How To Begin

One of my longtime problems has been deciding the right way to get started. I sometimes end up delaying making any decision at all, due to this!

I was unsure how to begin explaining how to begin this saving/couponing process.  But I'm just going to go for it:

The key to shopping for free/little is to STACK LAYERS of savings methods, on top of each other.

Here is an overview:

LAYER #1: The weekly store sale.

Every week, every store has items that are marked down.  The Weekly Ad (also known as Weekly Circular) is the guide to this.  Almost all stores make their Weekly Ad available online. Most stores have their Ad Week as Sunday through Saturday.  However: At least two of my local stores (Schnucks, and now County Market as well) run their Ad Week from Wednesday through Tuesday.

Also: Many Walgreens stores actually start their week's sales 1-2 days early; this can lead to the 'Saturday night loophole' which can sometimes be exploited for freebies - We'll discuss that later.

Weekly Circulars: Target || Meijer || Dollar General || Dollar Tree || Family Dollar || Walgreens || CVS || Schnucks || County Market || Shop 'n Save || Kroger || Kmart || Walmart ||

LAYER #2: Manufacturer's Coupons

With a couple of exceptions, all stores accept Manufacturer Coupons.  Each store's Coupon Policy varies a bit, and the staff aren't always aware of their Store's official Policy.


There are several key points to make about Manufacturer's Coupons.  I think I will have to separate this "Layer" layout into separate blog entries, after all.



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