So you want to start to coupon and save money!? YAY! You may have a question or two or six hundred fifty-three on how to proceed. Everyone takes a different path to learning, and everyone has a different reason to coupon, but many folks may not know how to begin. What do you do? Is it as easy as buying a Sunday newspaper with inserts or printing an online coupon and walking into a store?

Actually, it is almost that easy to begin.

My advice to you if you are just starting out is to do a bit of research on your own.

• Check your local newspaper to see what day they carry coupon inserts, Saturday or Sunday. Check if your local paper has the Smart Source and Red Plum inserts. Also check to see if they carry the Proctor & Gamble insert. In some areas the Red Plum and P&G (Proctor & Gamble) arrive in your mail. My recommendation is not to start with more than four newspaper inserts your first week. You want to ease into this, not burn yourself out within a month. If your area has several large newspapers available, check the prices of the papers and look at the denominations to see what newspaper is the best deal. If you are lucky enough to live in an area with Hispanic newspapers, they are free and have inserts that are as good as, or better than, the paid newspapers.

• Find a great printable coupon source!

• Check the policies and procedures of your local grocery stores. Do not forget smaller area stores as sometimes the locally owned chains have the best prices or loss leaders. See if the store doubles coupons. Does the store require a shopper’s discount card? Sign up for your local store’s email alerts. You never know what a store might send!

• Find out what drug stores are in your area. If you have Rite Aid and CVS, you need to sign up for their shopper’s card. Read the Rite Aid Tutorial the Walgreens Tutorial and/ore CVS Tutorial for a basic working knowledge of these drug stores.

• Find 10 bloggers to follow. Ideally, a minimum of two or three should personally write up the deals for stores in your area. The reason I say personally (as opposed to trading with someone or paying someone to write the posts), is because you want a blogger that has working knowledge of the policies, procedures, nuances and sale history of those stores. You want to follow at least a few people who have a through knowledge of the store until you gain your own working knowledge of that store. Until you are an expert, you want to rely on someone else’s expertise. Make certain that those bloggers are willing to answer your questions too. It will not do you any good to read a deal write-up you do not understand and have no one willing to explain it to you! That will lead to frustration and your quitting before you’ve begun.

• When you read a deal write-up, understand that you must double check your prices and sale fliers as all the drug stores and every grocery chain will put out regional ad in different areas of the country. Until you learn your region, double check – heck, even after confirming your flier regions, double check!

Deciphering couponing abbreviations and acronyms can be difficult. Here’s a cheat sheet.

• Do not worry about Coupon Organization until you have a few weeks worth of coupons and you know you are going to stick with this. If you are still couponing after a month, it is time to pick a method. Don’t worry if you need to change methods. Heck, I’ve been at this over 25 years and I’ve changed my coupon organization method dozen of times! You’ll know what works for you because it will be the method that allows you to find coupons easily while causing you the least amount of stress organizing.

• Here’s a few tips on how to prepare that first coupon shopping order.

• Read through my library topics. Some of those posts, believe it or not, are reeeeeaaaalllly informative. I know. Shocks me too.

• Take it slow. You may not be able to save 95% on every order to start, and it may be a few months before you can get hundreds of dollars of groceries for free, but it will happen.

The first few weeks you are learning, not necessarily stockpiling. Keep the orders small if possible so you can learn that yes, this worked! and no this didn’t!
Don’t run into Walgreens and try and roll 20 Register Rewards, you’ll just end up frustrated.
Do one organized order, two at the most.
Check your receipt to make certain all went well.
Go out to your car, and deposit your bag(s).
Regroup.
Now if you want to go back and do another order, go ahead and go back in the store.

I have a coupon-tingle. It works a lot like spidey-sense, except it involves me, not Spiderman, and it involves coupons, not bad guys.

Coupons are actually the good-guys.

So what is a coupon-tingle? It is that special sixth sense that compels you to walk down an aisle in the grocery store – that you would normally bypass – because you “think” there might be a coupon tear pad (or rebate form) hanging on the shelf or a shipper.

And, inevitably, there is.

I developed the coupon-tingle early on in my couponing-career. I’d walk down an aisle not knowing why, until I spotted the pad of coupons hanging on the bottom shelf at a diagonal because they had been kicked a million times – but no one had removed even one coupon – it was too low to the ground. Sometimes I would spot a coupon out of he corner of my eye and I would not consciously recognize that fact, the glimpse was so fleeting. My subconscious would take over forcing me to back-up and see exactly what that tear pad or coupon was for. I always trust that instinct, it has yet to fail me!

Around year five I noticed my coupon-tingle morphed into a super sense. No shipper was safe, no tear pad was secure, I was going to find them all!

Mwa-ha-ha

Er …

I mean …

My coupon-tingle developed over the years until it truly became a super sense. The places I have found coupons and rebate forms boggles even my mind… at the bottom of a freezer in the meat department, behind a tower of beer cases (don’t ask how I get those down, but it happens more often than you’d expect), frequently tear pads fall down behind an end-cap or shipper, in a produce bin, hidden in a box at the customer service desk (the most difficult find of all!); you name a spot in the store, I’ve probably found a tear pad there at some time or another.

Sometimes it seems the rep wants to make finding, and using, of a tear pad coupon or rebate as difficult as possible. “She does not deserve a dollar off unless she can jump through eight hoops while holding her nose and hopping on one foot while blindfolded.”

So I do. Figuratively speaking, of course.

The days of easy picking off the coupon boards at the front of the grocery store are long gone around here. My coupon-tingle has to compensate for that, and it does, making me a much more skilled tear-pad hunter.

How do you approach your couponing? As a hobby? As a necessity? As a business? Or as a game?

Casual Couponer

Are you a Casual Couponer? Do you clip coupons for “items you buy” from one weekly newspaper and/or magazines, and hunt for printables once in a blue moon to correspond with a hot sale or a need based purchase? Do you typically save 15% or less off your grocery bill? Do you shop the sales at the drug stores, but do not stockpile madly because you do not see the value?

A Casual Couponer enjoys saving but may not see the worth of stockpiling or hardcore couponing. Or the Casual Couponer is so short on time that a 10% – 20% weekly savings is the best they fit into very busy life, and the casual Couponer correctly thinks that some savings is always better than no savings. Or, a Casual Couponer has diet restrictions for either themselves or their family and find coupons difficult to come by with their dietary needs (these folks can typically be turned into Hardcore Drugstore Couponers).

Necessity Couponer

These folks basically must coupon to eat. They may/may not enjoy couponing and rebating, but regardless of the emotion attached to saving via sales, coupons and rebates, for Necessity Couponers the need to save is just that – an economic pressure of circumstance. Period.

