Getting Started

The main stores I coupon are: Albertsons,Walgreens,Target, and Walmart.
When you are starting out it can all seem overwhelming and not worth the time. Trust me its worth it when you can save up to 90% on your grocery bill. I love that i can get the name brand items for less than the store brand. I usually take 30 minutes before leaving the house to cut out coupons I know I will want to use or consider using. Each Sunday I get the paper which has Ads for all the local stores and also coupon inserts. I like to buy multiple papers to maximize my savings. It is a good idea to get a subscription if you are planning on couponing. The Press Tribune and Idaho Statesman have great deals for multiple papers.

Where to find coupons...

The Inserts in the Sunday paper are:
Smart Source (ss)
Red Plum (rp)
P&G

The websites I use are:
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.redplum.com/
http://www.targetcoupons.com/

Understanding the Lingo

One thing that was confsusing for me when I started couponing was all the different lingo for things.

Manufacturer Coupon: These can be used anywhere that accepts coupons
Store Coupon: These are specific to a certain store and can only be used there.
Doubler: These double manufacturers coupons

Dates, Inserts and values:

A lot of times you will see this...
5/13 ss 1/1 Heinz ketchup this translates to...
The May 13th Smart Source Insert. Coupon value is $1 off 1 Heinz ketchup


Misc:

RR= register reward
Cat= catalina
IP= Internet printable
SC=store coupon
MF=Manufacturer

Catalina: These print at the register once your transaction is complete they are usually a value such as $2 off you next purchase at that specific store. Certain items will trigger these. (Seen at Albertsons and Fred Meyer.

Register Reward: Same as a Catalina ( Seen at Walgreens)


Once you understand all this you can start getting all the sweet deals!

Pictures

Coupon Inserts

Target Store Coupon

Register Reward

Manufacturer Coupon

How it works @ different stores

Albertsons:
*Will double a manufacturers coupon up to a dollar in value for ex: $1/1 + Doubler= $2/1
* Can use Albertsons store coupons with manufacturers coupons
* provides catalinas on certain products

Target:
* Can combine Target store coupons with Manufacturers coupons
* Will match Competetors prices of exact item with ad of other store
* Can use coupons with price matches

Walgreens:
*Can combine Walgreens store coupons with manufacturers coupons
*Provides Register Rewards
* If paying for one item with coupon and a register reward you will need a filler item (something really cheap)

Walmart:
*Takes competetors coupons and manufacturers coupons
*Matches prices of competetors with ad.

Maximizing your savings

A lot of people say when I coupon I only save a few dollars so its not really worth the time. Well if you want to really save the 80-90% on groceries you have to do these things:
* Wait for sales
* Wait for catalinas or register rewards
* Dont always buy the largest of the item unless your coupon has specific size limits then buy the smallest one. why buy 1 large shampoo for $3 when you can get 3 small ones FREE!
* Combine BoGo coupons with other coupons for Ex: you can use $1/1 Herbal Essence shampoo with a BoGo it will look like this:
(2)Shampoo @ $3= $6
Use a BoGo will deduct $3
Use a $1/1 will deduct $1
Total= $2 for 2 shampoos!
*Combine coupons w/ BoGo Sales @ store will look like this
Q tips on sale for $3 BoGo Free
Use 2 $1/1 (you can use 2 because there are 2 items there)
Total 2 Q tips for $1
*Take the time to look through your coupons
*Save them until they expire, you never know when something will go on sale or get clearanced out!