I really do get it - some people simply have no need for coupons for their household. I honestly hear you when you tell me that. You make your own food. You’re too brand loyal. You shop exclusively at local markets. You don’t have pets. You really, really, really don’t buy packaged food no matter how much I want to think everyone does. You just don’t need the hassle. Got it!   However, there is another way to use coupons that involves neither filling your own refrigerator nor buying things you would never use in quantities you don’t need. If you watch sales carefully or follow certain blogs …

It can get confusing trying to remember which store has the best prices on which items or when a sale is really a great deal. And taking a lot of time to run to multiple stores each week can be a huge hassle and even an unwanted expense now that gas prices are going up every five minutes. However, unless you are extremely store loyal to the point that you never set foot in anything but your favorite grocery chain - which is possible, I’m sure - you’ve probably noticed that different stores have different everyday prices for different items and that it’s not necessarily one store that has the …

So you don’t want to buy coupons - for whatever reason - or you do, but you want to expand your coupon stash in other ways too. There’s another option for you - and a way to get rid of what you don’t use and make others happy at once. (Say it with me - awww.) Trading! Think Locally at First Start simple - trade with your friends or your family. Seriously, start asking around. Find out what products your loved ones use all the time and save coupons for them. Find out what friends get the Sunday paper (whether for the coupons or to, you know, like, OMG, read it) and ask if they’d like to trade…

When I first learned that people sometimes bought coupons, I clutched at my pearls and wondered aloud, “Heavens, why would someone do that?” Superficially, this idea seems rather ridiculous. Coupons are about saving you money, so why would you buy them? Plus, coupons say right on them that they’re not for sale, so how could this system even be legal? Spend Less Money to Get Exactly What You Will Use Here’s the truth. Buying Sunday papers for two dollars each week is all well and good if you only want one or two copies of a coupon. But the circulars for which you’re paying a few dollars also …

Lately, when I mention that I use coupons to someone, they inevitably ask me if I’ve seen the Extreme Couponing television show or if I am an Extreme Couponer. The simple answer is yes, I've seen it, and no I am not. TV shows are about the extreme; as we all know, “reality” TV is staged and edited carefully, and you can’t always believe what you see. I watched one episode (and a bit of a second) and that was enough to know that it was an over-the-top show.  But there’s a bit more to it. The truth is that I can’t ever see myself being the subject of a show like that for five big reasons:  1. I…

When I tell people I use coupons and still manage eat healthy, they are sometimes surprised. I commonly hear, “oh, well, they don’t have coupons for the things I buy! All coupons are for pre-packaged junk food.” First, maybe you never buy anything packaged, processed, or slightly junky, but I’m going to admit right here that sometimes I do, and I bet if you check your pantry, you’ll find that sometimes you do too. And it’s true - if you do want any of those things, you’re likely to find a coupon to help you on your way. But are coupons really just for junk? No. Let me tell you three ways to …

As I noted last week, manufacturers really want to get coupons into the hands of the ever-growing consumer group that doesn’t regularly buy the newspaper. Printable Internet coupons are one way to do this, but e-coupons, which don’t require you to print anything or carry anything but your store card, are gaining in popularity as well.   Get Clicking and Get Saving E-coupons are usually made available at the beginning of each month. As with printable coupons, a limited number is available and when they’re all claimed, they’re gone. You can find e-coupons primarily through www.cellfire.com and …

Times are changing, and fewer people buy, subscribe to, or even read the physical edition of the Sunday newspaper. Manufacturers are therefore looking for other ways to get their coupons in the hands of consumers, and the push toward printable Internet coupons seems to be gaining steam. Broadly speaking, there are two main sources for printable Internet coupons - sites devoted just to this type of coupon and manufacturers’ sites offering coupons for a specific brand. Both types are worth checking out - come on, you’ve got time to surf to one or two extra sites, right? The big name sites that …

Last Sunday, I taught you places to find coupons. So surely by this week you are drowning in them, no? Coupons, coupons, everywhere. But what do you actually do with them once you acquire them?  Let’s be honest - you want your coupons to work for you in as little time as possible with as simple a system as possible. If you want to get fancy, you can check out this article to learn how to set up a binder that will cover all possible items in the grocery store all at once. I just don’t have the time or energy for that.  It’s All About Simplicity My favorite system for organizing the coupon …

Are you ready to run out and start saving money? First, you need to acquire your coupons! You probably think you know where to get them. But there may be places you have yet to explore. The Sunday newspaper - The easiest and most straightforward way to get your coupons for the week is to buy the paper. If you don’t want to run to your local store each Sunday, you can just subscribe to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution - there are Sunday-only subscriptions available, and the paper often offers deals and specials to save you even more money. You can also pick up the bundled “double paper” - the …

I admit, I don’t mind grocery shopping. I like to wander the aisles and see what’s new, what’s on sale and what’s going on. But the reality of my life is that I have a child and a husband and that most of our grocery trips involve getting in and getting out as quickly as possible. So getting stuck at the cashier at the last second because I’ve used a coupon improperly simply cannot be part of my plan. The way around this is to know and understand the coupon policy of the store before beginning the trip. In general, Kroger stores in Georgia will double all manufacturers’ coupons with a face …