Hardcore Couponer

These folks have figured out, and absolutely love, the “game”! Hardcore Couponers may have a stockpile to survive Armageddon, buy (or even better, get for free) 20+ papers per week or faithfully order from a coupon clipping service, and take a few of every tear pad “just in case”. They have the Coupons, Deals and More Printable Page set as their homepage, and they search coupons.com and smartsource.com several times a day for additions.

All their friends and family have bulging pantries and will not need to pay for shampoo or body wash until 2014. The local food pantry and homeless shelters know them by name because they donate so much! Hardcore stockpilers may/may not have an economic need to coupon or send for rebates, they do it for the (cheap) thrills!

The Judicious Couponer

The Judicious Couponer knows how to hardcore coupon. The Judicious Couponer may even be a former Hardcore Couponer. Due to time constraints, lack of room, and/or energy, The Judicious Couponer no longer chases every deal. These shoppers typically go through lifestyle changes including the children moving out, the start of a new job cutting into shopping time, or an illness. The Judicious Couponer may have also decided that chasing every deal is too aggravating due to store personal. The Judicious Couponer can turn into a Hardcore Couponer at anytime, but s/he is taking some time off from hardcore couponing for one or many of a multitude of reasons.

There are all sorts of reasons to coupon and rebate, and many folks fall in between these categories. So where do you fall on the spectrum? A Casual Couponer? Hardcore? Do you need to coupon? Like to coupon? Is this an obsession? Or are you one to sit back and determine if a deal is worth the chase? Or, are your couponing habits some combination of all of the above?

Me and my big mouth… er fingers.

I was soooooo darned proud of myself for clipping, sorting and filing my coupons. And I foolishly bragged about it! “Why was that foolish?” you might ask. Well, I received an email requesting that I post pictures of my organizational system!

Oy!

It seems my post last year was not good enough. Yeah, yeah, so those are stockpile pictures in a “Coupon Organization” post. Details, details.

I’ve had many organizational systems over the years. I still have remnants of them in the house. These are pictures of my coupon organization systems, past and present. I have no idea what the future holds.

Binder Method

I actually use two binders when using this method in full swing. The red binder is my non-food binder. I have a black binder (not shown) for food products. Both these binders zipper. This is an absolute must to prevent spills when dropped. There are tabs separating the different categories. The sheets are all 8″ x11″ with varying slot sizes. While the baseball card holders are the cheapest, I find them the most useless for organizing coupons. So few coupons are the size of those teeny-tiny slots. I like the old floppy disc sheets the best, the three slot picture holders are second best. I do utilize both sides of the sheet slots. In the bottom right hand corner of the top picture you will notice the blue clip that attaches it to the cart so no one can easily walk away with the binder in-store.

Whole Insert Method

This was my latest lazy coupon organization system. It was GREAT for filing. No clipping and sorting, you just plop whole inserts into the hanging folders and you are done. And the folders are reusable. Just cross out the date of the expired inserts, and write a new date on the folder.

This is by far the worst system to prepare for Sunday Morning Shopping. Saturday evening is a lot of clipping and sorting to prepare.

Time wise, I definitely spend less on coupon clipping and sorting with this method. However, the binder method means never having to miss a clearance deal because the coupons are right there with you in the store! And if super doubles or triples happen, the binder method is the way to go. Just load the binder in your cart and you are set.

Zip Lock Bag Method

Ok so this really isn’t tried and true a method. it is more like an “Ann Method”. I have done this on occasion when I am too lazy to load the binder, but I clipped and sorted that week’s inserts. As a matter of fact, I did this last week when I clipped all those coupons for the RAOK. For my purposes these are a great way to keep coupons I do not want to carry with me at all times, but that I might use, together in one spot.

All I do is put the sorted and clipped coupons in an envelope and write the insert date on the front. I will use my coupon insert list to locate the coupon week necessary if I ever find a deal that corresponds to these clipped coupons.

Coupon Envelope

When I used one binder I would take it into the store with me all the time. It elicited a lot of comments, almost 100% of which were from men. (This always surprised me.) Store management also used to look at me until they saw me with the binder a few times. If you are one that does not like undue attention, you may want to do what I did after I obtained a second binder and could not manage two binders in the cart.

I got a coupon envelope.

I would write up a list of sales, match the coupons and pull them from the binder. They all went into the envelope. The negative, of course, is that I do not have the coupons to match to any unadvertised sale or clearance merchandise when I am in the store. I’d have to run back to the car for my binder, or make a second trip into the store.

I really rely on the envelope now because it not only contains coupons to match to sales, but the coupons for the items I “think” might result in a good deals or that I would want to utilize if I can across an unadvertised sale or clearance merchandise. You would be surprised how well this has worked for me over the years. Now granted I have been at this a long time so I have an idea what might match together as good deals. I’m not certain how well this would work for someone just starting out.

And those are pretty much the main coupon organization methods I have used over the years.

Do you have a budget? Are you faithful to it? Or do you feel budgeting is over-rated? If you have a budget, why do you have one? And if you do not have a budget, why not?

Yesterday I recounted my budgeting trial and errors during my first marriage.

As many of you know, my life has changed over the years. My former husband and I divorced quite some time ago, and I have since remarried. With my remarriage came a different set of financial rules.

First and foremost, my husband is a pretty smart guy. He went to school and ended up with an MBA. He put this to good use in the banking industry in various places, ending up in New York City for many years. Hubby had never been married prior to me (he waited for me!, aren’t I lucky?), and was used to doing things his way. Now during my first marriage, I was responsible for all the finances, bill paying, purchasing decisions, etc., etc. When hubby and I married, it could have been a real clash: each one of us was used to doing things in our own manner. Coupling that habit with being older, and naturally more set in our ways this could have led to a real disaster. Except it didn’t. I was tired of being responsible for everything and anything, and hubby enjoys responsibly. I think it is part of his genetic make-up.

We have a lot of bills (like all of them) on auto-pay. This means we know in advance how much will be going out each month a year ahead of time. While the utilities fluctuate monthly, there are historicals that we can use to make accurate determination about upcoming month’s utility bills.

Big differences now come to our credit cards: they are paid off monthly. Always. And a lot of credit card purchases are work expenses for hubby, so he has to turn in expense reports regularly for reimbursement. This basically gives his work free-float, although we do benefit from the points programs attached to the credit card.

If we need any capital expense to the house, we discuss what we are going to do, and hubby puts the money aside. For other big expenditures, like buying a car we research to the purchase to death and then hubby figures out the value of money to determine whether or not we will finance or pay cash for the item.

