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Coupon Policies

  Another thing you should do while starting out your couponing adventure, is carry the store’s coupon policy. When I first heard that I should carry the coupon policy around with me I thought that was going a little extreme. I mean after all it’s the store’s policy, right? Well, one thing is that this is extreme couponing and that means you have to become extreme is some senses. And then I learned after my first experience of being told “no” that I should have had the policy with me.

   Stores change their cashiers quite often and as a result the cashiers don’t get all of the up-to-date training. And as a result of that when you try to use a BOGO coupon on a BOGO sale to get both items free, the cashier may say “I’m sorry ma’am but you can’t use that coupon since it’s already BOGO.” It’s not the cashier’s fault so please do try and stay nice to them, but if you do come across a situation where they are saying “no” but you know it’s  a “yes, yes, YES!” then nicely pull out your policy and inform them that here it says that yes you can use that coupon. More often than not if you pull out the policy printed from their website there won’t be any hassle. And if they still won’t budge ask for a manager. It may take you longer but you’ll be verifying your own information as well as making sure that that cashier knows for future times.

   I can’t promise that every transaction will go along without a hitch. I had one cashier tell me once that she wouldn’t take my coupons because she didn’t want to hold up her line. I informed her that by the store’s policy she had to take the coupons and it just so happened that’s when a manager walked by and heard what was going on. The manager was nice enough to take me over and ring me up herself, after informing the cashier she had to take coupons. What the cashier wasn’t realizing is that it took the same amount of time to argue with me then it would have to just take the coupons. Be prepared to take a stand on couponing. You don’t have to become overly aggressive, but if you know that you are right, ask for a manager. And if that manager still says no, then say “I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make this transaction today.” And leave. Yes you will have wasted the time, but it’s not worth the aggravation to fight against a brick wall. When stuff like that happens to me, it makes me want to get those free items or nearly free items even more then paying full price, because as I say, “It’s stickin’ it to the man!”

   Couponing will show you how to become empowered. It may sound weird but it does. You begin to stand up for yourself. You know you can get the things you want for less if you just wait. And that waiting makes those items that much more satisfactory. When I go clothes shopping now, I can’t even look at full priced items. Everything I buy has to be less then full price because I know eventually it will be. And I can wait if it means saving that extra 20%, 30% or sometimes 80%.

   Couponing is a happy experience. If it becomes too stressful or you feel overly aggrevated at the cashiers, then take a step back and see what you can do to make it more pleasurable. It should feel exciting. I get a rush every time I walk out of that store with a full basket and money still in my pocket. I even get excited when I see clearance items that I have a coupon for. People look at me funny sometimes but hey, I am getting the items I need and want for less then anyone else around me. Look for those couponing ladies at your grocery stores. You’ll see the binders and the carts full of seven or eight of the same items. Say hi, it’s a great experience to meet those other couponers. I try to meet at least one new person while I’m out and share tips and deals. It’s fun!

   Now looping back to the coupon policies, I have put up links to all the stores that I most frequent. If your store isn’t on the list then go to their website and look for one. Or the next time you are at the store ask customer service if they have one, and where you can find it, or if they can just print it out for you.

• Walgreens 
• Walmart 
• Target 

Talk the Talk

  I wanted to go over a bit of Couponing lingo for you. I know that when I first started out and was checking out some of these sites they would say things and I had no idea what was going on. In time you’ll begin to just pick it up or figure it out from what you know but here are a few starters. 

• BOGO or B1G1 is simply Buy One Get One Free
• MF – Manufactures’ Coupon
• MIR – Mail In Rebate
• QP is sometimes used and it is short for Coupon. (This one really threw me for a loop.)
• Overage – Overage is when the price of the coupon exceeds the price of the item resulting in money due back (doesn’t always happen.)
• RR – Register Rewards given at Walgreens
• ECB – Extra Care Bucks given at CVS

   There are just a few to start you off. If I think of any more along the way I will be sure to update this post with new ones. And as always if you find one you aren’t sure of or think it should be up here then by all means, comment and I’ll let you know or add it on up here!

What Coupons?

