Reader Q & A: Coupons

This week I've had a couple of readers e-mail me some questions regarding coupons. I'm guessing these two readers are not the only ones with these questions, so I thought I'd share my responses with all of you.

A reader writes:

I have always had this question about couponing: I've heard many stories from cashiers and others about people who buy $100 worth of food, but have $75 worth of coupons, and only pay $25 for their entire purchase that day. How/where are these coupons?? Does one have to spend hours searching the web or giving email addresses to every manufacturer's web site out there? Or is this an exaggerated story? I'm interested in your opinion about these stories.

I must admit I'm not quite that good with the couponing... but I'm usually able to knock 20-40 percent off my bill. The trick is matching the manufacturer coupons with sale prices/store coupons. I suspect some of the folks who get an outrageous amount of food for just a few dollars also have stores that double coupons (no such luck around here!), so that probably has something to do with it. They may also be using coupon clipping services so they get lots of coupons that way - ones that might not be available locally to them, but could be used locally.

Not sure if you saw this post or not, but it explains a little bit of what I do to save money on food/personal care items. You can find printable coupons from SmartSource and Coupons, Inc (use the link on my page to print, and you'll help me earn a few pennies!), and sometimes directly from the manufacturer website.

If I only had time to check out one website, it would be A Full Cup. There is a database of all the coupons out there (printable and from the Sunday paper), including the Target coupons, and the forums are phenomenal for reporting the latest deals at all the chain stores in our area - Kmart, Cub, Target, Walmart, Walgreens. (You have to sign up to access the forums, but it's free and totally worth it!) You can also trade coupons with other folks through the site. Other than that, I highly recommend The Centsible Sawyer and Money Saving Mom for the latest Target/Walmart deals.

Another reader writes:

I see all of these posts on sites about getting free things like razors, particularly at Walmart. I use those $2 off coupons for Gilette or Daisy razors that are frequently in the newspaper, but I haven't figured out how to make the items free yet. Help??

The key is matching up the exact coupon with a great price at the store. The free razors I've gotten at Walmart have been the Schick disposable ones ($2 off coupon from Sunday papers... Walmart price of $1.97). Some people are also playing "The Drugstore Game," to get free stuff.

I don't have time to figure out all the deals on my own, so I highly recommend the website A Full Cup. Sign up for the forums (it's free!) and you will be able to read about all the things you can get for free using coupons. There's also an AWESOME database of what coupons are available, too.

Hot Coupon World is a similar, good resource. I also check out CouponMom, too. That website has some free e-books you can download that will help you learn to use coupons.

It is possible to get stuff for free or almost free, but it does take a little time. To me, it's time well spent because I can use that money elsewhere.

Bottom Line:

• Try to match the sales items with coupons.
• Learn to play the drugstore game.
• Take advantage of great internet resources, like A Full Cup.
• Recognize that deal hunting takes time and patience.
• Don't forget to check out Freebies4Mom for all kinds of free stuff that can help you stretch your budget.
• E-mail me with questions and coupon tips, and I'll do my best to answer those questions and share the best deals with my readers!