Step 4: Learn the Couponer's Language.

Here is a list that I've compiled of the most commonly used abbreviations and words used around the frugalnet. Hopefully they will help you understand the deals easier! They are listed in alphabetical order.

$/x: Is a certain dollar amount off of a certain number of items. An example would be, $1/1 is one dollar off of one item and $1/2 is one dollar off of two items.

x/$: How many items you can get for a certain dollar amount. An example would be, if I put 2/$5 then that means that two items will cost five dollars.

Blinkies: Coupons in front of the product. Usually in a box little plastic box that has a red blinking light on the top. When you take a coupon out of the machine, it will dispense another one.

BOGO or B1G1: Buy One Get One. Usually free, but sometimes 50% off.

CAT or Catalina: A coupon that prints out at the register after your purchase is completed. You will find CATs at grocery stores, KMart, and Walgreens (known as their RR's).

CRT: Cash register tape. These print out like a CAT and are generally store coupons that can be used with a mfg coupon. The $5/$25 ($5 off a $25 purchase) CVS coupons are considered CRTs.

ECB: CVS Extra Care Bucks are store coupons that print at the bottom of your receipt and can be spent like cash on anything at CVS. (Exceptions are prescriptions, alcohol, tobacco, gift cards or lottery tickets.) ECBs usually expire one month from when they are issued.

EXP: Expiration Date.

FAR: Free After Rebate.

GC: Gift Card.

GM: General Mills coupon insert found in the Sunday paper.

IVC: Walgreen’s Instant Value Coupon. These are found in their Easy Saver Catalog. (Again, rumored to end in May.)

IP: Internet Printable Coupon.

Mailer or Booklet: Coupons that you receive in your mailbox.

MQ or MFG: Manufacturer’s Coupon.

MIR: Mail In Rebate.

MM: Moneymaker or Moneymaking deal!

OOP: Out of Pocket cost.

OOS: Out of stock.

OYNO: On your next order.

P&G: Proctor & Gamble coupon insert in the Sunday newspaper.

Peelie: Coupon that is stuck to the outside of a package and you have to peel it off to use it.

PSA: Prices start at.

RP: Red Plum coupon insert in the Sunday newspaper.

RR: Register Rewards from Walgreens, which are store coupons that print from the Catalina machine next to the register. They can be spent like cash in Walgreens on anything except prescriptions, alcohol, tobacco, gift cards or lottery tickets. They generally expire two weeks from when they print.

SS: Smart Source coupon insert in the Sunday paper.

Stack or Stacking: Using a store coupon with a MFG coupon. (For example, using a $1 Target coupon and a $1 MFG coupon on one item.)

Tearpad: A pad with several coupons (sometimes refund forms) hanging from a store shelf or display.

WAGS: Walgreens

Winetag or WT: A coupon found in the wine section or hanging on wine bottles.

WYB: When You Buy....

YMMV: Your Manager May Vary. Different store managers could decide differently. (An example would be using 2 mfg coupons on a BOGO free sale. Some will allow it, some won't.)

Step 3: Getting to Know Your Coupons

Now, getting know your coupons. There are basically two different types of coupons. I will break them down a little further for you.

Manufacturer Coupons
These are coupons issued by the manufacturer. They are the ones in your Sunday inserts but they are also the blinkies, tear pads, and peelies. They can be found in packages, booklets, mailers, and free samples. They are also the Internet printable coupons. Basically, they are any coupon issued by the manufacturer. The manufacturer reimburses the retailer the coupon amount plus a small handling fee.

Store Coupons
These are found in the store's ad but they can also be found in mailers that the store sends out or the newspaper. Essentially the store is giving you a discount for shopping there. One example of this is the Albertsons $10/$50 coupon.

Now, here is a breakdown of the language on the coupons. This should help you understand how to redeem them properly and to know how to politely explain it to a "snarky" cashier who may be giving you trouble at the check stand.

"One Coupon Per Purchase"
This means that you can only use one manufacturer coupon per ITEM purchased. If you have one coupon, and it says this,you can only buy one of that item. If you have two of that same coupon however, you can go ahead and buy two items. Alot of people think (and some of those snarky cashiers) that it means that you can only use one coupon on your whole transaction.This is not the case. Don't believe them.

Some stores however, you can combine your manufacturer's coupon with their store coupon. You'll have to find out your store's policy on that one though.

"One Coupon Per Item Purchased"
This is the same as the One Coupon Per Purchase" but with better wording so as to limit the coupon to one coupon per item.

"One Coupon Per Transaction"
This is to try and limit the number of items that you purchase with this coupon. You can simply split the items up into separate transactions or you can go back another time. Again, these can probably be combined with a store coupon so long as the store allows it in their policy.

"One Coupon Per Customer" (or Family or household)
These are pretty few and far between. I've seen these mostly on the restaurant coupons and grocery store coupons. Theoretically,you could probably get around it by separating transactions or making separate visits, but it would be best if we redeemed them properly because we know the manufacturer or store is only intending them to be used once per customer or family.