This business of the “value of money” drives me insane. I am firmly middle class in my economic mindset. Even though paying cash for your house can be economically foolish, mentally I would have loved it! But hubby figured out the value of money, what our rate of return would be with the money that was not tied up in an illiquid asset like property, as well as any tax benefits to having a mortgage, and so we plopped down 20% to avoid PMI and have a mortgage payment. At some point, the mortgage will no longer be a good money value and paying off the note early might make sense. We will revisit that concept in a few years to see if carrying a mortgage still makes economic sense. Because our mortgage rate is so low, I fear the answer. To me, not having a mortgage equates to economic serenity … after all what is peace of mind worth? Hubby’s answer is always “If you have the money in the bank to pay off the mortgage, isn’t that enough peace of mind?” (Note: Bank does not mean a savings account necessarily, but investment account.)

As you can see, the budgeting we do now is based on what needs to be paid and when it needs to be paid. Hubby makes a comfortable living and we do not live over our means (which took a budget to discover), so it is just a matter of paying the bills in a timely manner. In our current situation, the term budget is truly an accounting term. You start with XX dollars each month, and subtract the payments necessary. Excess funds are kept in an account earning interest or dividends. We are saving for retirement as we only have one child (mine), and he is entering his senior year in college. We’ve definitely moved into the middle years of budgeting where the unexpected bills of child-rearing are behind us and have moved on to the saving for retirement years.

Do you have a budget? Are you faithful to it? Or do you feel budgeting is over-rated? If you have a budget, why do you have one? And if you do not have a budget, why not?

During my first marriage, my ex-husband and I married young, well what now seems very young. Back then, 22 and 24 was not really considered young to marry. When I look at Sonny-boy and think that I was married about his age… YIKES! is my only thought!

We were fresh out of college, I worked full time at a less than great job (with fantastic benefits), he worked part time and did not get a full time job until we had been married almost six months.

With our lack of funds came a great need to budget. The only problem was, even though we were decently educated household budgeting was not exactly a course offered at my college, although I wish it had been. Oh sure I had a class session or two that dealt with a household budget in my business accounting classes, but nothing that really stuck. This meant I had to learn to budget through trial and error. And let me tell you, there was a lot of error.

I was always underestimating real costs and praying my ex would get decent overtime. It was a skin-of-your-teeth approach, but it worked … barely. Once Sonny-boy was born we were really, really poor and skin-of-your-teeth was fast becoming more like robbing Peter to pay Paul. I had stopped working and we were relying on one income that was not all that great. I started couponing so we might eat. My ex-husband’s entire income went to pay the rent, utilities and whatever credit card debt we had. A budget was born of desperation. I needed to account for every penny we spent as our budget was that tight. Even a swing of ten unaccounted dollars could pose dire consequences.

Over the years, his income increased dramatically and I went back to work part-time. The budget relied less and less on rebates to pay bills, and went strictly for food costs. By then, couponing had become so ingrained in our way of life that I never did budget for food. By this I mean I did not use paycheck money to shop for food; coupons and rebates paid for what we ate. I had enough of a stockpile to have the luxury of not shopping when rebate funds were low and the ads were not full of free/cheap items.

I budgeted during my first marriage due to early extreme need, without any past budgeting experience. In the end, budgeting allowed us to purchase a house, buy new cars and put Sonny-boy through private schools.

Today I received a question regarding multiple submissions on one CRT. I know this has been covered multiple times as a response in prior blog posts, but apparently I never wrote an independent article, so here goes:

The easiest way to be assured that you will have the correct CRT to send in for a mail in rebate it to keep a running list of the rebate requirements and the inclusion dates.

Believe it or not, even I do this! I find it quite easy to get together my pile of rebates, write up the dates and what products need to be purchased for an offer (as well is if it needs to be one CRT or may be multiples), and I keep this notebook in my purse. It makes it super easy to know what to purchase, what goes on what CRT, and if I need a filler, the list is there.

But what happens if you rang up several offers on one CRT? Check the offers to see if an original CRT is required. If an original is not required, just make a copy of the CRT and submit the copy.

If you have several offers on the same CRT that all require an original CRT, gather the items to return and re-buy.

If you are out of the inclusion dates when trying to return and re-buy, see if the store can look up your receipt and print a duplicate. You will be taking a chance, but you have little to lose at that point if you want to keep the product. Outside the inclusion dates, your only other alternative would be to completely return the product.

Many stores, especially liquor stores, will issue duplicate CRTs that will say “for rebate purchase”. The clearinghouses do accept these. If your grocery store issues duplicate receipts that say “Duplicate Receipt” and the offer requires an original, redemption could become dicey. I’ve submitted duplicates when originals were called for and been paid, but I would never suggest that you will always be paid when submitting a “duplicate receipt” for an offer that requires an original CRT. Ask prior to the beginning of the order if your store issues duplicate receipts as some software requires this to be input prior to the start of the order. Other software (like at Tops) just requires you ask before the start of the next order. Many stores will (can) only issue one duplicate, other stores can issue as many as you need (the most I ever received at Tops was nine duplicates).

Since ringing up rebate items separately (or in the necessary group) is the easiest way to assure yourself the proper CRT requirement will be fulfilled, I strongly advise doing that! Now you may ask how many orders you can split up at one time? The answer to that is easy: as many as you need! Do not let the grumbling and groaning of the cashier get to you. It is your money, you do what you need to do to get it. I have on occasion told the cashier that the orders are for rebates, and I get an “oh” and no troubles afterward.

Happy Rebating!

Rebate Organization
Do You Make Copies Of Rebate Submissions?

Do you chase all the deals? Every one? Hubby could give us all a long (boring) lecture on the value of money. He figures things out to the penny on the cost per pill, cost per ounce or cost per particular unit. He uses the value of my time to figure if it worth chasing a deal.

Ummm I probably shouldn’t tell you what value he places on my time.

Actually, he’s getting better. A few shouting matches here and there, and we are all good!

But seriously folks …

I no longer chase all the deals. I plot a course Saturday evening for my deal routes Sunday morning. Since dense retail is only 15 minutes away, the cost of gas/car wear and tear, etc is the same whether I visit one store, or whether I visit 20 stores. If I stay in the general vicinity the drive-cost is minimal.

But what of the time cost?

Hubby and I are out nearly every Sunday morning. Since there are two of us, stopping into one store yields twice the results. Shouldn’t that mean that chasing every deal is worthwhile?

Well no, not exactly. I figure in the true out of pocket cost, the possibility of stock, the known attitude of the cashiers (seldom a problem in my area), the ease use. For instance, ECB are easy, SCR are easy, RR require thought and diligence. All these intangibles are figured into the shopping equation along with the tangibles of cost and necessity – and let’s face it, with my stockpile, cost is my biggest concern; I do not really need to add to the stockpile.

I decided a while ago that Walgreens Register Rewards just are not worth it to me. I do not have a local store that will accept them (you lucky SuperValu folks!), they expire in two weeks, they cannot be rolled, and, unless I am going to immediately flip them on newspapers, RR are just not worth my time digging through the stores, finding a filler, etc. The Register Reward program has become too much of a hassle to me. While on one hand Walgreens may be thrilled that a “coupon queen” isn’t depleting their stock, I am also not making spontaneous purchases (well, hubby is not). Way to go Walgreens!

