COUPONS!!!

I’m so excited to write this entry. I’ve been waiting and waiting. Sorry it’s long but there’s a lot to talk about.

And here it goes…

My inspiration for even finding out about coupons started when I saw a TV show on TLC called “Extreme Couponing”. And judging by the amount of people I’ve discussed this show with, many of you have seen it too. And if you haven’t, well then, you need to.

I was mesmerized by watching this show. I was in awe watching how these people were able to save literally thousands of dollars by clipping coupons. They would go to the grocery store and buy hundreds of dollars worth of groceries and only have to pay $50. How is that even possible!?! I really wanted to know more. First of all, the show is American, which means they have different rules around coupons. They can coupon stack. So, it’s easier for them to get those huge deals. Unfortunately, in Canada we have these pesky rules by the manufacturer and the grocery stores that limit coupons. Such as, not be able to use it with other promotions and offers. So we can’t really coupon stack per se (I’ll get to that later, because we can-ish). You can save more when you combine a $1 off coupon, for example, with an in-store sale. When we went shopping on the weekend, I used a $1 off coupon for Fibre One cereal bars. The store was having a sale for $2.49 a box. So I got them for $1.49. Not too bad. Pretty good savings. I was just so excited to use my coupons!!

I did all the hard work and research and hopefully you can benefit from it. I found some really good websites that you can get coupons from. They are either printable or mailed to your house. The best part is that they’re FREE. Love it! All you do is set up an account, only takes a few minutes. Then you click the ones you want and then they get sent to you. Easy Peasy!! Once you order your coupons there’s like a “blackout” period where you’ll have to wait a certain amount of days before you can order that particular coupon (about 30 days or more). But you can go back and order others. Not sure how often new coupons become available, so I’m checking back often right now. I'm guessing new coupons come out monthly. As I go I will provide updates on what I found out.

From what I gather there’s a coupon code of conduct. Only order and/or print the ones you know you’re going to use. Or if you’re not going to use it pass it on to a friend that will.

Check out all the coupons I have been able to get so far. This is in about a week and a half of checking out websites. Now that I know which ones are the good ones, it’s so much easier. And there is a lot more on the way!!

COUPONS

 

Here are the websites I found:

http://www.save.ca/
By far the best one. Coupons come in about a week. They were the first ones I received in the mail and I’m pretty sure I have more on the way. (seriously, you have no idea how giddy this makes me.)

http://www.brandsaver.ca/en_ca/coupons/

A great one too. Probably less coupons overall available but they have the big savings. They have bigger dollar amount coupons. The bummer about this one is that when I followed up about how long it takes to get the coupons they said 6-8 weeks. So have to be patient with this one.

I really like this one too because it has a lot of the brands that I use. Like Ziploc, Pledge and Glade. Even has recipes on it. This one is a printable site. So you click and print the coupons you want.

http://www.groceryalerts.ca/

Basically a website (run out of Victoria so you know it’s relevant) that will tell you where the savings are. I’ve gotten some printable coupons from this site as well. For the most part, it does lead you to www.save.ca. Still a good one to check out though.

http://www.websaver.ca/

Another good one. Like the others, just click and order.

http://www.flyerland.ca/

Has basically the same coupons that www.save.ca does (if you click on some coupons it’s actually a link to the website). Has other good deals though, like Michael’s, restaurants, magazine subscriptions, car repairs etc. The best part is that it has all the flyers on it. So, you don’t have to collect each one, which I actually don't mind doing. I kind of like having that piece of paper in my hand to look at. But if you don't get a variety of flyers at your door then definitely check it out online.

The one website I haven't mentioned is groupon.com. Which don't get me wrong is great for deals. But if you're like me and are being really strict with spending then it doesn't really matter how good the deal is at that particular restaurant, I'm still spending the money. But that's what's great about saving money with coupons. It will allow you to save money on groceries and allow you to splurge in other areas. So a good time to mention just because it's a good deal doesn't mean you have to go for it. I'm the first one to admit that I get distracted by sparkly things that those advertising companies make me think I need. Ooh something shiny.

Sorry got distracted. Here’s how to get the most out of your coupons.

I’m going to talk to you about our version of “extreme couponing”. It’s not exactly extreme couponing it’s more like “somewhat exciting couponing”. But it still makes me all giddy. It's so fun checking the mail now knowing that it's not going to be bills in there all the time, there will be little surprises of savings.

If you happen to look at the website http://www.brandsaver.ca/en_ca/coupons/ you’ll notice that they have coupons by 2 Old Spice products save $3.00 AND buy any Old Spice product save $1.00. This is where you can stack your coupons. You can use the buy 2 and the buy 1 coupons together. And you can use them at London Drugs. They allow this at London Drugs because they see them as different UPC codes. As long as the coupons are different then you can use them. So you can’t use the buy 2 coupon twice but you can combine the other. Make sense!? And if they happen to be on the sale then you can save really big.

And I realize the example is for Old Spice which may not be everyone’s favourite, but you get the picture. J

If anyone knows of other coupon sites please be sure to make a comment. And if anyone starts this coupon journey or has been doing it let me know. I'd love to know!

Till then...

"A fool may earn money, but it takes a wise man to keep it" –scottish proverb

http://www.rightathome.ca/fhj_savings.aspx