"Do Not Double"
If you're lucky enough to have a store that "doubles", it simply means that they cannot double the value of it and give you a larger discount than face value. Or, if you're at Albertsons here in the West, you cannot use a doubler with it.

Step 2: Building Your Stash: Where to Find Coupons

In order to start saving money couponing, you have to start collecting coupons! I was asked by a clerk the other day, "Where do you GET all of those coupons?". Well, I get them from many places, and here's a list of all the places that I've found them.

Sunday Newspaper
The first and most obvious place is the Sunday newspaper. There are usually 2-3 inserts and sometimes 4. Besides the inserts, sometimes the Parade magazine in the newspaper will have a couple on it's pages and sometimes there will be some printed on the pages of the newspaper. Albertsons recently had some coupons printed on the backside of one of the sections and Albertsons has started sending out an insert of "doublers" pretty regularly. Make sure you look through the whole paper so you don't miss these! You can get the Sunday paper in a number of ways.

You can run down to Walgreens or a grocery store on Sunday morning and spend around $2 per copy. This really isn't the most cost effective way to do it and it can get expensive if you need multiple copies like I do.

The Dollar Tree usually carries the Sunday paper and it's only $1 per copy there. Cheaper and much more manageable price, but some places don't have a Dollar Tree around.

You can usually get a "Sunday only"subscription to your local newspaper and some will give you a discount if you receive multiple copies. There is also a website called DiscountedNewspapers.com where you can enter your zip code to see if there are any discounts that your local paper offers.

A free place to find the newspaper is a recycling drop off center. When we lived in New Mexico, they had collection dumpsters behind our grocery store and I often found entire coupon inserts just lying on top!

Another free place is to simply ask friends, family, and neighbors to save them for you. Most people are more than willing to save them, especially if you're going to put them to good use! If you have someone who regularly blesses you by saving the inserts for you, consider blessing them back by making a "goodie box" for them every once in awhile with things that you have gotten from using them.

In-Store Booklets
By keeping your eyes peeled you can usually find a booklet of some kind in the store. Recently there was a booklet out for Cinco de Mayo. It contained coupons for a bunch of different products. Yesterday, I found SC Johnson booklets at Albertsons. They contain over $37 worth of coupons. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for these!

Blinkies
Many grocery stores have what are called “blinkies”, they are called because they are in a plastic box with a blinking light on it that hangs near the product. They are usually manufacturer coupons and can be used at any store not just the one you found it at. If I find blinkie coupons for a good product or something I use regularly, I'll usually grab 5-10 and file them away for a good sale later.

Tearpad Coupons
These are the coupons that are usually found in front of a product and you tear them off of a pad. They are also usually manufacturer’s coupons that can be used at any store. Again, I'll tear off a small chunk of them to use later on a good sale.

Peelies
These are the coupons that are stuck to a product on the shelf and you have to peel them off. Some people will peel them off and file them away for later. I'm not quite sure what I think of that since they are intended to be used on the product that they are stuck to. But again, they are manufacturer's coupons and can be used at any store. (Anyone have any thoughts on swiping peelies for later use?)

Online
Places like eBay and coupon clipping sites like The Coupon Clippers are great places to just buy coupons. You can usually find them rather inexpensively and can buy just the ones that you think you will use. A word of caution though, be a little careful when buying on eBay. Coupons for completely free products are few and far between and you don't want to accidentally buy fraudulent coupons. There are many, many legitimate auctions though by people who just clip the coupons from inserts and those can be a great time saving resource for you!

Magazines
Many magazines have coupons in them and more are showing up everyday! The All You magazine at Walmart is the most popular one and it usually contains at least $50 worth of coupons per issue! I've also seen some coupons cropping up in People and Women's Day as well. Now, I don't recommend that you run out and subscribe to a bunch of magazines to get coupons but if you have some credit card rewards points or frequent flyer miles hanging around, that might be a good way to use them. The only exception would be All You that one will probably be worth the subscription price just for its coupons.

Mailers
Mailers are a great way to get coupons! You usually have to request these but they are definitely worth it as the coupons are higher in value than you would regularly find.

Free Samples
Free samples are another great way to get coupons. Not only do you get to sample a new product but they usually come with the higher value coupons as well.

Inside Packages
Alot of times, you can find coupons slipped into the products that you buy or on the outside of the box. Glade is one example of a company regularly slipping coupons into their products. But, they can also be found in cereals, snacks, cleaners, etc.

Dr's Offices
Sometimes you can find little booklets or pamphlets at your Dr's office. I found a Lysol booklet at our Pediatrician's office with tips on how to keep from getting sick and it included coupons for some Lysol products.

Printable Coupons
There are numerous online sources for printable coupons.

Some of my favorite sites include:

Betty Crocker
Box Tops for Education
Cool Savings
Coupons.com
Eat Better America
General Mills
Nestle
Pillsbury
Red Plum
Smart Source

Online Newsletters
There are numerous online newsletters that you can sign up for that usually include printable coupons in them.

Here is a list of some of my favorites:

Bisquick
Box Tops for Education
General Mills
Kraft Community
MySavings.com
Pillsbury
P&G's Right at Home

Step 1: Overcoming the Myths of Couponing and Bargain Shopping.

