Coupon Tip Tuesday: Easy Shopping List

March 8, 2011 - 48 Comments

Last year I made a quick tutorial to show you how to print a shopping list using our store match-ups! This application has been updated since and is even better now, but this video will give you the info you need to use the shopping list!

Listen carefully and you will hear my 2 year old putting his 2 cents in. Have Fun!

Find more couponing tips in our Coupon Tip Tuesday series.

Find more fab video tutorials.

If you are reading this by RSS feed or google reader you will need to click through to watch the video!

By Monica

48 Comments
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday, Video

Coupon Tip Tuesday: Benefits of Multiple Coupons

January 18, 2011 - 27 Comments

If you can get pasta for FREE it is GOOD to get ONE, but MUCH BETTER to get TEN!

Buying one saves you $2, buying ten saves you $20.

So to really start saving you need MORE COUPONS!

There are lots of places to find coupons, but if you want to build a stockpile this is what we recommend……..

Multiple Sunday Newspapers:

Last year when it came time for Amber to renew her newspaper subscription she asked herself, “Do I Really Need 5 Sunday Papers?” She found that with 5 copies of just one coupon insert she was able to save $94.83 in one shopping trip!

FabFrugals can get newspaper deals up to 5 newspapers each Sunday for only $3 a week! Ambers subscription easily pays for itself.

So what if there is no newspaper deal in your area?

Coupon Clipping Services:

Offer all of your favorite coupons pre-clipped and shipped to your door!

Don’t want to miss out on any of the coupons?

You can order multiple whole inserts through Coupon Dede or TheQHunter! You can then organize them using the Clipless Organization System! Inserts prices vary .30-$1.50 each.

Only want to get coupons you know you will use?

You can order your favorites through our coupon clippers or on ebay!

order when you really need to stock up
order when your area did not get a fab coupon
order when you will be able to get items for free with coupons
order when you see coupons for things you use
order when you find high value coupons
order when there is a fab sale

Never ordered on ebay, but want to give it a try?

We will show you how to order on ebay! It is easy peasy! Tips for ordering coupons on ebay!

NOTE: WE ARE NOT RECOMMENDING THAT YOU BUY HOARDS AND HOARDS OF FOOD. BUY WHAT YOU NEED AND WILL USE! Get enough to last until the next sale. Not a 3-5 year supply. For ideas on how much you should buy watch our How Much Cereal Should I Buy video. AND How Much Chicken Should I Get?

By Monica

27 Comments
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday
Tagged With: Coupon Tips

Coupon Tip Tuesday: Fabuless Coupon Database

November 23, 2010 - 5 Comments

We are so excited to tell you about our coupon database! The database makes it easy to find the coupons you are looking for!

It. Is. Awesome.

Where to find the database?

On our menu bar go to Printable Coupons then click on coupon database at the top and Viola!

Search for Coupons with keywords:

If you are looking for cookie coupons simply type cookie in the search box and our database will find all the cookie coupons for you!

Filter Coupons by type:

If you need a printable coupon simple choose that type of coupon from the list and the database will only show you printable coupons for your search.

Other ways to Search:

Source date: the day the coupon was released
Value: the dollar value of the coupon
Expiration: not expired or expired 3, 6, 12 months

Share the Coupon Love:

If you find a coupon that is not listed you can suggest a coupon to the database and share it with others!

You may see a database link in our match-ups:

If there are many places you can find a coupon for Skippy, we may link you to the database search result for Skippy so you can see all the options for coupons!

You can also find the database at: http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/database

Have fun!

By Monica

5 Comments
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday, Coupons
Tagged With: blinkie, coupon database, coupon inserts, Coupons, facebook coupons, manufacture coupons, peelie, Printable Coupons, search

Coupon Tip Tuesday: Kindness Pays

November 9, 2010 - 10 Comments

My Checker Paid For My Groceries!

We try to teach our readers to Give Couponers A Good Name! It pays in a big way for everyone!

Last week I was shopping at Albertsons doing double deals on my lunch break. Before I went in the store I grabbed my Albertsons gift card, my preferred card and the coupons for the deals I planned on getting.

When I got in line my checker rang everything up to $2 and change and I scanned my gift card. My gift card rang up NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS! OH MY! (I grabbed my old gift card with no balance) The checker went to grab my binder for me to get some money. I explained “there is no money in there, I just brought in this gift card and I grabbed the wrong one.”

