Learning How to Coupon at Grocery Stores

That evening with Kim learning to use coupons and sales was the most profitable 3 hours I've ever spent. She walked me through couponing terms, types of coupons, how to match coupons with weekly grocery store and pharmacy ads, and ....my biggest concern.... how to put it all together in an easy way so that a busy mom could actually do it! In honor of Kim, I've made this site to give to others the tools to be able to save significantly on your grocery bill. As I got the hang of it, I've been able to save thousands of dollars on our annual grocery budget and feed my family even better than before. It's been totally worth it.

I'll walk you through some simple steps of a process to help you make the most of your grocery dollar. You'll be equipped with resources that take a lot of the legwork out of hunting down coupons, knowing when to use them and more to help you save money and keep your sanity too.

Yes, that's me in the newspaper ad telling my story of how I save money. I look pretty normal, huh?

For a set time period, say two weeks or a month, save your grocery receipts and add up how much you spent during that time. Doing this again for another similar time period will help you get an even better idea of how much you typically spend.

photo credit: BunnyFabulous

If you don't already plan your meals ahead, plan them out for several weeks. You can do it one week at a time, or a couple of weeks at a time. Whatever works best for you. Just practice making a weekly/bi-weekly menu, creating a shopping list based on your meals and other necessities only. You're just wanting to get into the habit of doing this so it becomes more second nature.

photo credit: BunnyFabulous

First, you'll need to find a blog that does coupon matchups for the grocery store chain at which you want to get deals. To make it very, very easy for you, MoneySavingMom.com has a huge list of stores for which she does coupon matchups. Find the store you want to shop at from the list, then click on the store's logo. That will take you to a list of the best deals for that week.

Then, at the bottom of the best deals list, there's another link to the full list of deals for that week. Usually this will take you to another couponing blog that specializes in that store or that particular area of the US.

If you live in the Southeastern United States (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina or South Carolina), it's even easier to find coupon matchups. SouthernSavers.com covers most every store in the region. Just choose from the menu at the top, and if you don't see your store, hover over the 'Other' button, then choose your store from the menu that pops up.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdharrison/432334056/

Find a coupon matchup blog (see directions in the previous section) for the store at which you want to start saving money. Peruse the list and see if there are any that you would want to purchase and just get used to the layout of the matchups. Don't worry if you don't see anything you want or need. There may be something next week.

You'll probably see a good amount of abbreviations in the list. This is a fairly universal 'coupon lingo.' Take a few minutes to look over this coupon lingo guide so that you understand the matchup list better.

photo credit: BunnyFabulous

Found a blog or two that has great coupon matchups? Use an RSS reader to get the info delivered to you rather than having to go look for it. In short, it's a really simple way to have all of your coupon matchup info to look at in one place. This incredibly easy step-by-step RSS tutorial shows you how to set one up and use it.

Most grocery stores run their sales in 6 week cycles. For example, if Cheerios is on sale this week, it will most likely go on sale again 6 weeks later. So, if an item you would like to purchase is on sale, now is the time to get coupons for it and buy enough to last you until the next sale.

Here's an illustration from my own shopping:

We like Silk soymilk and use a 1/2 gallon carton a bit less than once a week. So for us, a 6 week supply would be 5 cartons. If we just bought it as we used it at the regular price of around $3.50 per 1/2 gallon, here's what it would cost every 6 weeks:
$3.50 x 5 cartons of Silk Soymilk = $17.50 for a 6 week supply

When Silk goes on sale, it's usually priced at $2.50. Most times, there are coupons for $1 off a carton, $.75 off a carton or $.50 off a carton. If I buy all 6 weeks worth of Silk during the sale week and use one coupon per 1/2 gallon, here's what my savings could look like:
$2.50 x 5 cartons of Silk Soymilk = $12.50 for a 6 week supply
Then, if I have 5 coupons for $1 off a carton of Silk, I can take that $12.50 - $5 worth of coupons = $7.50 for a 6 week supply.

That's a savings of $10. I'm saving 57% if I buy a 6 week supply of Silk during a sale and using coupons.

Silk's expiration dates usually go out that far, so we'll definitely use it by then. I don't have to buy Silk again until it goes on sale and I can get it at a big discount. The reality is that this won't apply to every item on your grocery list. There are some items that never go on sale, and others like fruits and vegetables that go on sale mostly when they are in season, but there are lots of foods that you can use this principle to buy very inexpensively. Some you won't save as large a percentage on...like olive oil.. but there are also products that you can save an even higher percentage on, like 75% or even 100% if there are good coupons available during a sale.

photo credit: BunnyFabulous

Personally, I recommend putting the coupons you're taking to the store with you in some type of order -- at least having coupons for like items together to make it easier for the cashier. Put all your coupons in an envelope or coupon organizer so that you have them in one spot and don't have to dig for them in your purse, pocket, etc.

Get in the line of the friendliest-looking cashier for your first coupon-using experience. After going to the store several times using a stack of coupons, you'll learn which cashiers at your supermarket take coupons in stride and which get grouchy with you or don't have a good grasp of the store's coupon policies.

Be friendly and pleasant with the cashiers and managers. I can't emphasize this enough. There's the old saying 'you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.' If a cashier has a question about a coupon, politely and kindly as them if they can have a manager address it. The vast, majority of the time, managers will be very helpful. You don't want the staff of your favorite store thinking 'oh no, here she comes again..that annoying lady with the coupons.' After couponing for awhile, you usually get to know the store managers, and at least in my case after they've started recognizing me, they've gone out of their way to be helpful and customer service has gotten even better.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alishav/4714766778/