WFMW (Works For Me Wednesday)

WFMW: We Are THAT Family

3 Shopping Tips:

Tip 1. When you are first starting out couponing, you will find that sometimes you have to sign up on websites with your email.

Don't want to clutter your inbox with unwanted promos and store emails? Sign up on a free email account like yahoo.com just for your coupons! That way, when you go to "clip" coupons and see what specials are out there on the world wide web, you can go straight to your "coupon" email account.

Tip 2. Stocking a pantry: It takes a while to build up a stock of groceries. When an item goes on sale, purchase several of them. The more you shop sales and use coupons (at the same time preferably) the more you will be able to stock your pantry. I started off having only a stack of salsa and a stack pasta sauce in my pantry. Over the past few months, I've stocked cereal, pasta, cookies, rice, beans, chips, relish, peppers and maybe a few other items. We have a limited budget so we have started off at a slower pace.

Tip 3. Getting good deals at WalMart: Did you know that WalMart will do what is called "comping"? (That is price matching!!) If a local grocery store has Life Cereal on sale in their ad, take the ad to the register at WalMart and tell the cashier that you'd like this "comped" or "price matched". No joke! It really works!

Want more fun/helpful tips? Go to "We Are THAT Family" and do some blog hoppin!

How To Use A Coupon

Using a coupon for the first time can make a person nervous! It did me! I just started using coupons a couple of months ago.

How to use a coupon:

Clip coupon - This can be a printed coupon off of the internet or a clipped coupon from a newspaper.

Read coupon - Carefully read the fine print on the coupon to see EXACTLY what it is for. Example: It may show a box of original Cheerios but you may be allowed to purchase any box of Cheerios.

Check sale ads - If possible, look in sale ads to see if you have a coupon for anything that is on sale. This can save tons of money!

Keep coupons separate - As you are getting the items that you have coupons for, keep them separate from coupons that you aren't using.

Use coupons - After you put your items on the checkout counter and after the cashier has scanned all items, give her your coupons. If it makes you more comfortable, before she begins to scan items, let her know that you have coupons.

End transaction - The cashier will give you your after coupons total and you will pay as usual.

Coupon Rules:

One coupon per item - You may not use more than one coupon per item. There may be an exception to this rule. If you have a store coupon and you have a manufacturers coupon you may be able to use both coupons for one item. Example: I have a coupon from the Meijer website for Cheerios and I have a Cheerios coupon from the newspaper, I can use both coupon on my box of Cheerios.

Do not copy coupons - Don't make copies of the coupons that you have. Copying coupons is illegal.

Coupons and sales: You can use coupons on sale and clearance items. Example: If you have a coupon for $1.00 off Crest Toothpaste and it is on clearance for $1.00 that item will be free. (I believe that you have to pay tax.) I did this at Meijer recently. I had a Meijer coupon for $1.50 off of 1 box of Meijer pads. I found a box of Meijer pads on clearance for $1.67 so I paid .17 cents for the box of pads. Oh happy day!

Shop sales early in the week so that the store doesn't run out of the items. If they do run out, you can ask for a rain check.

Now, go clip!!