March is a great month to save on….

Frozen Food:

March is national frozen food month. This means you will find almost every variety of frozen food on sale at some point during the month! Keep an eye out for frozen juices, frozen waffles, frozen potatoes, frozen vegetables, and more!

Print these March sale item coupons…

St. Patrick’s Day:

Find sales on corned beef, cabbage and clearance deals on St. Patricks days stuff after St. Patricks day.

Find pre- St. Patrick’s day baking supply sales and deals.

Easter:

Easter comes in March this year so be on the look out for deals for your Easter dinner. Find sales on ham, eggs, rolls and candy. Be sure to hit the clearance sales after Easter.

Print these March sale item coupons…

Visit our Sale Cycles page for a full list of the sale cycles and a free downloadable version for your coupon binder.

One of the biggest secrets to saving money is knowing the sale cycles! Buy when the price is at it’s lowest and you will save every time!

January is a great month to save on….

Christmas clearance items:  Not all stores are cleared out for Christmas the day after Christmas. Keep your eye out for Toys on clearance, wrapping paper, decorations, lights, ornaments, candy and much more. Look for the Target toy clearance sale in January too! One of my favorite clearance items to find is Glade candles. You can often get them FREE when you combine these coupons with the clearance price.

Health Products: Diet shakes, diet bars, vitamins, medicines for cold and flu season and smoking cessation medications.

Fitness Equipment: It is time to think about getting healthy again! You can find workout games, Fitness DVD’s, fitness equipment and fitness magazines at great prices.

Quaker products: Look for a sale on Quaker products at your local grocery store and stock up on granola bars, oatmeal and cereal for a great sale price!

Super Bowl Party : Super Bowl is around the corner and stores will have sales on food and snacks for Super Bowl. Looks for deals on  soda, crackers, chips, dip, salsa, cream cheese, crackers and cookies. This is also  a good time to get a new TV if you have been looking for one.

Linens: Towels and bedding tend to go on sale.

Semi-annual sales: at Bath & Body Works and Gap and many other stores in your local mall.

Winter Clothes: Look for winter clothes on clearance and stock up for your kids, spouse or yourself for next year.

Storage Bins: Storage bins go on sale every January. January is a great time to clean out the house and put things away.

Snow Sleds: Get great deals on gear for the Winter Snow. Here are some Snow Sled Deals.

Diapers for Babies: January usually brings a good sale on diapers and other baby products. Albertsons usually runs a baby promotion in January.

Cleaning Products: Cleaning products tend to go on sale in January.

Do you know how to combine store coupons and manufacturers coupons to save even more money at the grocery store? Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

Many moons ago when we were figuring out how to coupon we were astounded when we learned this!

You can actually use TWO coupons on ONE product!

You can not use two manufacturers coupons on the same product BUT…

You can combine a store coupon and a manufactures coupon for one item!

Here is a scenario to show you how it works…

Many stores offer store coupons to their customers  Here are a few of our favorite stores that have store coupons: Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Target (Target store coupons are on their website).

Why does this work? The store coupon acts as a voucher allowing you to get the store sale. You can always combine your manufacturers coupons with a store sale. This sale you just need to have a store coupon to get the sale price!

More Coupon Education Resources:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

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I used to call Costco the $100 store. I could not seem to get out of Costco with out spending at least $100! You probably did not learn this secret on reality television. We are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family. I first talked about Costco and coupons a few years ago, but a few things have changed since.

Before I started to coupon the fabuless way you could say I had an addiction to shopping at Costco. I live near a Costco so I would go 1-2 times every week, and I could not get out of the store with out spending $100!

Old way of couponing- The only form of couponing I knew was to use the coupons in the Costco coupon booklet. Buying in bulk was saving me money, but I had no idea how much more money I could be saving.

Know your price points- When I started doing more research about price points I was finding that if I am  patient and wait for a deal I can get a better price with coupons! So I started buying more things with coupons at other stores.

When I started couponing I had to still shop at Costco sometimes because I was still in stockpile building mode. I would stop by Costco to get the items that I had not found on sale with coupons.  As I got my stockpile built with some good basics I was shopping at Costco less and less.  When I walk through the store now it makes me sick to see how much I used to pay for things I now pay pennies for.

We often get this question in our inbox:

Do you use the Costco coupons?
The answer is rarely. I find that almost every time I can get an item for less if I wait for a sale and use my coupons from the newspaper or printable coupons. Or buy the item on amazon.

Can Costco coupons be used anywhere else?
No they can only be used at Costco!

Items I used to buy at Costco, but can now get for less shopping the fabuless way:

Chicken Now I stock up on this and freeze it when I can get it for $1.88/lb or less for boneless skinless
Carnation Instant Breakfast
Prego Sauce
Bagels
Hamburger I stock up and freeze why I can buy from Zaycon
Oatmeal
Bread
Cheese I buy cheese for $2/lb or less and buy several. These can be frozen. They have a long shelf life in the fridge as well as long as you do not open them.
Toilet Paper Find great deal on amazon here. 
Diapers & Wipes Great diaper deals on amazon
Fruit Snacks
Sour Cream
Juice
Granola Bars
Vitamins
Shaving Cream
Produce I buy the produce that is on sale usually at Fred Meyer or WinCo
Paper Towels
Kleenex
Shampoo I like to get FREE  shampoo
Body Wash
Razors will not pay more than $1 for razors
Tampons
Toothpaste I only buy free toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Floss
Laundry Soap
Dish Soap
Cereal do not pay more than $1.00 a box!
Dish Detergent
Yogurt

Download the price point list. 

After getting the hang of couponing I found that I did not need to shop at Costco much at all. Instead of spending $5,000 a year at Costco I was spending more like $500 a year at Costco. So here is the next big question we get…..

Is it worth it to keep your Costco Membership?

Yes. To me it is. Why?
I can still get some great deals on some staple foods and I don’t pay much if anything for the membership. I pay for our membership with cash back from our executive membership and our American Express Card.

Electronics: Costco has great prices for electronics and a 90 day return policy no matter what!

The Return Policy: Costco will let you return almost anything for any reason, even dead trees! haha. (you know you have seen it)

Clothing: It is hard to beat Costco’s price for name brand jeans!

Gifts: We love to shop Costco at Christmas time, we alway find some great gifts there! Although since I discovered Amazon for Christmas shopping, I do most of my shopping from home online.

Gas Prices: Costco has the lowest price in town for gas! Yes, I can get if for less at Albertsons some of the time with my preferred card gas rewards, but not every time.

Prescriptions: Costco usually has the lowest price for prescriptions! Don’t believe me? Check out the Costco Drug Price Checker! Type in any prescription you usually buy and I bet it will be less. They even give you the price for the generic alternative! (You do not have to be a member for this benefit.)

So how do I get out of Costco spending under $100?

