Layer 2.2. - Newspaper Coupons

HOW TO DO IT: The layout of LAYERS

As discussed below, the key to shopping for free (or for very little, or sometimes less than free!) is stacking LAYERS of savings, atop each other.  I'll try not to make this too complicated (which can sometimes be a challenge for me :-)... I've realized it will require a separate blog entry for each Layer, however. 

And for some of this, it'll require a separate post for each "sub-Layer," too. I hope you find this easy to follow.

Stack of Savings Stuff:
LAYER #1: Weekly Store Sales
LAYER #2: Manufacturer's Coupons
- LAYER #2.1: Printable internet coupons

LAYER #2.2 ~ Newspaper Coupons

Your local Sunday newspaper will have some of its own, unique coupons.  (It will also contain a collection of store Weekly Circulars - discussed in Layer #1.)  There are, however, certain Coupon Inserts that appear in most newspapers throughout the country (with regional variations).

The RedPlum (RP) Insert
The SmartSource (SS) Insert
The P&G Saver (PG) Insert

If it seems that these include the same names you just saw, they are!

IMPORTANT NOTE #1: Which of these inserts will appear in the Sunday newspaper will change, from week to week!  Also: There are differences between regions and localities.

COMMON MISTAKE #1: Thinking that every Sunday newspaper is going to carry RedPlum and SmartSource inserts.

Here is a 2014 schedule listing what inserts are expected to appear, on what dates.  And each week, you can get a preview of the coming inserts (with the specific brand coupons that are expected), through this site.

And one more note: Insofar as Couponing Lingo, when you see "RP" and "SS" and "PG" (mentioned above), that's the abbreviation that represents the respective insert.


IMPORTANT NOTE #2: When listing a Coupon, websites will typically list the:
- Dollar amount the coupon deducts
- The Product Name
- Expiration date ("exp. x/xx/14")
- The Abbreviation for the Insert (typically "RP" or "SS" or "PG"), with the date of the Sunday newspaper in which it came

For example:
The coupon that appeared in the February 2, 2014 SmartSource newspaper insert, and which expires on March 29th, and which is for $0.50 off, when you buy ("wyb") eight Yoplait Yogurt Cups... would be denoted as:

$0.50/8 Yoplait Yogurt Cups, exp. 3/29/14 (SS 02/02/14)


- - -

Please use my Amazon.com referral link, whenever you visit Amazon.com. (Or use someone else's; Never go directly to Amazon.com's site! :-)

Layer 2.1 - Printable Internet Coupons

HOW TO DO IT: The layout of LAYERS

As discussed below, the key to shopping for free (or for very little, or sometimes less than free!) is stacking Layers of savings, atop each other.  I'll try not to make this too complicated (which can sometimes be a challenge for me :-)... I've realized it will require a separate blog entry for each Layer, however.

And for some, a separate entry for each "sub-Layer"! I hope you're able to follow well; the template/formatting of this site might need some tweaking.

Stack of Savings Stuff:
LAYER #1: Weekly Store Sales
LAYER #2: Manufacturer's Coupons

LAYER #2.1 ~ Printable Internet Coupons

You may think that stores are reluctant to accept Printed Internet Coupons, because of potential fraud.  This info is out of date!

With a couple of exceptions, all major stores DO accept coupons printed from certain websites.  To protect against fraud, you're required to install a printer app (for each of these websites) on your computer; these installations are safe and harmless.  Each printed Coupon will contain a unique bar code, for your use.

The following are the major websites from which you can print reliable coupons, for use at the store.  You will need to install each website's printer app; As mentioned above, that's a quick and painless process.

Please use my specific referral links (below, or in the left sidebar), when printing your coupons from these major sites - It doesn't affect your Coupon, but I will earn referral credit for each one printed.

- Coupons.com
This is the gold standard of reliable internet coupon sites.  (I actually print Coupons.com coupons through Swagbucks, to optimize my earnings - but Swagbucks is a topic for another time/blog entry!)

- RedPlum

- SmartSource

- Campbell's Kitchen  (contains v8 coupons, too)

- Post-It Coupons  (contains 3M product coupons) - currently empty

- The Coupon Book - currently empty

- Direct-Linked Coupons
Some manufacturers don't want their coupons listed in the general collection of coupons, on those sites.  They still use those sites to serve up their coupon(s), but direct link them - either from their company website, their company Facebook Page, or perhaps from an e-mail/newsletter that they send out.

When Coupons.com is used for this, it's called "Bricks" [http://bricks.coupons.com...]. Here is a solid list of Bricks Coupons; those links will take you to the company website or FB Page, from which you can obtain the coupon link.


The most comprehensive listing of Printable Coupons (including the Direct-Linked ones) is provided by Krazy Coupon Lady:
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/print-coupons

Rachel E. Holland also provides a regular Round-Up of printable coupons.

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A special note:



Please use my Amazon.com referral link, whenever you visit Amazon.com. (Or use someone else's; Never go directly to Amazon.com's site! :-)

Layer 2: Manufacturer's Coupons

HOW TO DO IT: The layout of LAYERS

As discussed below, the key to shopping for free (or very little, or sometimes less than free!) is stacking Layers of savings, atop each other.  I'll try not to make this too complicated (which can sometimes be a challenge for me, though other times not :-)... I've realized it will require a separate blog entry for each Layer, however.

Stack of Savings Stuff:
LAYER #1: Weekly Store Sales

LAYER #2: Manufacturer's Coupons

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

Where to obtain Manufacturer's Coupons?


...LAYER #2.1, coming next!


=============================

A special note:



Please use my Amazon.com referral link, whenever you visit Amazon.com. (Or use someone else's; Never go directly to Amazon.com's site! :-)

Layer 1: The Weekly Store Sales

HOW TO DO IT: The layout of LAYERS

As discussed below, the key to shopping for free (or very little, or sometimes less than free!) is stacking Layers of savings, atop each other.  I'll try not to make this too complicated (which can sometimes be a challenge for me, though other times not :-)... I've realized it will require a separate blog entry for each Layer, however.

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 ||

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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