What is Couponing?
Couponing is an art/hobby in which you buy items when they go on sale and with a coupon in order to decrease or eliminate your out of pocket expense. Sales tend to cycle. This means what's on sale today should be on sale again in another 4 to 6 weeks, although, there are exceptions (example: school supplies or ham).
Where do you get your coupons?
There are many ways to get coupons. You can print them online (you're typically limited to 2 per computer), you can buy newspapers, or you can order them online from a coupon clipping service or even ebay. For myself, personally, I buy 3 or 4 newspapers a week and I also order coupons from a clipping service if I need more or didn't get a particular coupon
What are Labels? (The area on the top right of your page)
Labels are a way to sort posts. Simply click on the store or topic for a list of all the posts that fall in that category. For example, click on Rite Aid and all of my Rite Aid posts will come up with the most recent at the top.
What do those letters (abbreviations mean)?
ECB = Extra Care Buck (CVS store money)
RR = Register Reward (Walgreens store reward)
IVC = Instant Value Coupon (Walgreens Store coupon) found in the Walgreens monthly coupon booklet near the front of the store
Catalina = Coupon that prints after you purchase certain items (they can be found in Kroger, Walgreens and many other stores)
wyb = when you buy
ymmv = your mileage may vary (means some stores/managers/cashiers may allow it and others may not)
B1G1 = buy 1 get 1 (sometimes listed as BOGO)
DND = do not double
IP = Internet Printable
MIR = Mail In Rebate
MQ = manufacture coupon
OOP = Out of Pocket
Stacking = Use a store coupon and manufacture coupon on 1 item
Filler = Item purchased in order to reach a minimum total
Peelie = coupon found on the item
Blinkie = coupon found in a blinking machine near the item in the store
Tear Pad = coupon found on a tear pad usually near the item in the store
RP = Red Plum
SS = Smart Source
GM = General Mills
PG = Procter & Gamble
If you see a line like this:
$1/2 mars items 3/27 RP
it means: there's a $1 off 2 mars items coupon in the March 27th Red Plum
How big does your stockpile need to be?
Since sales tend to cycle on a 4 to 6 week basis you really only have to buy enough items to get you to last till the next cycle. So, if you typically use 4 jars of spaghetti sauce in a month you'd want to buy about 6 jars when it goes on sale. Then when you're ready to use the 6th jar it should be on sale again. For myself, I like to keep an 8 week stock pile just in case. In other cases you'll want to keep a bigger stockpile. For example, school supplies only go on sale once a year so you would have to buy enough at that time to last the whole year.
