WITN - Grocery Shopping Secrets Part 3

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Faye Prosser says people use about ten to fifteen percent of the coupons they find in the Sunday newspaper. There are many other places Prosser recommends people find the coupons they will use. In fact, she recommends people find multiple copies of the same coupon, and use the coupons to get the same deal multiple times. Savvy shoppers will stockpile items when they can get a deal. If there is a deal out there on an item you will use, go get it. Obviously, perishable goods don't apply, unless you can freeze them.

Prosser's rule of thumb: if she can save 75% on the item's full price, she stockpiles it.

Prosser recommends searching for coupons you will use on www.thecouponclippers.com and even on www.ebay.com. Prosser says you pay for the service of coupon clipping. The service will find, cut, clip and send you the coupons you request, for a service fee.

Prosser says the internet also has many sites where you can print coupons for free. She recommends www.coupons.com and www.smartsource.com. Prosser says a company's website may have coupons as well, so check out the websites for the brand names you use.

While we're talking websites, Prosser recommends taking a look at www.savvydollar.org. The website is a forum for all sorts of deals and good buys people in North Carolina are finding. You can find links to many more helpful websites on Prosser's site under "Resources," but you can go right to the link by clicking here.

As you start collecting coupons, organization is key. Prosser uses what she calls the "binder system." She uses a three-ring binder full of baseball card holders. They allow you to see what coupons you have and when they expire. Prosser also divides her binder into 24 sections, based on sections in the grocery store (for example,beverage, canned, produce, etc.).

Prosser's system includes making a grocery store list ahead of time, and pulling all the usable coupons out before you head to the store. However, she always takes her coupon binder with her. She says that allows her to cash in big on unadvertised sales. For instance, if a jar of salsa is on sale at the store and she did not know ahead of time, and she has a coupon for that brand of salsa, she will be able to cash in on the deal.

While it is easy to create your own personal coupon binder, Prosser offers a starter kit on her website, www.smartspendingresources.com.

Once a month, Prosser gets rid of any expired coupons. She donates them to military members, who can use the coupons for a few months after they are expired. You can find the programs to do that as well on Prosser's Resources Page.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• WITN
• coupons
• organization
• saving
• money
• cash
• dollars
• groceries
• grocery
• shopping
• tips
• tricks

[Anglynn74]

I deliver newspapers every morning, I get at least 20 to 30 inserts every Sunday that are extras which I get to keep so I don't have to purchase the paper to get this many. I have a huge stack right now of inserts.

[BrittPhillips]

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[RobingdfelowsLady]

That one is really handy unless you have printed out coupons. For printed out coupons, you just about have to get photo pages.

[1969libra]

GroceryCoupons..TV*** Very great advice and info for those that have a lot of coupons.

[iThankYouLord]

i love the baseball card technique. genius.