I can easily get out of Costco now spending less than $50!  I only buy the staple items that I have not been able to get for good deals with coupons. Now that I have learned my price points I know which items are worth buying at Costco.

• bread
• eggs
• produce
• milk (If I am out for milk coupons)
• gas
• take and bake pizza
• croissants (My weakness)

PS One rule I often follow is to only buy what I can carry!

So I want to know.

Is it still worth it for you to shop at Costco?

More Coupon Education Resources:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD

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One of the Secrets to Successful couponing is knowing your price points. If you know your price points you never have to pay full price for individual grocery items. You can wait for a sale to come and then stock-up!  Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

When I first started couponing I would make lists of prices for products I normally buy at my top three grocery stores. I would then track which store had the best price. Then I would not pay more than the best price. I needed some kind of guide so I knew if I was getting a good deal. Just because you have a coupon does not mean you are getting a good deal. You must have a good sale price to go with your coupon!

More Coupon Education Resources:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD

You do not have to leave the store disappointing and with out a deal when couponing. Even with crazy extreme couponers clearing the shelves there are ways to avoid missing out on the deal. Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

Has this ever happened to you? You find a great deal! Giddy with excitement you take time to print coupons, organize coupons, drive to your local store and find the place where the item SHOULD be in your store. Only to be heart broken by empty shelves. Someone TOOK ALL OF THE PRODUCT! Well maybe? But maybe 20 someones got there before you and each took 2-3. Empty shelves can be common when lots of great deals are circulating through the stores you shop. You do not have to leave the store without the deal. I first addressed this in my post Fabuless Coupon Tip Tuesday: How to Avoid Leaving the Store without the Deal. I thought it was about time we revisited these ideas.

Shelf clearing is not cool, we do not even think it is cool to clear a shelf in the name of charity. I have seen many cleared shelves in my couponing days. Remember the crazy diaper lady? Even after 4 years of many cleared shelves I still find it worth my time to coupon if I remember to use these strategies…

Eight Ways to Avoid Leaving the Store Empty Handed

Place an order of the items you really want or need a lot of. You can do this with your manager or at customer service. It can be done on the phone or in person. Here are some details on how to place an order.

Get a rain check(s) for the item(s) out of stock. You can not get a rain check for a catalina, but you can get a rain check on most store coupons and store sale prices.

Choose another store! Some stores are overloaded with coupon shoppers and are always going to get cleaned out. Some stores are within a demographic that has many coupon shoppers. Shop in the area of town that does not have lot’s of couponers. It is always worth a few extra miles for a hassle free shopping trip.

Don’t wait until the last day of the sale to shop, your store is likely to be out of the items you need!

Learn your stores ordering schedule. Then shop on the days you know they will be stocked. Many stores receive shipments 3 times a week and it is always the same three days. Keep in mind the time of day the shipments come in too. So you don’t show up a few hours before it arrives.

Don’t be afraid to ask if they have items in the back. Many times the store has just not had time to re-stock. If you ask a grocery manager they may be able to get you more product from the back.

Call right before you leave to see if your top 3 items are in stock. That will help you decide if it is worth a trip to the store. Try your three closest stores and choose the one that is stocked the best.

Be a team player- Be a part of the solution not the problem. Never clear a shelf. Avoid taking more product than you can reasonably use before it expires.

Feel free to add in the comments any tips you have to make the shopping trip worth while!

I hope these tip help YOU! I hope everyone will remember to be considerate of other shoppers when making your coupon shopping trips! It is up to us (you and me) to give couponers a good name.

Learn the 7 Secrets of Successful Couponing

in our 90-minute DVD!

More Coupon Education Resources:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD

Do you know how to tell a legitimate coupon from a fake? Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

This week the Walmart on Greenhurst and 12th in Nampa, Idaho quit taking black and white coupons due to coupon misuse. Maybe this has already happened in your area? If it has not it may be just a matter of time. We do not want any Fab Frugals to misuse coupons so we are going to review the security features of the coupons so you can all be sure to use coupons correctly. Giving couponers a good name is the responsibility of each and every one of us.

That last time I shared this information was in the Coupon Tip Tuesday series. I wrote a post called How to Tell a Fake.  So this is a little review from that post…

Rule 1: Be sure to stick to reputable sites when printing coupons like: coupons.com, smartsource, and redplum. If you print from a manufacturers website or a bricks coupon link you will be safe as well. We have a more comprehensive list of reputable coupons printing sites here

A few things to looks for on a legitimate coupon from coupons.com:

1. Product watermark behind the coupon value
2. Little dots in the expiration date box (yellow in color)
3. The time and date stamp around the coupon
4. Unique serial number on the coupon (See “Features that are different” below)
5. Coupons.com logo and verify logo

A few things that raise a red flag when printing coupons:

1. Coupons from an email sent to you by a friend and not the manufacturer
2. Coupons found in a PDF form
3. Coupons that do not have a print limit
4. Expiration date that is really, really far out
5. Coupon that does not have a bar code.
6. Coupon is for a FREE product {These are rarely printable off the internet normally obtained directly through a manufacturer}
7. Coupon value is unusually high

If you suspect a fraudulent coupon you can check to see if it is listed on the counterfeit coupon list. If the suspicious coupon is not listed and you think it is fake you can report fraudulent coupons here.

Never copy your coupons doing so makes them fraudulent! Learn more about coupon ethics here!

HOW DO YOU TELL A FAKE?

More Coupon Education Resources:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD

You can eat gluten free food and still save money! Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

Eating Gluten Free Foods and using Coupons

Coupons.com - Our favorite site to print coupons is Coupons.com. They often have coupons for gluten free brands like Chex, Glutino, Udi, and more.  They also offer coupons for milk. yogurt, cheese, organic agave nectar, organic sweeteners and Dole Salad blends. One secret I like to share in our coupon classes is that if you use zipcode 90210 on Coupons.com you can often find more coupons for organic or gluten free brands.

Coupon Database – Our coupon database is a great resource for coupons. If you search the words gluten free you can find a huge list of gluten free coupons.

Facebook – Gluten free food manufacturers want people to buy their gluten free products just as much as other manufacturers. Think of your five favorite gluten free food companies and go like them on facebook. Then see if they are offering any coupons.

Manufacturers - Gluten free manufacturers are a great source for gluten free coupons. Gluten free manufacturers will often offer organic coupons on their websites. You can also write to gluten free manufacturers and ask for coupons! This is also a good way to get high value coupons.

Vitacost – We absolutly love Vitacost.com! Vitacost has lots of organic and gluten free products. My favorite thing about vitacost is that when you sign up here, you get a $10 credit to use on anything on the site. If you tell your friends about them you can earn more $10 credits! See what I bought at Vitacost. Try vitacost for your gluten free food needs, you will find brands like Bob’s Red Mill, Ener-G, Annie’s Naturals, Tinkyada, Udi’s, Glutino, Gluten Free Pantry, Blue Diamond, and many, many more!