Now I am standing in line feeling embarrassed and rushed because I have to get back to work. My mind trails off as I reprimand myself for grabbing the wrong card. Not even sure why I am holding onto a card with nothing on it? Then my checker offered to just pay for my order. I had to think for a minute, can she trust me? Do I even have money in my car to pay her back? I realized I did and let her PAY FOR MY GROCERIES! I quickly ran out to my car and brought her back some cash.

Wow! What a nice thing to do. If I was crabby to my checkers, ignored my checkers or tried to sneak coupons by my checkers I am pretty sure my checker would not have done this for me.

I am actually a pretty shy person and before I started couponing I never talked to my checkers. When I started to coupon I was worried that the checkers would be mean, or mad because I used coupons so I decided I had to try harder to be friendly and make things easier for my checker. I use methods like those explained in my “Give Couponers A Good Name” post. It is also important to use good coupon Ethics and never be mean to a checker.

Take a minute to read these posts and help Give Coupons A Good Name!

What goes around comes around.

By Monica

10 Comments
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday, Coupons
Tagged With: checker, Couponing, Coupons, Ethics

Coupon Tip Tuesday: Overcoming the Coupon Critic in You!

November 2, 2010 - 2 Comments

Are you confused by couponing?

Are you not sure if couponing will really work for you?

My friend Jill has been a coupon critic for over 2 years! She recently decided to try out couponing and guess what she loves it! I interviewed her to try to find out what kept her from couponing? Why she decided to try it, and why it works for her now!

If you are feeling confused or skeptical maybe this will help you!

By Monica

2 Comments
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday, Video
Tagged With: Couponing, Coupons

Coupon Tip Tuesday: Be Kind to Cashiers!

October 19, 2010 - 26 Comments

This week might be a good one for a little coupon etiquette review! In our class, we teach all about couponing ethics as well as “giving couponers a good name“. We try really hard to teach that here at fabulesslyfrugal! We believe that most of our readers are good couponers and try to follow the rules and treat others with respect. We hope that the person portrayed in the following story is not a fab follower.

Fab FruGAL Teri J sent us an experience that she had recently. I think it is good for us to be reminded of these types of things once in while so that we can be on our best behavior.

Please Don’t Be the Couponer That Makes a Checker Cry

“I was at Albertsons today and was talking to my favorite checker. There was no one behind me so we had time to visit. She told me a story that made me a bit upset. One day last week she had a customer come through her line that had coupons. Some of the coupons had been cut in a way that the expiration date was cut off. My checker explained that she could not take coupons without an expiration date. The lady then proceeded to throw a fit insisting yes she would take them. She started screaming, being rude etc. She informed the checker that “it is people like me who are unemployed and use coupons that are the reason you have your job”. She made such a scene that my checker said she (the checker) was in tears after it was over. Please don’t be this person when you coupon. If you feel that the checker is wrong, which can happen, calmly ask for a manager. You can even go to customer service after your transaction is finished and speak with someone. Being calm and polite does not hurt anyone and will leave you feeling better as well as those you deal with.”

Thanks TeriJ!

How Do You Make Your Checkers Job More Enjoyable?

By Monica

26 Comments
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday
Tagged With: cashier, Coupon Tips, Ethics

Coupon Tip Tuesday: Facebook Coupons

October 12, 2010 - 7 Comments

Facebook is a fabulous place to find coupons! Simply search out your favorite companies or products and there is a good chance you will find coupons on their facebook page. If you do not want to search for coupons you can just print the facebook coupons we find for you!

Before you can get a coupon on Facebook you usually have to like the company offering the coupon. You then will get their updates in your feed. Sometimes you have to allow an application before you can go to the next step. You could just go back and unlike them but, I have a better solution.

Have you ever considered having a facebook couponers profile?

We always recommend having two email addresses. One for your personal email and one for your coupons email. This way all of your coupons go to the same inbox and you do not have to sort through them daily. You can actually use your own inbox as a search engine for coupons. Why not do this for facebook too? If you do not want certain companies updates create an alternate fb account just for “liking” companies.

You will save even more money getting updates from your favorite companies as they offer you more coupons and discounts you will see them in your feed.

