4–be prepared to improvise! Don’t rely on just prepackaged foods
6– binder, pro– easy to see coupons, con–time consuming
8–I make sure there are multiple deals on things that I need or go through quickly. Diaper deals are almost ALWAYS a reason for a trip to the store 😉
2. I have been couponing for 1 yr and some days I feel like its the first, but I am confident to fight for what is right esp. with coupon rules
To determine if getting a free product is “worth it or not” by using a coupon, I factor in the tax and CRV as well. And if you need to mail in a rebate, I factor in the price of a stamp, too. It can add up pretty fast!
I spend an hour or so a week, trying to plan out my shopping list… I just copy and paste (from my fav match-up sites) my list into my google documents and print… then gather up a few envelopes locate my coupons and organize into transactions and whaa-la I am done 🙂
I determine to go the store for extra trip if I see a product on sale and or cleaerance and I didn’t have coupons to sweaten the deal. It should worth my time and gas ofcourse. Probably if the sale is going to end that day or with in a day. I have gone extra trips for money making deals and slao for rebate products that were on sale.
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?
About 1 hour
#8… If its free, or on my route home anyway, I usually stop to get it.
2)How long does it REALLY take to get to a point where you feel like you know what you are doing?
I am still learning!! But it has taken me about 4 months to get to a point where i feel comfortable at all three drugstores and using coupons on a regular basis on large transactions.
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?
It takes me about an hour each week to take out old coupons and put in new ones. It takes about another hour to meal plan, and make a list. And honestly, it takes me about 30 minutes to look through sales adds and determine what I am going to buy at each store, and in any given week, I shop at three to four stores. It is a lot of time when you add it up, but I consider it to be like a part time job for me!
6)What are the pros/cons of your coupon organization method?
I use the binder! It is great because it holds it ALL and is easy to stay organized, but it is a tad bulky…
I have a binder which works great finding coupons, but “working it” is really time consuming.
Great idea and this is fun… I love the small according method. The pros is that I can take it anywhere with me..and its is easy to use when i am shopping with a 2 yr old. The cons are that it is bulky and overflowing…..dont have all the room i need…..
6)What are the pros/cons of your coupon organization method? I keep my inserts whole and put them in sleeve protectors in a binder. The pros are that I can easily flip to the date and find the coupon I need. Another pro is that I dont spend much time clipping and oprganizing. The biggest con is that I spend a lot of time in the store saying I know I had a coupon for that item and hence, searching.
1. I only print coupons for items I know that I will buy or for things I can get for free.
2. I’ve been couopning (heavy-duty like) for about 9 months now & I do feel like I’m finally getting the hang of it. I think it took about 6 months to get to that though.
1)How do you decide which coupons to print out and which ones to avoid? I ONLY PRINT THE ONES I KNOW WE WILL USE OR THE HIGH VALUE ONES THAT WILL MAKE PRODUCTS FREE OR CHEAP.
2)How long does it REALLY take to get to a point where you feel like you know what you are doing? I STARTED IN NOVEMBER AND I DON’T EVEN KNOW IF I REALLY KNOW WHAT I’M DOING…..ROFL
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? IT TAKES ME AWHILE TO GET EVERYTHING ORGANIZED. I MAKE A LIST FOR EACH STORE I’M GOING TO AND PUT IT ALONG WITH THE COUPONS I’M USING INTO SEPARATE ENVELOPES WITH THE STORES NAME ON IT.
4)How can you fit couponing into healthy meal planning? I HAVEN’T FIGURED THIS ONE OUT YET…LOL…WE REALLY NEED TO EAT HEALTHIER!
5)What/where can you find the best deals for summer traveling? N/A WE DON’T TRAVEL MUCH.
6)What are the pros/cons of your coupon organization method? THE BINDER METHOD IS A PRO FOR ME BECAUSE IT IS SUPER EASY FOR ME TO FIND A CERTAIN COUPON I NEED. BUT AS FAR AS EVERYTHING ELSE IT’S A MESS LOL.
7)How do you get the maximum use of coupons before the expiration date? I FINALLY LET MYSELF REALIZE THAT IT IS OK IF A COUPON EXPIRES! IF IT IS A HIGH VALUE ONE I TRY TO WATCH THE DEALS AND BE SURE TO USE IT BEFORE IT EXPIRES.
8)How do you determine if it’s worth the extra trips (gas money, time) to special stores? THE ONLY WAY I WILL GO TO THE STORES THAT AREN’T IN MY TOWN ARE IF I PLAN TRIPS TO A FEW STORES IN THAT AREA. THAT MAKES IT WORTH THE GAS TO ME.
#3 – I don’t really spend enough time organizing my coupons. I usually make sure to have them for a REALLY good sale.
Answer to question 1: I only print out the coupons for products my family use Some times if I know that my friend uses a product and I see a coupon for it I will call her up and ask her right then and there if she would like me to print it or clip it for her.
2)How long does it REALLY take to get to a point where you feel like you know what you are doing?
In answer to question 2, I’ve been couponing since January and I’ve had a good handle on things since March or so. It’s pretty amazing how much stuff you can get for free! 🙂 I’ve been keeping track of the retail value of all the freebies I’ve been able to score and I’ve gotten over $600’s worth already! 🙂
I look for coupons which will make the product completely free or way too cheap. Especially with a kid I would go for all the diaper coupons.
Where can you find cheap travel deals? I start with Orbitz, Kayak and then the airline websites before I hit Priceline.