I do not currently shop CVS often because the nearest one is over 20 minutes away, in the opposite direction of my dense retail. It truly does not make economic or time sense for me to stop at CVS unless the deals are extremely compelling.

I made the determination that Walgreen’s is a waste of my time, CVS is a waste of my gas and time to drive. However, CVS will not be considered a waste of my time once the store opens 5 minutes from my house!

CVS and Walgreens are just two of the stores where my shopping habits changed once I really sat down and figured out exactly what I was/was not gaining shopping at those stores. I did an analysis and they were found wanting. That could change with a program shift, and, as in the case of CVS, a new store.

How do you value your time? Is it worth running to the store for four double coupons? Is that even enticing? Did you run to KMart to double five coupons per day? Do you chase Walgreen’s deals and have the rolling down to a science? Or do the Register Rewards frustrate you and you wish they’d bring back the once a month rebate program?

Hubby is always looking for some dump, er, I mean ummm, off-beat place to purchase grocery items. To give you an idea, the place he misses most in Manhattan is Jack’s 99¢ Store.

I, on the other hand, do not miss Jack’s even a little bit! Blech.

My mom likes junky stores just like hubby does, so she went to Jack’s last week and told me they are now serving food! Eeeeeeeeeeeewwww

Ok, I gotta stop dwelling on Jack’s. (And my metro-NYC readers are gonna be all over me for bashing such a fine establishment.)

My question is, what are some non-traditional places (ie, not grocery stores) where you buy groceries? I can think of a few:

• 99¢ Only Stores (these are MOB SCENES in Vegas!)
• Drug Stores
• Dollar Stores
• Kmart
• Target
• Warehouse Clubs
• Amish store – we have a local Amish store that sells bulk this and that and they really are not great deals, but you can find some oddball stuff there. The thing that IS a great deal at this place is luncheon meat! It is about half price of the grocery store.
• Restaurant Supply Stores – there are TONS of restaurant supply stores in the area (mainly because there are a bazillion restaurants), but one place we go is in an old part of town that has a produce wholesaler and a farmer’s market in the area too. This place is much cheaper than the warehouse suppliers, but like any non-traditional avenue you have to watch so you do not overpay because you cannot use to coupons to lower the cost. We find cheese and frozen fish to be the best deals.

Where else can you/do you purchase groceries where people may not think to shop?

Do you have favorite stores? I certainly do. What makes a store shopping experience great or lousy for you?

I got to thinking about it, and here are some of my likes/dislikes regarding the shopping experience. These are in no particular order. As you can see, I am not too difficult to please.

Easy of check out – Are the rules made up as we go along? Or are there consistent coupon rules that are always adhered to? Even if I do not like the rules, it makes for a better shopping experience if I, and the cashier, know the rules and can abide by them.

Reasonable prices – I doubt that it is a coincidence that my favorite stores are not the area’s most expensive stores.

Cleanliness – If I am afraid of ptomaine poisoning, I am not shopping there regardless of the deals.

Written sale flier – One of the things I dislike about Tops and Target, and absolutely loathe about Wegmans, is the “extended sale prices” listed on the store shelves with no advance notice. I like a store flier, which Tops and Target do put out with sale prices, but they consider the extended sale prices to be a “bonus”. Wegmans puts one out a store flier with carry-out cafe “specials”, the extended sale prices are a “treasure” hunt in-store.

I like checking the ad for sales, and if the is out of stock, obtaining a raincheck. If the sale price is not in the ad, a raincheck is not usually forthcoming. I also dislike the way customers are forced to walk the store to find these prices. Have a freaking sheet in-store listed as “while it lasts” if you really do not want to give rainchecks on those items. It should not take me two trips to shop! Although to be fair, if I had a binder in place, it would not. The benefit to the in-store specials and extended sale prices are hoping the consumer shop twice. Twice through the store means it is more likely the consumer will spend more. With the average shopper this does happen, so their evil plan succeeds.

Plenty of stock – The drugstores are most guilty of running out of stock quickly. Much of this can be laid at corporate’s feet and their lack of communication with the store. If you don’t let your district manager know what the hot sales when combined with a coupon will be, and the DM cannot pass that information on to the store manager for ordering, you are going to have a lot of unhappy customers, even with a good raincheck policy.

What entices you not only into the store originally, but to return time and time again?

This post first appeared on April 14, 2009

Meat is expensive.

Wow, now that is a profound statement. Bet you are shaking your head and thinking, “No duh”. Unless you are some form of vegetarian, chances are excellent that you are looking for ways to cut your meat costs. Over the years, I’ve come across of a number of ways, both large and small, to lower the cost of meat.

Buying a Pig or Cow

Last year my husband got the bright idea that beef was costing us too much and we needed to do something about it. We have also made a concentrated effort to reduce pesticides, injected hormones and other additives to our diet (chocolate and cookies are exempt!) So, my hubby decided that we should buy a cow.

Now, at the time there were only three of us at home and my hubby was making an effort to lose weight (he lost over 70 pounds in the last 18 months and he looks and feels better than ever!). I knew my son wanted to go off to college, so I worried about how much of a dent three people could put into half a cow in six months. And, I was right to worry, but more on that later. As everyone knows, google is your friend. He googled “organic beef New York state” and voila, Eat Wild and all its wonderful links appeared.

After much calling about, talking to different sellers concerning the butcher they used and how the meat was dressed, answering questions about what we’d prefer more of – steaks or roasts (which also helped with the butcher), determining cost (you pay by hanging weight with a guesstimate on butchering weight you will actually receive), weighing the price difference between organic vs grass fed, and what type of steer (we went with Angus beef) we’d like, as well as payment, delivery and packaging questions and answers, we placed an order. I must say the one thing that took me aback was that all the meat was delivered frozen. Apparently the butcher freezers it after wrapping the meat in butcher paper. Whenever we defrost the meat, we need to do so in a container with sides as I have never seen so much blood from defrosted beef in my life! Also, the butcher used has a lot to do with the taste of the meat later on. And, the ground beef was too lean (never thought that was possible), so we had to watch how we cooked it.

Since cost was based on hanging weight not butchering weight, we paid for a substantial amount of poundage we did not receive. The cost of hanging weight was $3 a pound, but the final true cost ended up at approximately $4 per pound. This was for ground beef, roasts, steaks, everything. So, while porterhouse steaks were dirt cheap at $4 per pound, ground beef (even as lean as it was) was a pricey at $4 per pound. We also had to quantify what cost we were willing to pay for grass fed beef vs who-knows-what at the grocery store, and what value that held for us. At the time we purchased our cow the farm had just received their organic NOFA designation so we purchased grass fed. It would be easier to compare organic beef per pound at the health food store vs NOFA farm beef with just a quick trip for prices to Whole Foods or the local health food store.