PS You can get the $10 credit NOW!

Amazon – You can find lots of gluten free products on amazon.com, including organic foods. Amazon carries gluten free foods from brands like Annie’s Homegrown, Bob’s Red Mill, Pamela’s Products, OrgraN,  and many more!  See a full list of gluten free products carried on >>>> Amazon.com. To save on EVEN MORE on gluten free products on amazon simply subscribe & save when you order. You will get a discount for subscribing. You can easily cancel your subscription at no charge, if you change your mind. You will still save money even if you cancel!

More Coupon Education Resources:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

We have been talking about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating  junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money and still eat healthy. So for the past eight weeks we have been talking about….

• Eating Healthy and Saving Money Introduction
• Coupons for Organic Foods
• Eating Healthy and Saving Money
• 5 Easy Ways to Prepare and Preserve Produce
• More Ideas for Preserving Produce
• Saving Money on Meat
• Don’t Be Brand Specific
• Focus on Personal Care Products

But I have a confession to make…

Sometimes I Buy Junk Food

{Pin This}

If I can get a good deal on junk food sometimes I buy it. I do not buy it every time it goes on sale. Buying junk food when it is cheap does not mean that we eat it for every meal. In fact we do not even eat it every day. We probably do not even eat it every week, but in the following situations it kinda comes in handy!

For Last Minute BBQ’s, Football Parties, Get togethers, Camping Trips and any road trip ect…

I keep on hand:

• chips
• cookies
• chex mix
• soda/pop
• crackers
• candy

I never pay full price for junk food! If I can not get it for cheap I do not buy it. So I admit this stuff is not healthy, but when I need a quick treat for a party it saves me a TON of money to not have to go to the store and pay full price. I can just go to my pantry and pull out something from my little stockpile.

What do you have in your “treat” stockpile?

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

I have been busy writing the articles below to show you that you can coupon and save money and still eat HEALTHY! I have a few more articles for you in this series,  but I have to interupt my series this week to bring you LIFE CHANGING NEWS!

Monday afternoon I was printing my favorite coupons from coupons.com and it was taking FOREVER! You see coupons.com just had a site remodel. When a site makes changes the goal is to make the site more user friendly for it’s users. But sometimes it takes a while to figure out how the site is more user friendly. That can be frustrating. Do you know that after printing your first set of coupons on coupons.com they kick all the coupons you just printed to the last page? You can then print them another time. With the new format on coupons.com you can not click on the numbers and skip pages to make it to the last page faster. UGH. so it takes FOREVER. I was wasting so much time scanning through 13 pages and waiting for each one to load.

Last night after another frustrating episode of printing coupons (the milk and cheese coupons reset), I asked our friends on Facebook if anyone had found a solution to this problem. Fab Facebook friend Magen had a solution! ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?

Click on “show more coupons” then hit the space bar 10 ish times until all the pages quickly roll out before your eyes! Woot!

Now go try it and see how it works for you!

 Click here to try it.

UPDATE: It appears this tip is not working on the mac. Fab Frugal Sherry got it to work by clicking on the show more coupon button and push the space bar and then tap the mouse.  How is it working for you?

P.S. If you missed my tip for changing the zip code on coupons.com <—- check it out!

Next week I will have more on this series below and I will also have a confession to make. 

• Eating Healthy and Saving Money Introduction
• Coupons for Organic Foods
• Eating Healthy and Saving Money
• 5 Easy Ways to Prepare and Preserve Produce
• More Ideas for Preserving Produce
• Saving Money on Meat
• Don’t Be Brand Specific
• Focus on Personal Care Products

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

We have been talking about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating  junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money and still eat healthy. This week I am going to talk about another way you can coupon and still eat healthy, don’t focus on food.

Maybe couponing for food is overwhelming to you? Maybe you like to only eat organic foods? (We have a coupon for that!) Organic food coupons. Maybe you are on a gluten free diet? (We have a post coming for Gluten Free Coupons). Maybe you have food allergies and don’t have many food options? DO NOT FOCUS ON FOOD!

Focus on Personal Care Products

Price Point - You can get many personal care products to free! Yes FREE! See that picture above? Those are all products that I got for free using coupons. I did not get them all in one shopping trip. I did it one week at a time. You are not going to be able to get all your personal care products for free so it is important to know the right price points. Knowing the price points helps you know when you should wait for a product to be free and keeps you from paying too much for a product that you can typically get for less.

Shop the Drug stores – The main place to focus if you are after personal care products are the drug stores. So check the site for  CVS coupon deals, Walgreens coupon deals, and Rite Aid coupon deals.

Build a Stockpile – When you can get a good price on a personal care product buy a few of them. No need to clear the shelves. Just get enough to last for 3-6 months, which probably won’t be much. Personal care products tend to last for a long time. Much longer than food does.

Take a Break - The nice thing about personal care products is that once you have 10 tubes of toothpaste you really do not need anymore. So you can STOP stockpiling toothpaste for more than a year! Once you have built up a little stockpile of personal care products feel free to take a break and just use the products you already have.

Maintenance Mode – When I first started couponing I hit the drug stores once a week or once every two weeks slowly building up my stockpile. I did this for less than a year before I found that I had a well rounded stockpile of products and I did not need to buy any more. So I went into maintenance mode. Now I just buy a few things here and there when my stockpile gets low. For example when my toothpaste gets down to 3 tubes I keep an eye out for a free toothpaste deal.

Learn more about eating healthy and still saving money!

Look for the following topics…

• Eating Healthy and Saving Money Introduction <<—- Read about it now
• Coupons for Organic Foods <<—- Read about it now
• Eating Healthy and Saving Money <<—- Read about it now
• 5 Easy Ways to Prepare and Preserve Produce <<—- Read about it now
• More Ideas for Preserving Produce <<—- Read about it now
• Saving Money on Meat <<—- Read about it now
• Don’t Be Brand Specific <<—- Read about it now
• Focus on Personal Care Products  {This Post}
• I Admit, Sometimes I Eat Junk Food {Coming}

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

We have been talking about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy. This week I am going to talk about how part of the secret to eating healthy and using coupons is to be willing to try new brands.

Don’t Be Brand Specific

Say good-bye to loyalties: Before I learned how to really use coupons effectively I bought mostly generic products. I did not care if my green beans were green giant or store brand. To me green beans are green beans it does not matter what the label says. So it was easy for my to forget brand loyalty when I started to coupon because I did not really have many brand loyalties.

Don’t pass up stock-up prices: If you want to get the bottom line lowest prices on food you have to be willing to try new brands. Your favorite brands are not always going to be what is on sale.

You might find a new favorite: When you are willing to try new brands you not only save more money but sometimes you find a new favorite. One time I bought some Pillsbury Mini Brownies for $0.25 a box because they were on a good sale. The brownies did not call for eggs or oil only water, so I was not sure they would be good. It turns out they were good and because they did not call for anything extra they did not cost me any more money to make them. They also came with disposable trays to bake in so I did not have to wash any pans. So in this case trying something new turned out to be something  we liked.

