Double Saving Divas just posted details on what to expect in this Sunday's tribune. I don't care much for the coupons in the Red Plum, but there are some decent ones in the SmartSource that will be good for a future sale.
As usual, I'll be purchasing two papers :)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
How many papers should you buy?
Everyone always asks me how many papers I buy? This might seem like a silly question to most folks, but if you coupon like I do, you know that having multiple copies of particular coupons is key to getting the best deals most of the times.
I "think" I first read this on Jill Cataldo's site (I could totally be making this up), but apparently a good rule of thumb to follow is to buy a paper for every member of your household plus one. For larger families, this may seem crazy...but believe me when I tell you that despite paying more for the extra papers, I always get my money back (plus more) in free purchases. So it is worth the extra hassle of sorting and clipping.
I will sometimes buy more than one paper if there are a lot of inserts. I believe I bought 4 papers the weekend of May 1st, but that's only because there were 6 coupon inserts in there...and there were many high value coupons. For example, let's just say that I have bought 8 packs of razors for FREE with these papers alone. With razors costing about $8 each individual package, I would say the initial investment of roughly $8 that weekend has paid off immensely. I don't have a large stockpile though...I share my good deals with my parents and younger sister as neither one is really interested in learning how to coupon. So I'll take one for the team and help them out when I can.
Most weekends, I stick to buying 2 papers for myself.
If you aren't ready to make that leap, Mashupmom often posts up what's coming in the paper this weekend and gives you a few of the better coupons she sees in it. Here is the link for this weekend's post on how many papers you should buy.
I "think" I first read this on Jill Cataldo's site (I could totally be making this up), but apparently a good rule of thumb to follow is to buy a paper for every member of your household plus one. For larger families, this may seem crazy...but believe me when I tell you that despite paying more for the extra papers, I always get my money back (plus more) in free purchases. So it is worth the extra hassle of sorting and clipping.
I will sometimes buy more than one paper if there are a lot of inserts. I believe I bought 4 papers the weekend of May 1st, but that's only because there were 6 coupon inserts in there...and there were many high value coupons. For example, let's just say that I have bought 8 packs of razors for FREE with these papers alone. With razors costing about $8 each individual package, I would say the initial investment of roughly $8 that weekend has paid off immensely. I don't have a large stockpile though...I share my good deals with my parents and younger sister as neither one is really interested in learning how to coupon. So I'll take one for the team and help them out when I can.
Most weekends, I stick to buying 2 papers for myself.
If you aren't ready to make that leap, Mashupmom often posts up what's coming in the paper this weekend and gives you a few of the better coupons she sees in it. Here is the link for this weekend's post on how many papers you should buy.
Daily Deal Sites
I'll shortly be adding a link to my page about great daily deal sites (a la Groupon). Though the daily emails can get overwhelming, they still provide fantastic deals!
First - I would HIGHLY recommend setting up a coupon email for this purpose, if anything. I have a coupon email for all my store coupons, and these daily deal site emails also go to that. This helps eliminate the email clutter in your personal account.
I love Groupon, but there are often national sales in effect that you can buy groupons for in individual cities. Not sure how many of these still exist (as many of these national deals now clearly state only one purchase per email), but every now and then there is something.
I clearly don't have the time and energy to look through every single groupon page, but there is a way to find out quickly what's out there! This is especially great when you have travel plans and want to keep tabs on a particular location.
There is a site called GroupRoundup.com that displays all the current groupons on one page. Fantastic!
Another great resource that nabs all the deals from ALL the daily deal sites is called Yipit. They literally ask you what city you're interested in getting emails from and they find everything for you. You will get info on LivingSocial, Groupon , Plum District, Buy With Me, etc. You get the picture! You also have the option of signing up for the National deal alerts.
Locally (Chicago), there is also a newer site called LiveCheapr.com They are a smaller company (for now) and are primarily, if not exclusively, focused on local deals. I find that the deals they showcase are often new and unique to what you see on the other sites. Full disclosure: I know one of the founder's of this site and do not get compensated for this promotion. I just want to share another location for unique, fun finds on the cheap!
Hope these are useful!
First - I would HIGHLY recommend setting up a coupon email for this purpose, if anything. I have a coupon email for all my store coupons, and these daily deal site emails also go to that. This helps eliminate the email clutter in your personal account.
So what are some of my favorite sites?
I love Groupon, but there are often national sales in effect that you can buy groupons for in individual cities. Not sure how many of these still exist (as many of these national deals now clearly state only one purchase per email), but every now and then there is something.
I clearly don't have the time and energy to look through every single groupon page, but there is a way to find out quickly what's out there! This is especially great when you have travel plans and want to keep tabs on a particular location.
There is a site called GroupRoundup.com that displays all the current groupons on one page. Fantastic!
Another great resource that nabs all the deals from ALL the daily deal sites is called Yipit. They literally ask you what city you're interested in getting emails from and they find everything for you. You will get info on LivingSocial, Groupon , Plum District, Buy With Me, etc. You get the picture! You also have the option of signing up for the National deal alerts.
Locally (Chicago), there is also a newer site called LiveCheapr.com They are a smaller company (for now) and are primarily, if not exclusively, focused on local deals. I find that the deals they showcase are often new and unique to what you see on the other sites. Full disclosure: I know one of the founder's of this site and do not get compensated for this promotion. I just want to share another location for unique, fun finds on the cheap!
Hope these are useful!
an update
I know, I know...I keep promising to be better about posting on here. I will once again try to keep to that promise. Even if it's just links!
However, in the meantime, when you are looking for up to date information on great local deals, please visit some of the links on the right hand side tool bar. These are the sites I turn to for efficiency sake! There is no need to re-invent the wheel (or spend HOURS couponing like on that tv show). I literally, check Saturday night any drug store deals that I need to try and grab on Sunday. Then I wait until Monday night to look at the grocery store deals so that I can shop by Wednesday.
My original intention in starting this blog was to help my friends and family learn a few tricks. It seems to have worked immensely as I now find myself catching up to their posts on our group facebook page about great finds.
I've even found myself hosting couponing training sessions for newbies in our circle. Now, I don't always know all the answers, but I know how valuable it it is to have someone walk you through the circulars and methods of organizing your coupons. I have to thank my friend Melissa O for giving my own personal training session.
However, in the meantime, when you are looking for up to date information on great local deals, please visit some of the links on the right hand side tool bar. These are the sites I turn to for efficiency sake! There is no need to re-invent the wheel (or spend HOURS couponing like on that tv show). I literally, check Saturday night any drug store deals that I need to try and grab on Sunday. Then I wait until Monday night to look at the grocery store deals so that I can shop by Wednesday.
My original intention in starting this blog was to help my friends and family learn a few tricks. It seems to have worked immensely as I now find myself catching up to their posts on our group facebook page about great finds.
I've even found myself hosting couponing training sessions for newbies in our circle. Now, I don't always know all the answers, but I know how valuable it it is to have someone walk you through the circulars and methods of organizing your coupons. I have to thank my friend Melissa O for giving my own personal training session.
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