Key Ingredient, Inc.

Coupon Clipping Service

I have found a coupon clipping service that I think is truly truly fabulous.  They have lots of great coupons in stock, ship quickly, have very fair prices on their coupons, and offer some good promotions like free shipping or gift card drawings.  I have never recommended a clipping service before because I've never been overly impressed with anyone. 

In some ways I hesitate to recommend them now.  If everyone finds out about them it's going to be harder for me to find those hot coupons through them!  But I decided it was worth it to get the word out to my fellow money-savers about this fabulous service. 

So click on the image either below in this post or over in the sidebar and it should take you directly to their page. 

Happy Saving!

Expired Coupons - Garbage Or Couponing Gold?

If you are a novice coupon shopper you may think that as soon as your coupons expire they should be thrown straight in the trash. But that is not always the case!

If you can't find a place to use the coupons yourself or would just like to help out our country's military families, you should know that commissaries on military bases overseas will honor expired coupons. Usually they will accept coupons up to six months past their expiration date. This can be a great way for military families to really stretch every dollar. There are several groups who gather and mail expired coupons overseas to families there who can use them.

If you are interested in doing this, make sure you sort the coupons into two categories: food and non-food. Clip the coupons out of the inserts. This will not only make it much easier for those receiving the coupons on the other end but also will make shipping less expensive for you. Consider putting the coupons into plastic baggies or rubber-banding them so they stay organized. Flat-rate shipping is a great way to get a lot of coupons to the military families without paying a lot for shipping. Your local post office may want to examine the contents of the package you are mailing overseas, so take the box or envelope to the post office open and then do the final taping there after it has been viewed by a post office employee. You will also be asked to fill out a customs form. This is common for anything that is going to a military base. This can be a great thing to help out the military families, so if your store doesn't accept expired coupons, consider sending them overseas.

There are also opportunities stateside to use expired coupons. Some stores will accept expired coupons. Finding out if your local stores will accept them is generally as simple as asking at the customer service desk or calling the store and speaking to the manager. It is best to not just try to pass them off to the cashier and hope you don't get caught. If it is not your store's policy to accept these, you can get a bad reputation as an unscrupulous coupon shopper.

Frequently companies that issue store coupons (coupons that are only good in their stores) will be more lenient with the expiration date on these types of coupons. Again, it's good to ask, but the closer to the expiration date, generally the better luck you will have with being able to redeem them. 

Stores that accept expired coupons are often proud of this fact and will prominently display a sign in their window or information on their website letting you know. But if your store doesn't do this, don't hesitate to ask and find out what their policy is.

There are lots more tips and tricks to using coupons to maximum benefit. For more information and to sign up for a free mini-course on coupon shopping, please visit http://www.KeyIngredientPublishing.com

Secrets of a Couponing Pro

Tip #43

Have you ever seen those TV news segments that show a reporter following a woman or a man around the grocery store? They load up their cart with merchandise and head for the checkout. At the checkout, everyone watches in astonishment as the total dips lower and lower. It seems that all that person has done is hand over a stack of coupons.

But how did they really do that? 

First, even in this tough economy, very few of the coupons that manufacturers offer are actually redeemed by consumers. Some people clip out coupons from the Sunday newspaper inserts occasionally but forget to use them before they expire or simply misplace them. 

What these people are lacking is a system for their couponing.

The real die-hards know a couple of secrets and are organized about coupon use. In the beginning, this can take some time to get set up. But many are able to save enough money shopping this way that they view it as a part-time job. They save their families enough money every month that the work required is well worth it. 

One of the secrets that the expert couponers know is this: base your menu plans around the store sales. This sounds simple, but it is not what most people are used to doing. Most figure out what they want to fix for the week, make a list of the ingredients they need, and then go to the store and buy those items. 

But experts know to peruse the store sale circulars before making a menu plan. They look to see what is on sale and base their menus around those items. If chicken and diced tomatoes are on sale this week, come up with a couple of different ways to work those ingredients into your menus for the week.

Also, if chicken is on sale for a really great price, consider picking up as much as your budget and space will allow. This means that next time you run out, you don't have to pay full price for it. You can simply go "shopping" for it in your own freezer. 

Want to learn more specific tools and tricks for coupon shopping? Visit Key Ingredient Publishing to sign up for my brand-new, free Couponing 101 mini course!

Rules of Couponing

Tip #16
Here are some guidelines and tips for using coupons.

• When you first start out using coupons there is a tendency to use coupons on things you don't need or won't use.  If you find yourself buying things that you won't use, consider donating to a local food bank, women's shelter, or homeless shelter. 
• For maximum savings combine coupons with sales.
• In some stores you can use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on the same item.  So, for example if you are buying a loaf of bread and the store has put out a coupon for $1.00 off and the manufacturer has put out a coupon for $.50 off, you can get one loaf of bread for $1.50 off!
• You can never combine two manufacturer's coupons on one item.  So if you are buying a loaf of bread that is $2.00 you can only use one $.50 off coupon. 
• Stores (and frequently store managers) absolutely have the right to limit the number of coupons you use in a single transaction.  They can also refuse to accept Internet Printables if they so choose.  If a cashier tells you something isn't allowed, it's my recommendation that you nicely ask to speak to the manager to verify that it's correct. 

Tips for Saving Money on Food, Part Two

This is a continuation of a post I did the other day. So if you haven't read that one yet, make sure you go check it out!

Tip #15
Today I'm going to talk a little bit about coupons.  There is a ton of information about coupons and lots to learn but I'm going to go over some of the basics here.   Today I'm going to talk to where to find the coupons. 

• Coupons are all over the place if you keep your eyes open for them.  Look in the grocery store for "blinkies" (this is a small red machine that is usually fastened to the shelf.  It usually will say SmartSource on it and it has a red blinking light on it - hence the name "Blinkie") and tearpads.  Tearpads are found around the grocery store or sitting at customer service.  Once you start looking for them, you'll start spotting them all over the place
• Sunday Paper - There are inserts in the Sunday paper almost every week.  Newspapers with a bigger circulation generally have better coupons.  The coupons differ by region (sometimes they differ dramatically).
• Online - Internet Printable (IPs) are easy to find and usually easy to print.  Some stores do not take them.  It may be worth a call to the store before you shop to find out if they accept IPs or what their limitations are on IPs.
• From Manufacturer - frequently if you call or email the manufacturer of your favorite products and ask them for coupons they will mail out some to you.  It's not uncommon to get coupons for free products from manufacturers.  You can do this if you have a complaint about a product too. 

Tomorrow check out the "rules" of couponing...