FREE Cool Juice!

Get a coupon for FREE Cool Juice by "liking" them on Facebook! Then send them an email (ShoutOut@Cooljuice.com) with your address and they will mail it to you! Thanks Frugal Living NW!

FREE Virtual Classes!

Virtual Classes! These classes are essential! Just click on this link from WE USE COUPONS and click on "Virtual Classes" at the top! I highly recommend these. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of you who are beginners or pros! Everyone can learn something new!

Finals Are Over!!

Yay! Finals are done! Classes are done! I can breathe! What are you looking for this time of year? Good coupon advice? The latest and greatest toy for your special kiddo? Let me know! I will search and find it for you! BTW: My blog has a new subscription box for you so it's easier to follow my new posts!

Coupon Basics: Getting Started, Part 2

Getting started with couponing and creating a stockpile can look like a daunting task when you realize how long it takes to clip an entire coupon insert with the assumption that clipping them will save you time. For me, clipping them takes so much time because I buy multiple Sunday newspaper issues, which can turn into hours of unnecessary time away from my family, college course work, and other demands of being me. It took me an incredibly long time to figure out a system that worked for me because I just thought that all coupon pros clipped all of their coupons. My search for a good system sent me to forums, searches, and websites selling their coupon products. I ended up designing my own binder system and have received many compliments on it while shopping, as well as from other pros. I was still clipping all of my coupons though, and spending a lot of time doing it...still. I was pulling my hair out at the end of the Sunday nights when I realized that I didn't get anything done on my to-do list and that I still had to go to bed and get some needed rest for work the next day. I had dreams of clipping coupons, sorting coupons, matching coupons, building coupon scenarios. Coupons were becoming my nightmare! I didn't want to give up though, so I kept at it and slowly but surely I am developing a system I've had in place now for about 6 months. I had to take stock of all my types of coupons (inserts, homemailers, booklets, peelies, etc.) and decide how I could best store them in an accessible way that would not require pre-clipping them. I gathered up some supplies I had already laying around the house, and organized them according to type. I wrote on the top of each insert with a Sharpie (first making sure I'm not writing on the back side of a coupon on the reverse side of the page), and grouped them together by date. I store all of my other types of coupons in an expandable file box. My coupon binder still gets used too, since I can use it for loose coupons, such as peelies, wine tags, and coupons I clipped intending to use, but ended up not using once I got to the store. I have a coupon center...sort of. Actually, it's my craft, card-making, textbook, school supply, coupon center. But hey, it's my center, and it saves me time...and money.

Coupon Basics: Getting Started, Part 1

The question I asked myself when I began couponing, and the one many have asked me advice on is: Where do I get all the coupons I need to get started? It's really not that difficult to build up a pile of them. It will take time to get coupons for some things, like that Febreeze sale you wanted to hit but don't have the inserts needed to get it for free. Here's a list of places, ways to begin your stockpile of coupons right away:
1) Sunday newspapers (usually the bigger the area, the better the coupons). For eastern Oregon, it's gonna be The Oregonian. Sometimes, our local papers are missing vital coupons. If you're from the Tri-Cities area, get the Seattle or Spokane paper. Don't forget to check the Parade section!

2) All You magazine - It has a coupon on nearly every page and you can pick it up at Walmart for 2.49, less their magazine discount or subscribe. For now, I would pick one up, but also subscribe. There are discounts all of the time online for it. Scour any magazines you have in your house since a lot of magazines now put coupons in them. Good ones are Good Housekeeping, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens.

3) Your local supermarkets/drug stores for booklets, peelies, and wine tags. I do not promote taking peelies off of items you aren't purchasing, but if you are purchasing something with them on it, make sure you sift through all of the available boxes to make sure there is a peelie on each item. Booklets are often placed on shelves near products or at the check stands. Wine tags are usually hanging from wine, olive oil, dressings, etc. and are coupons or rebates. When you check out, make sure you don't leave your catalinas behind since they are usually combinable with store coupons and manufacturer's coupons.

4) Now what I'm about to type might gross some of you out, but if you are desperate, you might try it out: Dumpster diving...well, really...recycle bin diving. You'd be surprised how many people throw out completely intact coupons in the recycle bin because they don't use them. There's nothing illegal about it. It's not gross, but you might want to wear gloves just in case. And yes...I have done it, to my kids' embarrassment. Most of the time, the papers in the bins are not even opened or even read.

Now, here are some suggestions for building your coupon stockpile in a slower way, but still highly recommended.:

1) Go online to your favorite manufacturer's websites to sign up for free samples and coupons. Some good ones are: PGesaver, Hunt's, Kraft, Kellogg's, Betty Crocker, Arm and Hammer. There is a website for almost everything you want to get a coupon for, so just google the brand and I'm sure you can find it!

2) Print coupons online from sites like www.coupons.com, www.redplum.com, www.smartsource.com, or directly from the brand site. Some stores, such as Safeway have printables too.

3) Add e-coupons to your shopping cards through www.cellfire.com, www.pgeversaver.com, and www.shortcuts.com.

4) Buy online from e-Bay and other sites.

5) Trade in special forums, such as www.hotcouponworld.com or with other coupon groups locally or online.

6) If you have a Rite Aid, join the Wellness Club and start watching videos in their Video Values section. These are usually really great coupons.

Groupon Deal! $10 for $20 From Soap.com!! HOT!!

If you haven't heard of groupon yet, you're in for a treat! With Groupon, you can select your home city (or the closest one to you) and receive local offers that are usually half off or more! You can visit other cities on your account page to view offers for them too!

How it works:

1) If you haven't signed up for groupon.com yet, sign up here; otherwise, login to your groupon account and in other cities, check District of Columbia, Washington D.C. for the soap.com deal.

http://www.groupon.com/washington-dc/

2) Buy the deal from Groupon.

3) Select your deals from Soap.com and checkout! Deals from soap.com can include toilet paper, laundry soap, shaving cream, deoderant, razors, cleaning supplies, etc. so don't wait!

4) If you received the $5 Groupon giveaway from Allyou.com, you can apply it to make it an even sweeter deal combined with e-coupons!

Thanks Frugal Living NW!!