 The next question I'm sure you are thinking is, what coupons should I keep and cut? All of them! If you don't mind getting it for free or making some overage on it, keep the coupon. As for online coupons, don't get crazy with them. That wastes paper and ink and eventually money. I learned that you should only print the ones you plan on using right away or are high value. Now if you know that the coupon will be popular, print that as well. Online coupons are only there for a certain amount of time and only have a certain amount that can be printed. You can print usually up to 2 times for one coupon on each computer but the coupon may only be out there to a few thousand prints. Once those thousand prints are printed the coupon is gone.
  Now why are you printing coupons you won't use the products for? Because you may use them if they are free or make you money. If you won't use them no matter what then take those items and donate them to a local charity. One example is an accu-check blood gluclose checker that Walgreens usually has on sale. If there is a coupon for $5 off and they have it on sale for $14.99 with a $14.99 mail in rebate,  you take that coupon and pay $9.99 but do the MIR for $14.99. That was just a $5 money maker for you. Now if you won't use that accu-check take it up to your local senior citizen center and donate it and they will be more then happy to take it and give it to a person that will use it. It's a win-win for both parties. You can do the same with homeless shelters, humane societies, or just about any non-profit organization that takes donations.
   Your expired coupons also keep because you can send those to military commissaries and they can use the expired coupons anyway. Another great reason to keep all coupons!

Organization

   Organization for a complete couponing experience is essential. There are many ways to get your coupons into shape and get the most out of them. I'll explore a few options for you here and then you truly just need to take whatever works for you.
   For beginners a big system may be too much at once and feel a little overwhelming, so just start out with an envelope to hold your coupons. There are other small coupon holders but an envelope is a cheap and easy way to start off. That was how I started off but now my coupons have exceeded my envelope.
I moved onto a zippered binder but I have also out grown that too. Below is my new binder.

   It is a nice big one. It holds all my coupons in baseball card holders. And I have it sorted with dividers. 

   I am in the process of reorganizing it. Currently I have it organized by general categories; produce/salad, meat/dairy, snacks, frozen food, personal, household, misc and meds. I want to go ahead and make the categories more defined, by adding things like candy and makeup. You really just need to find the method that works for you.
   Another option that is out there is to not cut all the coupons individually and just log the inserts by date. Find a method that works for you and the time that you can set aside to do it. If you do chose to not cut all the coupons, make sure to know what you want to purchase before you go to the store so that you aren't cutting in the middle of the aisles and taking up more time and getting knocked with angry carts.
   You don't have to spend the time that it takes to cut every coupon. It takes me about 2-4 hours a week to cut all my coupons. If you don't have the time for that, don't sweat, you can take however long you can spare.

So, go ahead and start up your system. Start small and then as you go and you learn, expand. And as always have fun saving that money!!

Walmart Coupon Policy Update

Walmart has just updated their coupon policy to include overage. To all you newbie couponers, overage is when the coupon covers more then the price of the item. So from now on if you have an item, let's say lotion, and the cost of the lotion is $1.96 and your coupon is for $2 you will get an overage of $0.04. On that item it wouldn't be much but there are deals and coupons out there that can give you major overage.

• Coupons may exceed the price of the item. Change may be given or applied toward the cost of the basket purchase.

That's even the icing on the cake since you can get change back. I had stopped shopping at Walmart because of their coupon policy but I may just start shopping there again with this overage!



**********Make sure to print out the policy and carry it with you, just in case you may need it**********



(Kudos to Hip2save)

The Beginning

   In the beginning there were companies and those companies sold groceries. Then there were customers and those customers paid FULL price for everything. But eventually Coupon Ladies were created and they brought along the men to help them. I am a Coupon Lady and I am a hippie saver. I "stick it to the man" every time I go shopping. 

   So a little about myself. I'm Danielle and I'll be your hippiesaver guide. I am also a newly engaged 22 year old that is trying to save money for a new place and a soon to be wedding. Couponing was first introduced to me about a month or so ago and ever since it's become a hobby, a second job and a way of life for me. Not only am I saving money that I can use for more important things but I am also stockpiling for my new place. To have all the things I will need for a few months, so that if the money isn't there to buy them, no problem, they're already stockpiled!

   Couponing has become a second job for me and it makes me so excited and happy to share my couponing accomplishments and all my tips and tricks that I decided to start hippiesaver. It will be out there to help anyone who is willing to put the time into having fun shopping and most importantly, SAVING money!!!

**Warning: I am new to the blog scene, so please be patient as I try to get everything figured out! :)