We later purchased a hog and split the cost with my mother and brother. While we initially found that purchase pricey, after reconsidering the price of two crown roasts (so no pork chops), four hams, and all the other items involved, as well as this hog was the best tasting pork we’ve ever head (and I am NOT a pork fan), we decided the hog was a better deal for us than the cow.

This goes back to my concern regarding lots of leftovers with only three people in the house … and we have a load of this beef leftover. My husband has been making noises that we have to go through the freezers and see what is left as it has been well over six months since the beef purchase and the items are getting to the end of their freezer life. With the cow purchase we did try new cuts of meat and make recipes to accommodate those cuts that we never would have tried otherwise. It was definitely a way to broaden our menu.

Local Butcher Shop

We have local city butchers whose costs make my eyes pop out of my head! Simple items such as a pound of ground beef is $4 per pound, a strip steak is over $10 a pound! We also have local country butchers whose prices make the half cow purchase look frivolous. The country butcher we patronize is a slaughterhouse. The meat is fresh and inspected (they have a designated parking spot for the FDA person!), and it is inexpensive for cut meat (prime rib $6.50#, ground beef $2#, etc) and we get to choose exactly which meats we use frequently rather then getting everything the cow has to give . We do not, however, know if it is grass-fed, non-hormone beef although we are absolutely certain it is not organic.

We patronize a chicken farm for grain fed, ground scratching, chicken and poultry. This is definitely not cheaper than the grocery store. Not even close. While I can get a whole chicken on sale for as cheap as 69¢# in the grocery store, the poultry farm is $1.29#. Again this is comparing grain fed, no injection chicken vs who-knows-what at the grocery store.

Grocery Store Meats

This is where you can score the biggest savings in a variety of ways; sales, mark downs and coupons.

Looks for sales and markdowns – Every Sunday a local grocery store marks down meats and attaches $1, $2, $3 or $4 off off store coupons (that must be removed by the cashier). In this case buying the smallest size package with the largest dollar off coupon yields the greatest savings. The items are immediately food-savered, dated and stored. Stocking up when there is a sale is a no-brainer but must be mentioned.

Wine tags can make for some cheap meat. Wine tags are coupons hanging from the necks of wine bottles or on tear pads in the grocery store that do not require a wine purchase to receive a discount on the listed item. Some items included in the past are meat, produce, poultry, seafood, gift wrap, eggs, candy, etc. Some wine tags do require purchase of wine, so be careful what you try and redeem. Using a $1 off wine tag on the smallest package of ground beef in the case results in a serious cost-per-pound reduction.

Coupon stacking (also called piggybacking) works in most areas (never got it to work in metro NYC but elsewhere I’ve never had a problem). Let’s say you are purchasing A1 steak sauce. It is on sale, and you have a $1 coupon further reducing the price. But wait, you also have a $2 off beef WYB A1 coupon. You head over to the meat case and pick up a $2.02 package of ground beef and use both coupons when you go up to the checkout with your A1 and your ground beef. If the cashier tries to claim the coupons cannot be used in conjunction, do the following exercise:

You: Oh, you mean I can use THIS coupon (the $1 A1 coupon) on THIS item (the ground beef).

Clerk: Uh no.

You: Oh, so I can use THIS coupon ($2 beef coupon) on THIS item (the A1).

Clerk: Uh, no

The light bulb then goes on and the clerk will normally deduct both coupons.

One item left to mention is WalMart or Aldi’s meats which can be significantly less per pound when a sale item is unavailable. The modified atmosphere packages of carbon dioxide and nitrogen injection meats at these and many other grocery stores has replaced, or at least supplemented, the store butcher. Because air is replaced, bacteria and mold growth is slowed, and taste, color, vitamins and sensory appeal are preserved. Some would argue this is a better way to assure fresh(er) meat. Some would argue “more chemicals!”, and stay away.

Purchasing fresh meats, like many other fresh products, is a balancing act of nutrition, cost, quality and freshness. What is right for me and my family may be a poor choice for you and your family and vice-versa. There are many ways to share meat savings. If you have any other ideas or suggestions, please feel free to post them!

Do you dive for coupons or other items? Ever thought about it but you were unsure of the protocol? Well here are a few tips on the dos and don’t of dumpster diving:

Dos

• Do make certain that dumpster diving is legal in your municipality.

• Do take the time to scout your location. A drive by, a walk by, a bicycle by all will help with familiarity, is it worthwhile, and the best time to dumpster dive. The last thing you want is an audience watching you when you pull out your haul.

• Do check for rodents or other “friends” before inserting hands (or half your body) into the dumpster.

• Do watch so the lid does not slam down on you.

• Do be aware of sharp objects or caustic chemicals when diving.

• Do bring rubber gloves (and wear them!), a flashlight, a poker stick (one with a curved end to bring up bundles of coupons is ideal!), a step stool, and a razor blade with you.

• Do leave immediately if request to by store management, security or the police.

Don’ts

• Don’t dive if there is a lock on the dumpster or a sign prohibiting trespassing.

• Don’t dive alone! Safety is very important.

• Don’t actually get in the dumpster. Getting out may be impossible. Nothing is worth your safety.

• Don’t leave a mess! The quickest way to shut down dumpster access is to leave the trash outside the dumpster. Put back what you are not taking!

Scouting out the area is extremely important. You want to find “the” dumpster in your area for bundles coupons. This could be behind a gas station, a grocery store, or where the random newspaper distributor dumps their leftovers. The best day of the week could vary too. Saturday, Sunday and Monday are best guesses, but that might vary by area. You’ll definitely have to do your homework if you plan on dumpster diving.

Do you just run out of the house like a loon when you leave to shop? Or do you meticulously check the ad for sales, match to coupons, write a list, load your binder into the car “just in case” there is a clearance sale, and plot your route on your GPS before you leave the house?

It isn’t difficult to figure out which tactic will get you better saving and a smoother check-up. In general, the more prepared you are when you leave the house, the more likely you will hand over all the coupons that matched what you are purchasing. Better preparation prior to getting into the check-out line usually leads to a smoother check-up transaction.

These are the steps I do when I shop:

• Check the ads – I write down everything I may want to purchase along with the coupons that match the sale

• Decide which stores have the best deals, and plot my course accordingly.

• Pull all the coupons I might use on the trip. I no longer sport a binder, but when I did I not only put it in my car but I faithfully carried it into the store and clipped it to the cart (so no one would walk off with it) every shopping trip.

• Check my list in the store. It really does not do me any good to write everything up that I want to buy if I am not going to refer to the list.

• Go through my coupon envelope before I get in line. That way, I can not only make certain I have the coupons for the products I am buying, but it is a double-check to make certain I actually got everything I went shopping to purchase! For me, this step is essential. You have no idea how many times I slip coupons into my envelope “just to check the price” and completely forget while I am in the store.