Learn more about our discussion on eating healthy and still saving money! Look forward to the following. Here are the other topics…

• Eating Healthy and Saving Money Introduction
• Coupons for Organic Foods <<—- Read about it now
• Eating Healthy and Saving Money  <<—- Read about it now
• 5 Easy Ways to Prepare and Preserve Produce <<—- Read about it now
• More Ideas for Preserving Produce <<—- Read about it now
• Saving Money on Meat {Coming}
• Don’t Be Brand Specific  {This Post}
• Focus on Personal Care Products {Coming}
• I Admit, Sometimes I Eat Junk Food {Coming}

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

We have been talking about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy. This week I am going to talk about how we buy our meat for less.

 {Pin This}

Buying Meat for Less

There are 4 key ingredients to saving money on meat. First you have to know your price points, second you have to find a sale, third you must stock-up and fourth you must preserve your meat.

Price Points

You have to know your price points if you are going to save money on meat. Refuse to pay more than a certain set good price. For example I will not pay more than $1.99 for boneless skinless chicken breast, and I do not stock up on it until it is $1.88 or less.

Find a Sale

I know that my grocery store will have a sale on chicken at least once every 6 weeks. So I wait for that sale. I also buy from Zaycon because they generally can bring chicken in for a lower price than my grocery store. The other nice thing about Zaycon is there meat is fabulous. Zaycon chicken is never frozen and comes fresh from the farm. HOT READER TIP: Find out when you local store marks down their meat, then buy it when it is marked down.

Stock-up

At my grocery store I will buy enough chicken to last until the next sale so that I do not ever have to pay full price again. Sale cycles on meat run at least every 6 weeks. (Learn more about Sale Cycles).  When Zaycon comes to town I buy at least a 40 lb box, sometimes I buy 3 boxes and split them in half with a friend so I will have 60 lbs of chicken. I have found that 60 lbs of chicken can last my family of four 6 months.

Preserving Meat

Freeze Your Meat - If you buy enough meat to last 6 weeks or 6 months it will certainly spoil in your fridge. So we recommend freezing it. Freezing meat will keep it fresh for a long time. Check out the recommendation for Safe Freezing Time.

Preparing for Freezing – When I buy meat from my grocery store meat counter I typically have the butcher package my meat in dinner portions. For my family of four I typically cook with about 1 lb of meat. So I ask for 1 lb packages of meat. When I buy from Zaycon I package my meat myself. Check out my video that shows you how to prepare meat for freezing.

Tools for Freezing Meat – When I freeze meat I use ziploc freezer bags or my Foodsaver. The more air you can get out when freezing your meat the more you are protected from freezer burn. I love my Foodsaver because it gets all of the air out, and my meat stays fresher longer.

Canning Meat – Canning meat is also an option. I have never tried it myself, but I have heard that this is a fantastic book here if you want to learn to can meat. The nice thing about canning is that you do not have to worry about losing your meat if the power goes out and the freezer thaws.

Dehydrating Meat – I love my  food dehydrator. Dehydrating meat is a great way to make jerky. Check out our video tutorial on how to make homemade jerky.

More Tips for Freezing

• Safely Thawing Foods
• Foods you can freeze
• Temperature Guide for Safe Grilling Meat

 Bonus Coupon Tip

When couponing if you are earning catalinas it is a great idea to use your catalinas to help you buy meat. Be sure you are still getting a good price though.

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

 {Pin This}

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

We have been talking about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy. Last week we talked about 5 Easy Ways To Prepare or Preserve Produce. This week I am going to talk some more about how we prepare and preserve the produce that we buy.

 More Ideas for Preserving Produce

Canning Produce – When you can foods they can last for years on your shelf and you do not have to worry about the power going out and your freezer thawing. I have done some canning in my life, but I do not consider myself and expert. Some of the other fabfrugals are expert canners and will be sharing their canning secrets with you later in the summer. I am going to share my apricot canning with you. It is so easy. Learn more from the  Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving book.

Make Freezer Jam – Freezer jam is so easy to make. No cooking or hot stove involved. Jam is a wonderful way to preserve your produce. Your family will thank you for it. Plus it tastes so much better that the store bought jam!

• Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe
• Peach Freezer Jam Recipe

Make Bottled Jam – Canning Jam takes more time and patience, but it can last much longer than freezer jam and does not take up freezer space.

• Canning Fresh Fruit Jam 
• Canning Raspberry Jam

Freezing Produce –  Freezing produce is so easy. I have been doing it forever. In the last few years I discovered that with a foodsaver your food lasts much longer and avoids freezer burn.

• Tips for Freezing Corn
• How to Freeze Pineapple 
• Easy Way to Freeze Strawberries
• How to Freeze Asparagus 
• How to Freeze Melons
• Freezing Produce Part 1
• Freezing Produce Part 2

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

We have been talking about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy. This week I am going to talk about how we prepare and preserve the produce that we buy.

Preserving and Preparing Produce

I do not want you to be overwhelmed with the task of preserving or using your fruit when you get it on a good sale, or when it takes over your garden. I used to feel like I was not domestic enough to can and make jam so I did not have many options besides my freezer for preserving my produce. I have listed 5 easy ways to use your produce that do not take much time at all!

5 Easy Ways to Preserve Produce

1. Eat it fresh -

We love to eat produce fresh for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. If you can not eat all of your produce that way we have some more easy options.

2. Make Fruit Leather -

I am in love with my food dehydrator. My kids and husband love it when I make fruit rolls. My fruit roll recipe is so easy to follow and does not take very much time at all. My kids and I used to love to eat store bought Fruit Roll ups. I have been able to get them free with coupons in the past. I started to notice that the artificial colors were turning my kids poop green. That just does not seem right to me. I was also discovering that red dyes can contribute to children having a hard time focusing in school. For myself I found that I would get a headache from the sugar and additives any time I ate a store bought Fruit Roll Up.  When I make homemade fruit rolls I control the amount of sugar they have. In fact I do not even use sugar I use Xylitol or pineapple juice or honey. All the ingredients are simple and natural and the fruit rolls taste soooo good!

• Tutorial for making Fruit Rolls

3. Dehydrating Food -

Did I say, I am in love with my food dehydrator? Dehydrating food is so easy. You can dehydrate only one tray if you are short on time or limited on food. Or you can dehydrate 10 trays at one time if you are really stocked up on produce. I find that when I have some fruit that is getting a little old on the counter and no one wants to eat it. I can dehydrate it and it will be gobbled up.

• Tutorial for dehydrating apples.

