Dillons ~ Question: Newbie to coupons, Love Dillions!

[jblhopper]

Hello all! I am a 30yr old SAHM of 2 boys, married for 6 years this October. We live in Aurora, MO but make trips to Springfield often. My DH is starting nursing school this week and we are planning on moving out Sept 1 to a place of our own. We are returning missionaires and are about to have our budget drastically changed due to the new expenses of renting. Our budget of food right now is about 65-75$ a week. I have never used couponsand have really no idea of how to start using themI checked out the Coupon mom's book at the library and have read most of it. I do alot of the SS that she talks about like make a list, buy off brands, check unit prices etc, but I have never used a coupon. Before I was married, I used to shop at Dillions and I have the card on my keychain. I always felt good after leaving because of the savings I got with the card. I would like to start shopping there again, but this time with coupons. I have been getting 1 Sunday paper each week since the 1st of August, minus 1 week, and I am in need of some help with how to start this whole couponing way of life. I can go to Dillions possibly once a week, on Saturday, or every 2 weeks on a Saturday, just depends on my DH since we only have 1 car. My question is, would any of you ladies be willing to meet me a one of the Dillions stores when I can come up on a Saturday and walk me through the process that they use to maximixe savings? In other words, would someone go shopping with me and hold my hand?Hope to learn all I can from anyone here! Thanks again for putting the information out there for people like me to find

[hannahgail001]

Welcome! I just want to let you know that although it may seem daunting at first, it really gets to be second-nature. I just have a little coupon organizer. I'm not as advanced & organized as some people with their big binders. I have 3 kids and a busy schedule so what I do is when I find a good deal on something I stock up big time. I'll buy a set of 20 coupons off of ebay or a clipping service. Also, I find the longer I've couponed, the more I know what my "bottom line" is for a certain item. For example, $1 is the most I like to pay for cereal, but the other week Dillons had Cap'n Crunch for .29 after coupon. So, I bought 20 q's off ebay to use for Dillons' sale because it was such a low price for cereal.

On Tuesday I look at the sneak peek ad for Dillons (usually posted on here) to see what will be cheap for that week so that I can order any q's and have them get here in time for the sales.

Good luck with it and just remember it's a learning process. Even the ones that have used coupons a long time still mess up here and there. You'll be amazed at how much you can buy for so little.

[WeatherGirl]

Well you came to the right place. I went to Dillons on Battlefield yesterday and saw a bunch of binder ladies. I was in a hurry so I didn't greet any of them, but I see more and more of them every time I shop. I would like to give a big shout out to whoever left a stack of Cheerios blinkies at the Battlefield store. I didn't have any Cheerios coupons and I about melted to the floor when I found ten or so coupons on the shelf! I needed Cheerios and I am now fully stocked. Thanks!

[CrownCJ]

I'm new to this site, but definitely not new to couponing. I too love Dillon's.

If you don't have it in your budget to buy coupons, I suggest having your friends and family save their coupon inserts for you. If it's in your budget to buy coupons, still have your family and friends save their inserts for you. ;)

Check your local library to see if they have a place to "swap" coupons. You bring in what you don't use and take what you need is the basic idea.

Stockpile as much as you can when the sale is right. There are a lot of things that you use that you'll be able to pick up at Dillons' for free. Just can't be brand loyal, which I am not. Just a few example: free toothpaste/toothbrushes/deodarant/hand soap/cough drops

Just stick with it and before you know it, you won't go anywhere without your coupons and you'll know whether you can get an item cheaper or not.

And don't be afraid to ask us questions.

[brownie16]

WELCOME!

All the advice given so far is spot-on...my only other advice: Don't expect to get the hang of things right away. It takes time. I'd estimate it took me at least a year to get a system that worked for me, and where I understood how to do it. You can easily get a stockpile of items you use a lot pretty quickly, though. The cereal example above is a good example. You will drastically reduce your grocery expenditure if you can stockpile deals like that.

Read the blogs frequently...most times, you can just "cheat". The good deals will be posted.

Something else you might want to check into...I buy at least 1 KC Star most weeks. The coupons in it are SOOO much better than the Springfield NewsLeader. They sell them at some Kum & Go stores, and I even saw a spot for them near the register at my local WalMart. Of course, there are various machines out there, too.

Go to Sunday Coupon Preview to get an idea of what coupons will be in the next week's paper. It's a start, but keep in mind the coupons might not be the exact same in amounts.

Other questions? Just ask. Saturdays aren't good for me, generally.

[suex1996]

My little piece of advice is to always go to the Sunshine store (my fave) or any of the other stores, not the Battlefield one, even though it is closer. Especially Saturday nights...the redheaded lady cashier and Ed are usually working Saturday nights and they can be..let's say..difficult (the redhead lady usually is at least fairly courteous mostly). If you do happen to go in there on Saturday evening, you may run into one or the other or (gasp!) both! Just keep in mind that Ed is very rude to most people..it's not just you!

[WeatherGirl]

Originally Posted by suex1996 Just keep in mind that Ed is very rude to most people..it's not just you!

LOL! It's not just you. LOL! That's true though...

[jblhopper]

Hey, a bunch ladies for the encouragement! It seems really confusing to me with all the lingo and I feel pressured for time. I also don't have anywhere to do a stockpile as of yet, but I will see if my mom will let me stock in there basement. I was thinking about going by some of the gas stations here that sell the newsleader and asking them if I could get the inserts from the Sundays papers that they didn't sell on Monday morning. Have any of you done that? By the way, how much are coupons on ebay? I thought that it was not legal to sell q's, but if it's on ebay, then it must be. Can any of you share some of the other sites/blogs that you frequent to get more savings?

[couponmomoftwo]

Hello and welcome! I would be willing to walk you through how I coupon at Dillons! Let me know when a Saturday works for you, what time is best for you, and we'll meet! Before then, I have tons of Dillons links on my blog here: Dillons | I Heart Coupon Deals! Read through my Dillons 101 post! Get ready to save big bucks!

[Tracy_in_Missouri]

I see that lots of our super wonderful Dillons boardies have already made you feel welcome ! Coupon Mom would be a wonderful *hand holder* for you at Dillons I'd love to meet up with you, but it would be several weeks until I have a free Saturday . Im typically a weekday shopper and I've also got my hubby well trained and he stops through in the evening on his way home from work.

If you want to stockpile Brownie mix this coming week its perfect timing to order some $1/2 Pillsbury coupons at Ebay to be ready for the 10/$10 sale that starts tomorrow. Thats an easy and cheap one that you might be able to find a friend to split with you ( a 20pk at ebay would get you 40 brownies YIKES ! ) Ordering on Tuesday is safest but sometimes waiting til as late as Thursday still works out.