• And finally, make certain I give all my coupons to the cashier and check to see that not only do they scan off, but that the register is giving me the correct credit for my coupons.

What else do you do when you prep to shop?

This post first appeared on April 27, 2009, but the advice is not only current but timely – ’tis the season to have a yard sale!

So, you have an overflow of stockpile. You’ve met your family’s needs with your stockpile, none of your close friends and family live nearby (or they are overloads with your generosity) and you could use a few extra dollars. What to do?

Have a yard sale!

Below are a few of the things I’ve learned selling at yard sales over the years (some folks call them garage sales, for the purpose of this article I’ll stick to the term yard sale).

You need people to come to have a successful sale. People love block sales as they feel it is more likely worth their time to stop for 10 houses than one, so organize and pay for a block sale. On my old street, I would hand out fliers door to door telling people the date, time, and giving my phone number to let me know if they are participating. I also PROMINENTLY listed that I was paying all advertising. People naturally participated more often when it didn’t cost them anything. I was more than willing to shell out the $20 in advertising to get hundreds people to my sale when I knew I’d make a thousand dollars in a few hours. In my current area, my HOA runs a block sale yearly. In my area, a block sale is well attended on Friday or Saturday (with Saturday being optimal). Sunday was never a good yard sale day for me.

When you display signs that day go down to the end of each end of the street and place signage. Do this on every corner until you are at a major street. You want to leave a sign trail to your sale. I have homemade sandwich boards. They are wood strips held together with hinges on top and braces in the middle. Every yard sale, a new, neon, colored poster board with the date and time and “BLOCK SALE” is attached to each side of the sandwich board. On the major streets, a load of balloons are also attached. The idea is to catch the eye of a passing driver. Since the boards are not small, no one steals them. We gather up all the boards at the end of the sale so as not to violate any city codes for signage. It is a pet peeve of mine to see yard sale signs stapled to a light pole and see the sale was held three weeks ago.

When I first started doing yard sales I used a fanny pack to house the cash I made and the change I had. That lasted one sale. Afterward, I got a money apron from the local hardware store for a dollar. Best dollar I ever spent. I start with 100 singles, (10) $5 bills, (5) $10 bills and (2) rolls of quarters. Nothing is marked in increments that won’t work with a quarter. It is not worth the problems to mark it any other way.

For set up, I beg and borrow (and own two) banquet tables. The picnic table from the backyard came out and items were stacked on top as well as on the bench. The backside bench I used to hold extra plastic bags and boxes of extra stock. I always set my tables up in a row advancing up the drive, the picnic table across the driveway and then another row going down the drive. Think of it as a U with the curved side of the U straight and towards the backyard. I have a checkout table that has a pad of paper, pens, calculator and bags underneath. I have never used baskets but if you have them you might consider allowing people use them.

When I run a yard sale it is never alone. I make sure at least one other person is with me to help handle the crowds, check-out and to be there to cover bathroom breaks and money-drop offs. When my money apron starts to bulge that is time to take some money into the house. I try and drop off every hour for the first 2-3 hours. I also keep the house locked if no one is inside when I am running a sale. It only takes one second for my back to be turned …

Pricing is key. I have learned to price my merchandise to move! After spending two days gathering, boxing and tagging everything, the last thing I ever want to do is haul it back in the house. People love, love, love multiple pricing. Suave shampoo marked 75¢? Make up a sign that says 75¢ or 3/$2. Watch it fly in multiples of three. Also, if I have 100 of something no way am I marking each and every one. That is what printed signs are for. I write up a sign on the computer:

Suave Products
75¢ each
or 3/$2

and tape the sign to the table. When I first started doing this, I had people ask about the price of the unmarked items. I pointed to the table sign and they’d laugh. After a few sales, regulars never asked. The items I do tag I use cut up paper and free tape to mark and attach. On my computer I’ll make up sheets of spaced 25¢, 50¢, 75¢, $1, etc price sheets that I can save for future sales. I print these off, cut them up and attach with (free) tape. Some people like to mark their items at 50% off retail. That would never, ever work in my area. And I mean never. If I put out a $6 bottle of Infusium 23 for $3, it would be picked up repeatedly and the cap removed as folks looked for floating gold dust. It is very important that you know your market and what it will bear price-wise. This is, unfortunately, a matter of trial and error. What sells well for half of retail in one area may be a slow mover that sells for 25% of retail in another area.

Because I price so aggressively, I do not bargain. Period. Ever. If someone has $50 worth of merchandise in their hands, they pay me $50. If someone buys 40 of something, they pay me marked price for all 40. I don’t sell “regular” yard-sale-type items precisely because I hate to dicker. Surprisingly I will go entire sales where no one even attempts to get a better deal. My prices are low to avoid the back and forth of bargaining.

I will advertise a block sale from 8-2 or 9–3 and always get early-birds regardless of how prominently “NO EARLYBIRDS” is stated in the ad. Since most of these earlybird-folks are professionals trying to get me to sell a pound of gold for $1 or Aunt Bessie’s signed copy of the Declaration of Independence for $12.57, they aren’t usually interested in what I have for sale. Some of these folks are really rude, some are very nice, all are out to make money off someone who mistakenly puts out a valuable object in a yard sale. The next time someone asks me, “Do you have any gold?” “Any broken watches?” “Any antique jewelry?” in rapid succession I am tempted to respond, “Oh sure, I have a diamond ring the size of a pigeon egg. I was going to put it out but I wasn’t sure if it was worth $100″, just to watch their eyes pop before they realize I am not serious.

But I digress.

A friend of mine used to run yard sales monthly. She has a great story about a box of 60 count band aids she marked for 50¢. There was one box left an hour into her sale, when a man walked up, opened the box and counted them to make sure all 60 were there.

You get all kinds at yard sales. At least the stories make for entertaining dinner conversation!

People are unpredictable. I’ll never forget the Kellogg’s premiums I put out year after year after year at my garage sales. I was about ready to haul that box off to Goodwill when, low and behold, after three years the entire collection sold! I also notice that while I can be fairly sure well priced cleaning supplies will always sell, some sales the conditioner will not go regardless of how cheaply I price it. Some sales the band-aids are a dud. Some sales the cereals just will not move. Well, you get the idea. Usually the items you expect will sell well do, and do so quickly. Sometimes, items wouldn’t sell for a penny.

Grumblers are a part of the package. Countless people have thanked me for the cheap groceries over the years. Some are suspicious at first, “Where’d you get all this stuff?” and some could not care less if it fell off the back of a truck. My answer, “I use coupons” always satisfies people. But then there are the folks that do NOT like that I am selling new items. “This is a yard sale, if I wanted new stuff I’d go to WalMart.” M’kay. And the stares from the people standing next to them with armfuls of goods are always priceless!