4. Fruit Smoothies -

My family loves fruit smoothies. All you need is a little juice, some fruit, a sweetener and ice! Three easy fruit smoothie recipes:

• Peach Banana Smoothi Recipe
• Strawberry Smoothie Recipe
• Homemade Orange Julius Recipe

I never made smoothies until I got my Vitamix super blender! Now making smoothies is so easy.  Cathy loves the Blendtec super blender.

5. Homemade Fruit Popsicles -

I love feed my children real fruit popsicles.  I can control the sugar and I know they are getting real fruit. I usually just make fruit popsicles with left over smoothies. You can get popsicle molds online. We have also had success making popsicles in old yogurt cups. We simply put the lid back over the top and pop a popsicle stick through the center.

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

We have been talking about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy. This week I am going to talk about how you can eat healthy and still save money! You do not have to spend a lot of money to enjoy fresh produce.

Eating Healthy and Saving Money

Money may not grow on trees, but healthy food does!

Plant a Tree: When we moved into our first home we planted 3 fruit trees in the back yard. Two varieties of cherry trees so that they could cross pollinate with each other and a peach tree. We only paid about $10 each for them at Costco. We no longer live in that house, we rent it out. Lucky for us we can go back and pick cherries from it still. The second house we bought had two existing apricot trees. So we have fresh free apricots we can eat each summer.

Grow a Garden: We have been talking a lot about gardening on Fabulessly Frugal. Gardens are a wonderful way to get produce for less. Here are just a few of the gardening tips we have to offer…

• Planting Seeds Early
• Frugal Gardening Tips
• Preparing Garden Soil
• Re-grow Green Onions
• Gardening in Small Places
• Building a Tepee Trellis 
• Building a Greenhouse
• Building a Compost Bin
• Homemade Pesticide 
• Homemade Aphid Spray
• Organic Weed Killer
• Homemade Vegetable Preserver
• Idaho Garden Tour
• Oregon Garden Tour

Produce Sales: When we can get a good price on something we stock up on it. If we find a good price for diapers we buy 3-4 boxes instead of one. When we can get a good price on Deodorant we buy more than one. We buy our produce when it is in season. When you can get good prices on produce it is time to stock up! See our price point guide it has guidelines for good prices for produce. Typically the produce I buy each week is the produce that is on sale. I check my stores add and buy the produce that is on sale.

Local Growers: Some of you may have access to orchards or gardens where you can pick or glean your own produce for hugely discounted prices and sometimes even for free.

Bonus Coupon Tip

When couponing if you are earning catalinas it is a great idea to use your catalina’s to help you buy produce. Be sure you are still getting a good price though.

Learn more about eating healthy and still saving money!

Look forward to the following topics…

• • Eating Healthy and Saving Money Introduction
  • Coupons for Organic Foods <<—- Read about it now
  • Eating Healthy and Saving Money  {This Post}
  • 5 Easy Ways to Prepare and Preserve Produce {Coming}
  • More Ideas for Preserving Produce {Coming}
  • Saving Money on Meat {Coming}
  • Don’t Be Brand Specific {Coming}
  • Focus on Personal Care Products {Coming}
  • I Admit, Sometimes I Eat Junk Food {Coming}

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

Last time I told you about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy. This week I am going to talk about how you can eat organic foods and still save money with coupons!

{Pin This}

Eating Organic Foods with Coupons

Coupons.com - Our favorite site to print coupons is Coupons.com . They often have coupons for organic brands like Muir Glen, Newman’s Own,  Seed’s of Change, Cascadian Farms, Snikiddy, and more.  They also offer coupons for milk. yogurt, cheese, organic agave nectar, organic sweeteners and Dole Salad blends. One secret I like to share in our coupon classes is that if you use zipcode 90210 on Coupons.com you can often find more coupons for organic brands.

Coupon Database – Our coupon database is a great resource for coupons. If you search the word organic you can find a huge list of organic coupons.

Facebook – Organic food manufacturers want people to buy their organic products just as much as other manufacturers. Think of your five favorite organic food companies and  go like them on facebook. Then see if they are offering any coupons.

Manufacturers - Organic manufacturers are a great source for organic coupons. Organic manufacturers will often offer organic coupons on their websites. You can also write to organic manufacturers and ask for coupons! This is also a good way to get high value coupons.

Vitacost – We absolutly love Vitacost.com! Vitacost has lots of organic and gluten free products. My favorite thing about vitacost is that when you sign up here, you get a $10 credit to use on anything on the site. If you tell your friends about them you can earn more $10 credits! See what I bought at Vitacost. Try vitacost for your organic food needs!

Amazon – You can find lots of organic products on amazon.com, including organic foods. Amazon carries organic foods from brands like Annie’s Homegrown, Raw Revolution, Pacific Natural Foods, HAPPY BABY, Bob’s Red Mill, Plum Organics and many more!  See a full list of organic products carried on >>>> Amazon.com. To save on organic products on amazon simply subscribe & save when you order. You will get a discount for subscribing. You can easily cancel your subscription at no charge, if you change your mind. You will still save money even if you cancel!

Gluten Free – If you are on a gluten free diet you can save money too. All of the idea I shared about organic products in the article can apply to Gluten Free. I even saw a coupon for Glutino on Coupons.com!

So this is just the beginning of our discussion about eating healthy and still saving money! Look forward to the following topics in the weeks to come…

• Eating Healthy and Saving Money Introduction
• Coupons for Organic Foods {This Post}
• Eating Healthy and Saving Money  <<—- Read about it now
• 5 Easy Ways to Prepare and Preserve Produce <<—- Read about it now
• More Ideas for Preserving Produce <<—- Read about it now
• Saving Money on Meat {Coming}
• Don’t Be Brand Specific  {This Post}
• Focus on Personal Care Products {Coming}
• I Admit, Sometimes I Eat Junk Food {Coming}

More Coupon Education Resources:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

{Pin This}

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

One of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. Even though some coupons are for processed foods that does not mean I buy them all. Just becasue I have a coupon for cookies does not mean I buy them.

When we were featured in the New York Times Magazine many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. This was baffling to me because in the article it talks about how we bought milk, yogurt, tuna and pasta.  At first it really bothered me that people would say that we only eat junk food. They have not looked in my fridge, toured my pantry, or joined us for dinner. How can they accuse me and my friend of feeding our families poorly? But I quickly got over the hurt and bewilderment and realized that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy.

I wrote a series of posts addressing the following topics to help you get the full picture of how we use coupons and sales to save money and eat healthy!

All of the posts in this series….

• Eating Healthy and Saving Money Introduction
• Coupons for Organic Foods
• Eating Healthy and Saving Money
• 5 Easy Ways to Prepare and Preserve Produce
• More Ideas for Preserving Produce 
• Saving Money on Meat
• Don’t Be Brand Specific
• Focus on Personal Care Products 
• I Admit, Sometimes I Eat Junk Food 

If you have any specific topics on the subject of Eating Healthy and Couponing, that you would like me to discuss, please leave a comment. We can discuss in the comments or I will write another article to answer the question. 