Find the facebook coupons we are blogging about!

By Monica

7 Comments
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday, Coupons
Tagged With: coupon, Coupon Tips, Coupons, facebook

Fabuless Coupon Tip Tuesday: Think Small

October 5, 2010 - Leave a Comment

Think Small
When shopping for coupon items sometimes it pays off to think small. Before I was a couponer I usually bought things in bulk. I always want to get the lowest price per once or pound. Normally that means buying in bulk. However when you use coupons you can usually get items for free if you get the smaller option. Free always wins in the price per ounce conversion. Like we learned in Elementary school anything times zero is always zero.

This photo is from a few months back when I spent some time in the trial size section at Target. Having trial size items is always handy for trips or emergency packs. Be sure that you check the coupon for restrictions on size. If it says “not for trial size” or the for 8 oz or larger and you are looking at a 6 oz trial size product you should not get it.

AJ is an expert at finding trial size freebies. Check out this weeks Target post for the latest freebies in the trial section at Target.

Originally Posted: June 2009

By Fab FruGALS

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday
Tagged With: Freebie, Target, trial size

Coupon Tip Tuesday: E-Coupons

September 28, 2010 - 10 Comments

E-Coupons or electronic coupons are a convenient way to save money at the grocery store. Free coupons load directly to your participating grocery store savings card, so there is no paper to lose or forget.

Fred Meyer ecoupons are so great. Basically you attach electronic coupons to your Fred Meyer rewards card. When you scan the card at check out, any qualifying coupons will deduct from your total!

Target ecoupons are called mobile coupons. These will really only work on smartphones, or a phone that has browser capabilities. Once a month, Target sends out a text with a link to their mobile web coupons. Clicking on the link brings you to a page that has a funky barcode that the cashier can scan at checkout. Learn more about Target Mobile Coupons.

SavingStar: If you haven’t signed up for SavingStar yet, what are you waiting for? This program is awesome!

Here’s how it works:

Select the eCoupons you like on the website or mobile app and they are automatically linked to your store card.
Use your card when you checkout and the money is added to your SavingStar account. The savings don’t change your bill at the register and the savings are not printed on the receipt. Instead, they get deposited into your account within 7-30 days depending upon where you shop.
Once your SavingStar account reaches $5 in savings, you can pick your payout from a bank account deposit, a PayPal account deposit, an Amazon gift card or a donation to charity. More options to come!

You can read more about this program HERE.

Cellfire:works with dozens of other stores besides Fred Meyer including: Safeway, Smiths, Vons, Domonicks, Vons, Fry’s, Tom Thumb, Pavillions, Ralphs, Randalls, Giant Eagle, Dillions and many more.
New to Cellfire? Start HERE!
Cellfire allows you to save online grocery coupons directly to your supermarket savings card. No clipping, no printing, no forgetting! Save hundreds of dollars on your groceries with Cellfire’s free paperless coupons. Just like paper coupons there are load limits so hurry and load yours before they disappear!

Upromise: Rather than receiving cash off your purchases, your savings goes into your Upromise account. You can then earn interest for tax-free college savings! You can also pay off student loans or receive a check for college expenses!

P&GeSaver: Download Procter and Gamble Coupons right to your store savings card.

Shortcuts: One more site to find electronic coupons.

By Monica

10 Comments
Filed Under: Coupon Tip Tuesday, Coupons
Tagged With: Coupons, e-coupons, electronic coupons, How to, loyalty card, savings card

How To Roll Catalinas

September 14, 2010 - 14 Comments

The secret to saving 90% on your groceries is rolling catalinas! You probably saw Ambers Albertsons & Walgreens shopping trip post yesterday where she actually left the store with $13.70 MORE in her pocket than when she went off shopping!

She reveals this secret of successful couponing in this 10 minute video. She’ll show you step by step how she got “paid” to shop!

You can view a break down of her Walgreens transactions, and the Albertsons transactions, so you can go do these shopping trips too! (The Albertsons sale ends at MIDNIGHT!). The Walgreens deals go all week (and the John Frieda goes all month!)

Want to learn more secrets of successful couponing? We show you all of them in our 90 minute DVD, The Seven Secrets of Successful Couponing. Order it today and we’ll get it right out to you!

By Monica