I am not someone to sit out until the last second of a yard sale hoping for an extra $1.50. If an hour goes by and I have not sold $20, or if my inventory has condensed to less than one banquet table, I close up. When I am packing the remaining boxes, it never fails that someone (or some-three) pull up and I make last minute sales. Non-perishable items are left in the box for the next sale. Perishable items are donated unless I plan another sale later in the season. If I do a second sale, I try for a different location: my mother’s house, my grandparent’s house, my sister’s house; somewhere in a different neighborhood. You’d be surprised how many people I get at both sales. There are a lot of yard sale regulars around here!

Some people try flea markets. My two attempts were unsuccessful. I was told by those that had permanent booths at the flea market that my merchandise was “too good” to sell at a flea market.

One last idea is to list a “stockpile sale” on craigslist. You may get oddballs, you may get someone willing to pick up your extras. Since craigslist is free, it is worth a listing.

With the recession hitting people in the wallets, yard sales could be more profitable than ever this year. So, gather your extras and organize a sale!

People frequently ask me where I get my coupons. I live in an area of LOUSY coupon denominations. We have doubles to 99¢, therefore our coupons are $1/1, $1/2, $1/3 etc. It is the same reason folks that have doubles to 50¢ see a lot of 55¢ manufacturer coupons. There has “always” been collusion between the manufacturers, marketers and grocery stores. The coupon insert distributors make sure I get lousy coupons so I am not getting the best deals possible, just a small savings on top of the sale price.

This worked for many years until the age of a little something called the internet. At this point people started to trade coupons. My $1/1 coupon was very valuable in an area with no doubles, and the 75¢/1 coupon that area received was very valuable in my area with 99¢ doubles.

Soon after some industrious folks decided they could sell their “time” and give away the coupons from the inserts. (Remember, there is NO law against selling coupons but the coupon services write this as a CYA.) Ebayers found that there were these “crazy coupon ladies” that would pay for the coupon inserts they were just throwing away, so they started selling coupons.

All of a sudden, people had access to better denominations that worked with their store’s promotions!

So why, since you can now easily cross state lines for better coupons, do the marketers, manufacturers and stores continue with the collusion? Simple: most folks are not aware (or do not feel it is worth their time) to trade, trade, trade! It is still only a small percentage of couponers that trade for coupons or use a supplier.

Is it worth it to buy/trade for coupons? In my opinion, YES! But do be careful you are not overpaying for coupons *cough*ebay*cough* or trading in such a manner that the postage kills the savings you would realize redeeming the coupon.

Refundsweepers is a decent place to trade. Be certain to check the trader’s references if you are sending paypal.

I have used Glenda as my coupon supplier for 10 years now! I highly recommend her. In all that time, a trade has never been “lost” and she always tells me prior to mailing if she runs out of a certain coupon.

And for those of you that do receive decent denominations that work with your local sales, here are some ideas as to where you obtain extra inserts.

You probably should.

I do not make copies until my rebate value is $20 or more. I know I am taking a chance by not having proof that I purchased the correct item within the correct time period, and therefore if I am rejected, I really do not have any hope of making a claim. But that is my choice. I am just too lazy to scan everything and then follow-up on the phone if rejected for five bucks. Ain’t gonna happen.

However, on all my rebate (refund) submissions I write the words “copies made”. It is amazing how those two magic words have reduced my rejection rate. Maybe the clearinghouse figures “Why tangle with someone with proof?”

At what point should you should scan/save your rebate submissions? I would say to make a decision on what your pain threshold for losing a rebate, and more importantly, if you do lose the rebate at what point will you follow-up on the loss? Will you follow-up and call for every rebate rejection or check you do not receive after 12 weeks? If so, scan and save every rebate you mail in. This includes the filled out form, receipt and qualifiers (either UPCs, the UPC#, or some other requested item to be mailed in for the rebate).

Or won’t you follow up for a $3 rebate? $5? $10? Decide what you personally are willing to chase down via the clearinghouse and/or manufacturer and then scan anything for that amount or more. With a scan in hand even if you are rejected the clearinghouse or the manufacturer will make good on the offer when you can prove you did indeed fulfill the requirements correctly. Hubby scans and saves to PDF on his computer, deleting the scan when the check arrives. You do not have to scan and print to paper.

If you do need to chase down the rejected or missing rebate, many people start with the clearinghouse. You can find website urls and phone numbers at the bottom of the printable refunds (rebates) page. Personally I no longer contact the clearinghouse when rejected. I deal with the manufacturer. My reasoning is if the clearinghouse already rejected me, why deal with them? Although I do recall dealing with a clearinghouse regarding a rejection for some computer equipment. The woman on the phone tried to make every excuse why they should not/could not pay. After a few minutes, I asked for the UPC back telling her I wanted to return the product to the store. There was a pause, and then my rebate was validated “just this once as a courtesy.”

Hmmmm what was behind that?

Well, a few things. The clearinghouse only returned a postcard rejection instead of my entire submission. That immediately told me all the parts proving I sent in an incorrect submission had been shredded (or burned – this was a while ago, I do not think they can incinerate anymore). The clearinghouse could not return my proof of purchase which was technically my property since they did not pay me for the UPC. She really had no other choice but to pay me for that UPC she could not return.

So sometimes the clearinghouse call will work.

If you call the clearinghouse or the manufacturer, have all parts in hand: the rejection and your copy of your submission. This way when the UPC# is asked for, or the dated CRT is questioned, you can immediately refer to the submission.

And while you are filling out those forms, here are some tips for rebate (refund) organization.

Good luck and happy rebating!

There may be snow on the ground but if you are north of the Mason-Dixon line it is now time to look into and sign up for your local CSA!

Yesterday hubby sent off our check for the CSA. The price went up $10 this year. We will get 22 – 26 weeks of produce for $300 – this averages out to $11.50 – $13.60 per week depending on how many weeks we get produce. Since we freeze quite a bit of the vegetables we receive this actually covers our vegetable needs for 9-10 months.

Last year our local CSA indicated they were getting into the fruit game! I am hoping next year may bear fruit that we can purchase.

So locate your local CSA and decide whether or not it is an economically sound proposition for you and your family. As I understand it, some areas are crazy-expensive and so not worth it, some CSAs are year round, some will deliver to your door! You need to check your local CSA farm and see what the policies, procedures and costs are.

If you are local (Genesee, Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, and Wyoming counties), we subscribe from Porter Farms and I would definitely recommend them. Their blog has much more information than their website.

Is it unexpected for consumers to send for a “satisfaction guarantee” if not dissatisfied?

Nope.

A consumer could write “Love the product, gimme my money back” and odds are excellent Ms Consumer will still get her refund.

Huh!? You are now scratching your head and wondering if I am crazy.

Well, maybe, but not about this. I’ve written that very phrase before and been paid.