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

{Pin This}

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

One of the most disapponiting things when couponing is to find a cleared shelf, or just that your store has not ordered enough to sustain the sale. Don’t forget that most stores offer a rain check! With a rain check you can come back later the next week and get the sale price on the item when it is back in stock.  So do not feel like you missed out because you can still get the deal. Sometimes the deal can even get better with a rain check if a better coupon comes out or a new catalina is available.

Rain check policies for some of your favorite stores:

• Abertsons rain checks are good for 30 days, and they won’t give you one on “Coupon required” sales (like get $.39 Tillamook yogurt with in store coupon)
• Walgreens rain checks expire in 30 days, but they will not give you a rain check that includes the RR part of it.  Most limit it to 4 items.
• Rite Aid does include the Ups+ on their rain checks (they write them right on the rain check)
• Target rain checks are good for 30 days, but they won’t do them on most advertised prices, they’ll usually offer an immediate “other option” instead.
• CVS offers rain checks on non-seasonal/non regularly stocked items.  There is no expiration date on the rain check (but you must buy the entire quantity you requested when you got the rain check if they are in stock), you can’t split it up into multiple transactions.
• Walmart Does not offer rain checks because they do not have many advertised sales.
• Fred Meyer rain checks are even good on store coupons.

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

{Pin This}

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

Did you know that you can get two items for free if you combine a BOGO sale with BOGO coupon for the same two items? Keep in mind, not all stores honor this coupon method, but both Albertsons and Walgreens have it as part of their coupons policies. So you may need to check your stores policies before you do it.

If your head is spinning trying to figure out how this two items free with a BOGO works watch this short video to learn more about Buy One Get One Free Coupons.

You can learn all the secrets of successful couponing in our coupon class!  And lucky you… we have it on DVD!

Use coupon code: MONICA

and get the DVD for only $17.00 plus shipping.  We guarantee you’ll save that much money your first week of shopping after you’ve implemented the tools we teach on our DVD!

–>Click here to buy the DVD now!<–

Now you can go get free razors at Albertsons, with this BOGO promo that lasts through the end of the month!!!

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

This week I cleaned out my pantry. Guess what? I found some expired food. (Cue doom and gloom music) Apparently I am not perfect, not even close. Sometimes I buy food with the best of intentions to use it and then forget that it is even in my pantry. But most of the time I keep from wasting food. Part of being frugal is using what you have and not buying more than you need.

Here are my tips to help you avoid food waste:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

Have you ever had a confrontation with a fellow couponer in the store? I have and it was horrible.

It was January 09, 2009 the year of the EPIC Diaper Deal. It was very early in my couponing days and I was still trying to figure things out. I had been trying to figure out the Albertson’s diaper deal and finally had it figured out by reading in forums (There were not many blogs back then). I went to Albertsons and they were all out of diapers. I got a bigger pack and went up front to see if it would work with the deal. After talking to the ladies in the front for 25 minutes it did not seem like it would. So they recommended I call in the morning and see if the right package size was back in stock.

The next morning I called and they told me that they had just finished stocking the shelves. So I loaded up my children and went to the store. I headed straight for the diaper aisle. As I made my way down the aisle I could see a lady with her cart jam packed full of Pamper’s Diapers in the Jumbo Size. The diapers I needed for the deal! I looked up to see about 6 packs left in the size 3 which is what I needed. I jokingly asked her if she was going to take all of the diapers. This is how the conversation went…

CRAZY LADY: ya all of the diapers left on the shelf I am saving for my friend.
ME: Really I said, but your friend is not here.
CRAZY LADY: Well she just called me and she is coming.
ME: Well I am sure it wouldn’t be a big deal if I just took three.
CRAZY LADY: You can have any of those other box packages.
ME: Well those are not part of the deal you know that.
CRAZY LADY: All I know is that my friend told me to come and get these diapers.

I went to reach for the diapers and she flipped. Trying to grab them before I could.  I managed to get two packages off the shelf and the ranting began.

CRAZY LADY: I can’t believe you are doing this. I have been here for 1 1/2 hours waiting for these diapers.
ME: I am sorry, but you can’t just save diapers on the shelf.
CRAZY LADY: Well they reserved all of these diapers for me (If they did that they would have been in the back, she was such a liar).
ME: Well I am sure you will be fine you have whole cart full (the lower section and the whole basket). I really just need one more to do the deal. (I was hoping she would see how stupid she was being and give me one package) I guess I was hoping she would come to her senses.
CRAZY LADY: Well I need all these diapers.
ME: Well I need diapers too, (pointing to me infant in the cart.)
CRAZY LADY: I came here last night to get them and they were out.
ME: So did I.

Finally I realized she was not going to relent and I was not about to take any diapers from her cart so I decided I would grab a bag of size 4 off the shelf and move on.

ME: You know if you don’t know the deal you are going to have to pay a lot more for those diapers, I will tell you if you just give me a pack of 3′s. (I kind of wanted to see if she was lying about her knowledge. You have to buy the diapers in sets of three in different transactions or you will not get your $20 back.)
CRAZY LADY: Oh I know that you have to but them in sets of 3.

I started to make my way down the aisle I had sick feeling in my stomach. I do not like confrontation and it just was icky to me fighting with a grown woman in a grocery store. I turned around and said,

ME: I am sorry I upset you. I really didn’t think it would be a big deal.
CRAZY LADY: Well I was just trying to be a good friend and get some diapers for my friend. She has seven kids.
ME: I think there will be plenty of diapers for her.
CRAZY LADY: Well I just needed the size 3. (She had multiple sizes in the cart)

I started to walk away and then decided with such a good deal maybe I should get some size 4. I turn around and she is putting the size 4 in her cart. I watch her for a minute thinking she might be about done b/c her cart will not fit anymore diapers. She starts to walk away and a couple of Albertson’s managers come up to her and tell her that the deal does not work at all Albertson’s that it is only some stores. That it was not advertised in their ad and she begins her rant and I head off.

I debated, are they right about it not working here? I know that it worked yesterday because the employee’s told me that people did it yesterday in that store. I decided I would try it and if it did not work just return the diapers. Three packages would not be a big deal. I went through the line and presto just like I read….. To see the amazing diaper deal read the original Beware of Crazy Shoppers.

Soon after this experience as I continued to coupon I learned that diaper deals come back! This was not the last good diaper deal of the century. But I also learned that NO COUPON DEAL IS WORTH ACTING LIKE A CRAZY PERSON. It was a huge eye opener to me and has always helped me to remember that I am not the only person wanting to get good deals and I want to be careful that I am always considerate of others. Have you ever had a confrontation with another couponer? What would you have done in my shoes? Oh do you like my shoes? I got them from Famous Footwear.