Myth #1- Won't I be looked at as "cheap"? I thought only poor people use coupons?

Well, we all know the current state of our economy! Many people are losing their benefits, taking paycuts to stay employed, and even losing their jobs. Even if we haven't realized one of these scenarios in our own lives, we still need to be very smart with our money right now.

According to Charles Brown, Vice President for worldwide coupon processor NCH, "Marketers have historically distributed more coupons when the economy slows in an effort to motivate consumer purchases, and consumers tend to be more apt to respond and redeem during periods of economic decline."

The recent Kraft coupons are one example of this marketing!

Also, according to statistics, only 72% of people making less than $25,000 use coupons compared with 82% for people making between $50,000-$75,000!

Besides, when did saving money become a BAD thing? Past generations never spent their money as freely as the current generations. Right now is the time to start saving our money the "old-fashioned way" and one way we can all do that is by using coupons wisely!

Myth #2- Shopping at dollar stores will save me more money than using coupons!

I personally know this myth to be false. Before I started couponing, I purchased 2 tubes of toothpaste every 2 weeks from the dollar store for my family. You can't get toothpaste any cheaper than $1 consistently....right? Well, I was wrong! By shopping the drugstores like Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid, you can often get 3-4 tubes of name brand toothpaste for that same dollar! And, basically that dollar is just the sales tax on them. If you use your coupons correctly, you can save significant amounts of money!

Myth #3- Isn't is just cheaper to buy generic items?

Well, this one kind of ties in to the previous myth. Generally if you just walk into a store with your clipped coupons and go up to the shelf to buy something, the generic will probably still be cheaper. But, if you're willing to change your way of thinking and purchasing things, you can purchase the name brand items for a fraction of the generic price!

Myth #4- You should only use coupons for things you would normally buy.

I have found that by being less "brand-loyal" and by being more creative with our meals, I am saving a significant amount of money by buying the products with the best deals. I have an example from just this week, I never would have dreamed of buying Kraft Bagel-fuls, especially at $2.50 a box, but between the coupons and the Kraft Promo running at Albertsons, I was able to get 4 boxes of them for FREE. If I hadn't changed my thinking in this area, I never would have gotten those free items because it's not something I'd "normally buy".

Besides, you just might be pleasantly surprised by some of the items! During my whole married life, I have always bought the cheapest razors I could find. But, at the end of last year, there was a great deal on Bic Soleil razors. I gave them a try and found that I love them! So, in the future I am always looking for Bic coupons and will buy multiple copies of the paper when they come out so that I can stockpile them when that good sale comes along.

Myth #5- People who use coupons end up spending MORE because they get caught up in the good deals.

As with anything, you could certainly go overboard! But, sales are cyclical and once you realize that the "great deal" will come around again, you won't be so tempted to wipe out the shelves with your life savings.

Generally speaking, products rotate about once every 3 months. So, razors will go on a really great sale and manufacturers will be issuing coupons to get the inventory moving, about every 3 months. Sometimes it's a little longer and sometimes a little shorter. I personally figure out how much of an item our family will need for the next 3 months and try to buy that much of it. So, if our family of 7 uses 1-2 bottles of shampoo per month, I'll buy 6 bottles when I can get it free or close to free. That should be plenty to last us until the next great deal on shampoo comes around. If the shampoo goes on sale again 2 months later, I will go ahead and get some more, just in case the next stretch is longer than 3 months. But if it's only 2 weeks later, I'll go ahead and hold off.

Myth #6- It takes alot of time and energy to clip coupons and shop at multiple stores.

Well, this I guess depends on your situation. If you're working 60+ hours a week, and you really aren't very strapped for cash, the time and energy might not be worth it.

But, take me for example. I am a stay-at-home mom. My husband recently took a 40% pay decrease so that he could keep his job. I picked up a p/t job to help make up but I hardly make a dent in our deficit. So, I started couponing out of necessity. Money I don't have, time I do!

It takes me around 8 hours a month to clip and sort coupons, plan my trips, and do the actual shopping. But, I am saving a running percentage of 40% or about $2oo per month on our groceries and household items. If I take that $200 and divide it by the number of hours it takes me, I'm in essence paying myself $25.00 per hour! That's 3 times as much as I make at my p/t job. For our family it definitely makes sense!

Even if you aren't in the same position as we are, think of the things that you can do with your coupon savings! In my situation, it equals about $2,400 a year. That's enough to take a vacation with! Put the money you "saved" couponing into a savings account and go on a cruise....debt free! What about putting it into a college fund for your kids? What about applying it to your mortgage to accelerate the payoff? There are just so many things that you can do with it if you are willing to put in a little time and effort. That's the thing though, you have to be willing. You will only get as much out of this lifestyle as you put into it!

Coming Soon!

I am so excited to announce that I am working on a 12-Step series on how to REALLY save money on your groceries and household items! It will be mostly geared towards the beginner, but I'm sure there will be something for everyone! I am hoping to post the steps on Tuesdays, so be on the lookout for them!

As soon I post Step #1, I will put a button in the sidebar so that you can just click there and read the published posts all together.