Mama Knows Best

When I was little I can remember running through Phar Mor (or Par Mor if you knew my Grampy)  with a coupon in hand because they had triple coupons! That was the start of my coupon days. At first it was fun, then it was the "but moooommmmmmm." Over the years, I have always coupon shopped here and there. Before our son was born, I loaded up on Luvs diapers when they were on sale and I had coupons for 2$ a pack! I did not buy diapers until he was a year and a half old! I realized how valuable this time of clipping and running all over Phar Mor was when my husband lost his job in 2008. Once I started getting the hang of it and was loading up an entire grocery cart (including the under rack) for under fifty dollars, it became a high.

At first I started out using a small coupon organizer you would buy at the dollar store. Then, about two years ago as the coupons were piling up my desk and surrounding areas- I upgraded and made my own coupon binder. I use a regular binder and added baseball card holders and dividers. Then label them and organize them in a way you would walk around your favorite store. Categories: Dairy, Produce, Fruits/ Veggies, Breads, Dry Goods, Frozen Foods, Baby, Toiletries, etc.

I guess to fill that coupon binder, you will need to know where you can start clipping. There are many websites that you can print coupons and use them at your favorite stores:
Coupons
Smartsource
Red Plum
also note that if you search your favorite product sites, they also have coupons on their websites.

On Saturday, in our local area, the Pittsburgh Early Edition paper includes inserts. On Sundays, (excluding major holidays) there are coupon inserts in the newspaper. I typically buy two, sometimes more depending on the coupons.

Recently, magazines seem like a great way to get a hold of some great coupons. My favorite is All You. It is usually filled with over a hundred dollars worth of coupons. Before you get a susbscription keep an eye out for great deals. Amazon.com was offering a 6 month subscription for 6$!
Lastly, write to your favorite companys. Often, they will send you coupons when hearing that you love their products. One personal experience- I sent an email to Calbot because I LOVE their cheese. (imagine that for those who know me :) ) Their cheese is about $4 a block of 8 ounce. After receiving my email, they sent me 6 coupons in the mail!

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