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

Earlier in this series I wrote a post about Store Sale Cycles and I fruGal Tammy asked me this question…

“Ok, so I know this extreme couponing show stuff is definitely not reality, but what I’d like to know after watching one show….is how the heck to they get those high value coupons? I rarely see one for more than a couple of dollars off something, and they were using coupons in the $7-11 range? Am I missing something?”

Last Monday when I got an excited comment from FruGal Taylor I decided to take a picture of some of the free coupons I have in my binder and let you in on my answer to Tammy’s question.

The high value coupons often come straight from the manufacturer. You can write some of your favorite manufacturers and request coupons. Tell them how much you love a product and they will often send you coupons for it.

I personally have received high value coupons at blog conferences I have been to where the manufacturer is personally handing them out. Manufacturers like to give coupons to consumers that are enthusiastic about their products.

Now see how excited Taylor is because writing manufacturers is really paying off for her. “Lately I’ve been sending emails to different brands that we love, asking for coupons and they are sending them! I suggest this if anyone has the time. AND… alot of them sent coupons for free stuff,eg. I got free (2) full size coffee mate, (2) advil up to $10.99, pasta prima, and so much more! I thought it might be a shot in the dark, but they really came through! And they will email when they have more coupons or offers. Take the time, its sooo worth it!”

Keep in mind you probably will not hear back from all of the manufactures, so do not go crazy with your stamps, but it is worth a shot! Good luck!

More places to find coupons…

Manufacturers websites
Manufacturers facebook pages
Coupon Database
Coupons.com
Redplum
Coupon Network
Smartsource
Newspapers
All You Magazine
eBay 
Coupon Clippers

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

I have always had a strong opinion about couponing for charity but I tend to keep it to myself to avoid conflict. I hate contention! But based on the comments I read in this post last week I thought it might be time to share my opinion and open this subject up for discussion.

Say no to shelf clearing in the name of charity.

I think that it is very noble to give of your sustenance to help other people in this world. I believe that if you have extra items in your coupon stockpile it is wonderful to give them to others in need. Heck, that is one of the reasons I love couponing. I love having an abundance and being able to share it with others.

What I do not believe in is clearing the shelves in the name of charity. Some people go from store to store clearing out the deals to take the free items to the local shelter or food pantry. The reason I have a problem with this is because there are people who are couponing to survive. People who use coupons to keep their family off of welfare. People who use coupons to keep their homes from going into foreclosure. When the shelves are empty of the good deals these people are robbed of their ability to remain self sufficient.

I want you to give to charity.

It is all about keeping things in moderation. Just like we never recommend shelf clearing for your personal stockpile building we do not recommend it for giving to charity. So similarly we recommend stockpiling at a moderate pace, coupon for charity at a moderate place. When you see a fab deal on free deodorant grab a few extra to donate, but be sure you are leaving some behind for others. You can also call your store ahead of time and place and order so that you are not taking away for the product orders for the sale.

Now when I say discussion I mean respectful discussion. Remember I said I hate contention. I do not want to see any fighting in the comments, but I want to know your thoughts. What you have seen, what you have done, tips and tricks you have learned along the way. God bless those of you that donate your time, talents and stockpiles to charity, but let’s also remember the fellow couponer who just might be couponing to survive.

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

• What is a Catalina? Learn what a catalina is. Ok now that you know what a catalina is.
• Do you know where to find catalinas? Learn how to find out which catalinas are printing.
• What do you do if your catalina does not print? We have lot’s of ideas to help you get your catalina coupon.

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

The #1 secret to successful couponing is to…

…change the way you think about grocery shopping!

I used to plan out a menu of things I wanted to make and then go to the store and buy groceries and let the store decide how much money I am going to spend. This is no longer the way I shop. Now I buy my pantry staples and favorite groceries when the prices are at their lowest and I stock up. Now I decide how much I am going to pay at the grocery store.

Now when I make my menu plan I plan from the food that I have in my pantry. The food that I paid rock bottom prices for. We try to help you with your shopping by posting grocery store coupon deals. We try to help you with your cooking by posting actual recipes that we are cooking from our stockpiles.

Watch this video where Cathy talks more about the #1 secret of couponing! 

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

What are some money saving apps that you love?

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

Do you have any favorite money saving or coupon apps?

Did you know that we recently released the new Fabulessly Frugal There’s a Coupon for That App? Right now it is only available for iphone, but the android version is coming soon! The app is not designed to look perfect on the ipad. If you have tried it on the ipad please let us know what you think. Feel free to leave comments on the app so we can be sure to work out any bugs.

Our app features our coupon database, our top store deals, our top amazon deals, current freebies, our cooking from your stockpile recipes, printable coupons, our most recent postings and more.

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

What are some money saving apps that you love?

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

Last week I posted a picture of my new printer and the coupons I had just printed and some of you Frugals almost had a heart attack that I printed in COLOR! Of course I know I can print my coupons in Black and White and my store will take them, but since I just got a new printer I had not yet taken the time to change the settings. Some of you fab Frugals posted instructions for changing your print settings to black and white so you could save on ink when printing coupons. So I have the instructions below plus I took it a step further with a video tutorial!

1. Go to your start button on your computer
2. Click on “devices and printers”
3. Choose the printer you want to use.
4. Right click on your printer, select “printer preferences”
5. At this point you may see the box that says “grayscale printing”.  If you do select it.
6. If you do not see grayscale printing on this page click on Advanced and then look for grayscale.
7. Go print some coupons!

Watch my video showing you how to change your printer setting to grayscale.

Thank you fab frugals Tonia and Angel for posting instructions for printing in grayscale in the comments last week!

Now you might like to see our video on the most effective ways to print coupons from coupons.com!

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

Do you know what you should be looking for when you go through your Sunday paper? Well if you want to save money you should look for coupons in the Sunday paper!

COUPON INSERTS:

SmartSource
Redplum
Procter & Gamble
General Mills (occasionally)
Pepsico : Moments to Save 

I tell you each week which inserts to expect in the coupon preview that posts on Thursday mornings at 7 AM MST. Keep in mind the inserts sometimes vary be region. 

In-Ad Coupons

Walgreens
Fred Meyer
Rite Aid
Michaels
JoAnns These are the in-ad coupons that I look from in my Boise area Idaho Statesman or Idaho Press Tribune. You will want to look for ads for CVS, or your local grocery store to see if they are offering coupons. Typically these coupons are only good for the ad cycle of one week.

Ad’s For My Favorite Stores

It is handy to have the ads for stores you may shop so that you can match your coupons with the store sales! If we are looking for a new electronic item I keep the Best Buy, Radio Shack and other electronic ads. If I have a craft project coming up I keep the Michaels and JoAnns ads. I always keep the ads for….Target, Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Walgreens and Rite Aid, because if there is a deal on grocery or personal care I can almost always use that!

A little real life demo of my Sunday Paper…..

Haha there was a coupon in the Parade that week. Did you catch it?

