I need some help!

[Poobutt25]

hey all! I'm a newbie of course, and I'm very overwhelmed! I've been looking over the site for the past week, got my coupon box ready, and have no idea what to do now. :shrug7: I have some coupons, but not many. AND, the only store closest to me is a Super Walmart. And there is a Walgreens, but I've never shopped there, so would like to start if it'll save me some money! There is also a Price Chopper and HyVee near me, but it's a 30 minute drive, so would it be worth going there?

[tmsmalley]

Go over to the Grocery Store threads and have a look at the stores near you, their ads for this week and how that matches up with coupons and things that you want/need. Then you can decide where to go and what to go after. Even with a few coupons, you'll start to see the savings happen when you match them to sales.

Tess

[CoveredinGrace]

I agree with the above, go check out the grocery store forums and look for the stores near you, find their sales ad and the coupon matchups that poster's have put in that thread, and see which store seems to have the best deals and start there. Also, you can visit the WAG's forum to learn about shopping there.

I just wanted to add this:
I see that you've signed up for itrader-great start! Whenever I need to build my coupons up for cheap, I check out the trading forums for those offering "potlucks" for a price. Look for the ones that say they won't include baby, pet, or medicine unless it's on your wishlist and for ones that say that they are "non-insert", those are typically the best quality potlucks. They will send you a certain weight or amount of coupons for paypal funds or unused postage stamps, and usually by the time people are offering potlucks, they are really good couponers, so what they have to offer is often they have way better coupons to send you than the ones you see in your local newspaper or whatever. That's been my experience anyway. Doing a couple large potlucks or 3-4 smaller ones from different posters is a great way to build up your coupon stock, so that you'll save more when you shop. Oh, and if you haven't already made a wishlist, now would be a great time to do that. Just think of all the things that you regularly use around your house. Almost everyone has a few things that they are picky about the brand on, start with those. For me, we go through a lot of Benadryl and Immodium due to allergies and intolerances, so those items go on my wishlist, b/c I'm always seeking coupons for those. I also do a lot of baking, so flour and sugar and such went on my wishlist as well. If your family prefers a certain brand of Toilet Paper, put that brand on your wishlist, etc. That way when people send you potlucks, they know what would help you the most and you'll get more coupons that match what you will really use. Those are my tips.

[Poobutt25]

Thanks so much! I haven't had a chance to really look in to the itrader yet, but I'll be doing that this weekend. And thanks for explaining all the stuff to me, I was wondering what those "wish list" things were on everyone's sig's.

[cpnmaniac44]

Thanks so much! I haven't had a chance to really look in to the itrader yet, but I'll be doing that this weekend. And thanks for explaining all the stuff to me, I was wondering what those "wish list" things were on everyone's sig's.


Walgreen offers some good deals, you can use their store coupons and manufacturers coupons on the same item.
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I have so many other grocery chains I can not offer advice on Walmart.

[gaijingirl]

Which stores to you normally shop at? You can start there!
HCW has a forum for nearly every major store you can think of. I would suggest starting with where you normally shop, whatever is convenient for you, and then if you want to get adventurous, branch out to other places you wouldn't normally go and learn how the savings work at those stores.

If you don't have many coupons now....and even when you do get lots of coupons, make sure you are keeping your eye out for all you come across in the stores. You can access SO many online and request many to be mailed to you. Don't forget to get the inserts from your Sunday paper, which will probably be one of the greatest resources.

I would also find out if any of your grocery stores double coupons. That's another great way to get more savings. Walgreens and Walmart will not...although at Walgreens you can combine Manuf. coupons with Store coupons.

Good luck. Start small and branch out. You will be soooo motivated to learn more and more once you see how fast the savings ad up from couponing!