IMO the satisfaction guarantee is the stupidest form of rebate possible.

Why?

Well, you’ve ticked off loyal customers that may not participate because they think it is incorrect to send for a dissatisfaction guarantee, and the manufacturer may only be hearing made up complaints from most of the people that decide to participate so they can get their money back.

It is a lose-lose proposition from a marketing standpoint. Skewed results.

IMO those companies should stop being so cheap and give the marketing department a real budget to go out and conduct some real studies as to why their product sucks.

Well that is what I assume the company must think – otherwise why offer a “satisfaction guarantee”? Why not a “you are a loyal user and we’d like to reward you!” or “tell us why you loved muffy’s mush so much and we’ll give you your money back”. I’ve seen those before and I think those are marketing genius! They make a consumer put down in words what they liked about a product. This in turn makes Ms Consumer remember “I liked muffy’s mush” when she is shopping, and Ms Consumer will purchase muffy’s mush again.

So let’s say you do not love it or hate it. Or you do love it. Or you do hate the product. Instead of an specific reason, you could write: “Too expensive”. Nothing else, just “too expensive”. IMO everything I buy that costs me more than free is too expensive. It is also what I have written for years on just about every “satisfaction guarantee” offer I have participated in. Even if I hate the product I refuse to provide free input on why the product was lousy.

There are many reasons that manufacturers offer rebates: to reward loyalty, to get people to try a new product and slippage are just a few, but the “satisfaction guarantee” is just a cheapie way to get feedback about their product. They expect to pay the normal 2% – 5% off rebates consumers will redeem on any given offer.

As always, if you feel uncomfortable sending for a refund, do not send for it. But do educate yourself on the whys and wherefores about what is really going on with rebates, then make your decision.

No, I do not mean do you take a vacation from couponing; we all do that from time to time.

My question is: Do you take your coupons with you when you go on vacation?

I do!

Well let me clarify: On any and every driving vacation I take all my coupons. The whole hot-mess. If I know we are going on a long driving vacation, I will *gasp* update my binder. It is a chore, but it is better than slogging around two boxes of uncut inserts.

If we are flying, I consider the destination and then cherry-pick coupons to bring with me in an envelope.

For instance if we are going on a cruise, I’ll bring along coupons for drinks that we can pick up prior to boarding (we always fly in the day before) if the cruise line does not offer a drink card (YAY Princess and RCCL! – which includes Celebrity). H&BA coupons have come in handy when we’ve discovered we forgot something and had to run to a drugstore to make a purchase (and not pay $10 for toothpaste onboard – assuming they even have it).

It would be especially important to have an up-to-date binder on a cross country drive. You could save a lot of money using coupons and sales versus a constant diet of fast food (not to mention calories). And if you are camping along the way it will certainly save on food costs.

Get the store shopper card prior to shopping at the front desk. You may never use it again, but to save $20 that trip it is worth the 10 minutes filling out the form. I have a fair amount of store shopper’s card on my keyring, over 25 at last count. Everywhere I go I collect them because, hey, you never know. Well, except Piggly Wiggly. No way, no how. A driver’s license to get a store sale price!? Please tell me they stopped that insane requirement and now it is only if you want check cashing attached (which I can totally understand). While I cannot shop the sales on vacation, I can check the ad, see what is on sale, and make my purchase decision based upon the sale and coupons I have.

I love to visit various grocery stores picking up tear pad coupons, checking out the store, looking at the ads. That may not be your idea of a “vacation activity”, but take at least some of your best/more useful coupons along in an envelope – it may just save you a few dollars!

It is not illegal for me to use a store coupon + a manufacturer coupon on an item.

It may be against your store’s policy, but it is not illegal.

It is not illegal for me to use two manufacturer coupons on B1G1 sale items.

It may be against your store’s policy, but it is not illegal.

It is not illegal for me to stack a B1G1 manufacturer coupon with a XX/1 cents-off coupon.

It may be against your store’s policy, but it is not illegal.

It is not illegal for me to use a manufacturer coupon on a sale item.

If it against your store’s policy, please let me know so I don’t ever shop at your store again.

So what is “illegal” in the coupon world?

First, let me say I am not an attorney and I do not play one on the internet. This is not meant to be real legal advice, just mussing on what I have seen over the years. For more in-depth details, consult a real attorney.

Second, let me say that there are local laws that make things that are generally not “illegal” in 99.9% of the US, indeed illegal. You can check local ordinances to be certain.

What most people are actually saying when they bring out the “illegal” card is, “That does not seem right to me”, or “That is against my brand of ethics” or “I don’t understand what you are doing, I will not admit it under pain of death, so I am going to call it “illegal” and hope you don’t call my bluff.”

That last one is what I have found is being pulled by most cashiers. They just can’t understand how you can be getting something so cheap or so free, so they brand it “illegal”. And they do not mean the nice “legal stealing” term many couponers toss around to describe this wonderful hobby.

So what do I know of that people have been arrested and prosecuted for over the last 25 years? First know that there is no federal law that specifically covers coupon redemption. People are usually (but not always) prosecuted under fraud statues.

Making counterfeit coupons and redeeming them. This has been happening since Xerox made the first color copier and it is a prosecutable offense, and people HAVE gone to jail for doing it. So don’t do it. Period.

Do not try and mis-redeem coupons ie pass off a coupon for an item you aren’t buying.
I am not going into decoding because, well, that is a grey area. No one has ever definitively said what supersedes what… the printed wording or the barcode. With extended barcodes this should be a moot point very soon.

There are a few (very few) localities in the US where it is illegal to remove something from the product even a hang tag or peel off without buying the product. That is VERY, VERY local though and not state or country-wide. Consult your local municipality to find out if you are one of the three places I read about years ago. Normally taking a hang tag is NOT a problem, and tear pad coupons are always up for grabs.

Sometimes people will open a container, take out the coupon and not purchase that product. Because you are removing something from a product you are not purchasing, people have been arrested (although I have not read of a conviction but I do not pour over lexis nexus either, so who knows) for damaging goods in store. Don’t do it unless you are buying the product on that shopping trip.

I have yet to see a law anywhere that makes selling coupons “illegal”. It may void the contract between you and the manufacturer. I personally have never seen a settled court case that covers this. You will see many coupon suppliers selling their time, but that is because no one wants to be the first prosecuted for selling. Even if you win said case, it still costs time, energy and money to go to court, and let’s face it, every corporation has more money to sue than the average person has to defend. The “selling time” is a CYA for just-in-case.

In conclusion, I would personally advise you to follow your conscious. If you know it is wrong to do A or B, simply don’t do it. If you aren’t sure, ask at corporate level for a written coupon policy. A written policy will help you at store level in case a clerk or manager decide today is “illegal” day at the cash register.

And when all else fails, consult an attorney.