More Coupons in Your Sunday Paper

Albertsons Doubles Coupons: Use these to get twice the value of your coupons at Albertsons! These come about twice a month. We have lots of information about Albertsons Double Coupons. <—— Click here to learn more.

Fred Meyer: Every few months find a slick sheet from Fred Meyer with store coupons and manufacture coupons you can use at other stores too!

Parade: Find 2-3 manufacturer coupons in this magazine.

Restaurant Coupons: Macaroni Grill, Pizza Hut, Olive Garden ect.

Hastings: occasionally has coupons in their ad.

Clothing: JCPenny, Macy’s, and Sears, Kohls will often have %off coupons!

If you are not getting the Sunday Paper, check our our fabulous Newspaper Deals!

If you can not wait for coupons Click here to —>print coupons now!

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Which coupons do you look for in your paper?

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

To be successful at couponing you must be organized!

We have 3 fab ways to organize your coupons. Take a look at each method of organizing your coupons and decide which one works best for you.

Coupon Organization Method #1 The Filing System:

The filing system is nice because it takes very little effort to organize your coupons this way. The draw back to this method is that is takes more time to find your coupons and get organized for your coupon shopping trip. Find out where to find a great file folder, and how to organize your coupons with a file folder.

Coupon Organization Method #2 Baseball Card Method:

This is a great system if you have a visual mind. Seeing each coupon helps you remember what you have and helps you to remember to use them. I used this method for two years, then decided to move to the ClipLESS method to save myself some time. Find my categories for coupon organization, print my Binder Categories list, learn how to set up your coupon binder, find supplies to help you get started with this coupon organization method.

Coupon Organization Method #3: ClippLESS Method:

This method is a fab fruGal favorite! It can be done in 15 minutes or less and it is very easy to find your coupons. You just can’t be afraid to cut a coupon or two in the store. Learn how to organize you coupons with the clipLESS method and find supplies to help you get started with this coupon organization method.

I show our friend Shelly exactly how to organize her coupons using the clipless method in this Coupon Organization Video. WARNING… BAD HAIR. If Cathy would have let me see how weird my hair looks in this video I may not have let her post it to youtube. Enjoy.

So which coupon organization method do you like?

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

Get Started Building a Stockpile:

Top 20 items: What are the top 20 items you use most frequently from your pantry? Look through your cupboards and closets. What do you have in there? What are you always running out of? Maybe look at your recipes to see what you need the most of.

Set goals:

• How long do you want your stockpile to last?
• Determine how many of each of your top 2o pantry items you would like to have in your stockpile.

In this video Cathy talks about how she Stockpiles…

{Click here to watch the stockpile building video}

Cathy’s top 20 list:

Cream of Chicken Soup
Spaghetti Sauce
Pasta
Butter (you can freeze this you know!)
Cheese (look at the expiration dates… they last 6 months if they are sealed. You can also shred and freeze.)
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (we stock up on Chicken when they are $1.88/lb or less)
Veggies (frozen or canned)
Salad Dressing
BBQ Sauce
Brownie Mix
Mayonnaise
Chocolate Chips
Tuna
Cereal
Crackers
Juice
Canned Tomatoes
Ground Beef (Keep a stockpile in the freezer, thanks to Zaycon Meat Deals.
Yogurt (Usually does not last long in the fridge, but when we get a good deal we freeze some) Find which foods do not freeze well.
Granola Bars

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

What is on your top 20 list?

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

Fab FruGal Andelin wrote me last week asking a few questions about coupon clippers. I thought they were questions you all might like the answers to…

Coupon Clippers:

Do they all require a paypal account?
Yes most of the take paypal, but the great thing about paypal is you do not have to have a paypal account to use it, just a major credit card or debit card.

How long, on average, does it usually take to receive your coupons?
It certainly does vary by location. If you order from an East Coast seller and you live on the West Coast it will take longer to get your coupons. We recommend Manufactures Coupons to West Coast buyers, they are based in Washington. Most of our other coupon clippers are East Coast based. On average plan for it to take 2-3 days to get your coupons.

How does it compare to using ebay for coupons?
Coupon clippers and ebay can be very similar especially if you only use “buy it now” like we do. Sometimes the clippers are less than ebay though.

Can you got whole inserts or just individual coupons?
You can buy both whole inserts and individual coupons from most coupon clippers.

How come the coupon clippers have coupons I did not get in my newspaper?
Coupons vary by region. Coupon clippers can be a great place to find coupons that your area did not get.

Learn more coupon tips…

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more  Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Which are your favorite coupon clippers?

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

One big secret to saving money on your groceries is understanding the sale cycles. If you know what is going to be on sale you can get coupons to match. Buy during the sale cycle because that is when you will get the best deal.

This video gives you a run down of what to expect through out the year from the sales cylces…

{Click here to view the video}

Learn more about Sale Cycles and download our Sale Cycle list! 

• Read more tips to help your Extreme Couponing Education.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

The Secret of the Stockpile:

You really can’t make your stockpile work for you until it is well rounded.  Take for example this photo below…

This is a picture taken after one of my successful couponing trips a few summers ago. If I only couponed in the summer my poor family would have to live off of hot dogs and marshmallows year round. So for true coupon success you have to coupon through out the year so you can hit all of the different Sale Cycles!

Brief Summary of Sale Cycles:

• January: Diet foods, medicines, Quaker products, party foods, and Christmas clearance
• February: candy/chocolate, canned foods (veggies, fruit, tuna.)
• March: Frozen Food Month, Easter candy/baskets, cleaning supply sales begin,
• April: Easter dinner foods, Easter clearance
• May: Party foods, BBQ/Camping supplies
• June: National Dairy Month, BBQ/Camping supplies will continue, Gift Card Promotion (use the money you’re saving for Christmas and buy gift cards to use later, get free groceries NOW).
• July: MORE BBQ foods, school supply sales begin.
• August: School supply sales continue, school lunch items, Kraft
• September: Labor Day BBQ items and the end of school supply sales, Campbell’s sale, more “school food” items
• October: Halloween candy, toy sales begin
• November: Halloween clearance items, and all Thanksgiving dinner and baking items, Gift Card Promotions,
• December: Thanksgiving clearance items (decorations, napkins, etc.) and all Christmas dinner and baking items.

Visit our Sale Cycles page for a full list of the sale cycles and a free downloadable version for your coupon binder.

• Read more tips to help your Extreme Couponing Education.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing.

If you are like us, and have a fab subscription getting you 4, 5, or even 6 copies of the Sunday newspaper you probably have a LOT of coupons. You need these coupons so you can effectively build your stockpile. This means clipping your coupons could be a LOT of work! BUT there is an easier way!

Take a look at my pictorial below…

Are you coveting my cutting blade? You can snag a cutting blade of your own.

• Learn more about how to organize your coupons.
• Read more tips to help your Extreme Couponing Education.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!