Coupon Moms

I see you are from Lansing. I'm not sure if the stores in Lansing double or triple coupons - you'd have to check that out. Most likely if they do double they only double up to a certain $ amount and so many of the same coupon. Grand Rapids stores do not double or triple which makes it near impossible to get extreme savings like that for everything you would normally buy. I call it good if I can go to Meijer and save more than I spent. I have 3 kids so I don't have time to shop multiple stores and do the drug store deals. Good Luck!

Check out these places for coupons:
coupons.com
smartsource.com
couponsinc.com
redplum.com
bettycrocker.com
pillsbury.com
turntospartan.com (Spartan Stores like Family Fare and Glens)
meijermealbox.com
boxtops4education.com

do a search for specific products you use and sometimes you find coupons for example the Ronzoni pasta website has coupons, Nestle has coupons, etc.

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I use southernsavers.com. Not sure if this site will have grocery stores in your area, but it has a tutorial video on it that would be helpful for you to watch. It has saved me about $200 a month on groceries over the past 9 months. I am not hard core, crazy obsessed about it, so if I wanted to, I could probably be saving even more. I've gone from spending about $450 - $500 per month for a family of 4 to about $250-$300, depending on what we need. Don't buy too much into that TLC reality show - I've heard it is all staged, and the grocery stores are working with them to give really great deals. Besides there are very rarely coupons for meat or fresh produce, and those are staples in my home. If I can buy household necessities and pasta, beans, frozen foods etc... for pennies, that's what I'll save on! Good luck!

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My favorite website is www.hip2save.com. She has some really helpful videos for new couponers. You definitely can save a lot by using coupons, although that show may give an unrealistic view, its called 'extreme' for a reason. What I love about this website and others is that they put out weekly lists for different stores that match up the sales with coupons, basically doing most of the hard work for you. Since I've started couponing, I almost always get things like shampoo and toothpaste for free. Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

I am in the Detroit area and use barginstobounty.com. She posts sale and coupon matchups for Meijer, Kroger, Target, ect. She also has a lot of useful info on how to start couponing, saving money and even recipes. You can also browse around different blogs from her site (may be able to find one for the Lansing area).
I wouldn't dive in head first and put all of your spare time into searching for deals or cutting coupons because you can get burnt out EXTREMELY fast. Alot of the blog owners work together on rounding up the deals and then share the info, so pick 1 or 2 blogs and concentrate on them. Take is slow until you learn the ropes and then increase your goals.
I also second hip2save.com Colin is awesome!
Good Luck and feel free to message me if you have any questions!

1 mom found this helpful

I just wanted to say I saw that show too, and was totally shocked. My worry is expiration dates on the food items though. I am as anxious as you to hear how this can be acheived. ~D.~

I read www.moneysavingmom.com frequently too, as well as some of the other sites listed below.

I'm not a great couponer myself, but am learning to get better. It's a fun challenge!

I have a friend who is the Queen of couponing! haha A few Facebook sites she uses:

http://www.facebook.com/GimmieFreebies
http://www.facebook.com/FrugalFabulousFinds
http://www.facebook.com/thefrugalgirls

She also got me into Swag Bucks. I LOVE it! You earn swag bucks by searching & other things (like watching their Swag Bucks TV) for free. Then spend the swag bucks to get rewards. The best reward is a $5 Amazon gift card. I'm up to earning $25 per month at least. And Amazon has everything! lol I don't even do a whole lot with it, as I work full-time and also taking care of my almost 5 year old daughter by myself while hubby is deployed.

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/dealshanna

Let me know if you have any questions!

Um, not really coupon related, but I found one good way to cut back on costs by a bunch is to make your own laundry soap. It sounds like quite a chore and a pain but it's really very easy and quick. I was surprised at how little time and effort it actually takes. Just save your old laundry bottles so you can pour it into those for dispensing, whip up the recipe, and ta-da. Laundry for around a penny a load.

This is essentially the recipe I use (or at least, the one I started using - now I don't really use a recipe - I just make it).
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

The thing I find the hardest is getting rid of the expired ones before I try to use them. I wish they'd just self-destruct when they expire. Also, that you have to be very specific on what you buy - 2 of something or only a certain size or type of the product. I've messed up with this stuff when in a hurry. It's a slow way to shop so don't bring along family members who will be rushing you or mad at you for taking the extra time.

I use coupon.com, coupons in the Sunday paper, and each store website. Combine manufacturer coupons with store coupons. Last week I was able to get coconut milk for free by combining manufacturer coupons and Whole Foods coupons. Each week I go through all the store ads and match my coupons up to what is on sale. If I need something I don't have a coupon for I search on the web to see if I can find any. I also buy store brand if it is cheaper. Some weeks I save $30 or more, other weeks not as much. It really depends on what I need. Try to think of coupon clipping as a hobby and it will be less stressful. I actully find it fun!

I use www.savingsangel.com and I love it. It makes it really easy and I save a ton of money. My SIL also uses it and its just her and my brother - she loves how much money she saves with it. If you are interested in the details, please feel free to contact me off list.

J.

I had used couponmom for a while. I had seen her on Oprah and was impressed. You have to be very organized and diligent to make it work. Here's a link to it: http://www.couponmom.com/

I stopped after a few months. I like to use specific brands for certain things and w/ the coupon method you stock up on what's on sale - not necessarily items or brands you currently use. It wasn't for me, but I can understand it's great for people w/ bigger families that spend a lot on groceries

Good luck!.

One of my fav's is: http://www.couponing101.com/. Stephanie, the writer, had a great post about this exact topic today. Good luck!

I have seen that show and it is very inspiring. I can tell you I joined a coupon club about a year ago. There was a monthly fee of $15.00. You had to go out every Sunday morning and get at least 3 Detroit newspapers (they had the most coupons). I would spend about 2 hours cutting and sorting and filing the coupons. Then on Monday evenings the club would print an email with all of the extra sales from 3 different grocery stores. My problem with this was I normally grocery shop on Monday afternoons so unless I wanted to go a different day, I wasn't getting all of the deals. The next issue I had was grocery shopping took soooo long. I loved the savings I was getting but got tired of spending so much time in the store. Also, I was buying a ton of stuff that I wouldn't normally purchase because I had a coupon. Granted I was getting those items for free or very cheap but I also had to find places to store everything.
I would tell anyone who is thinking of doing this to try it. It was a little too much time consuming for me but it may work for you.