Helpful Tools Archives - Page 2 of 9

Coupon Tip: 5 Ways to Save Money on Meat

Hey – You don’t have to worry about pink slime being added to your ground beef if you’ve just watched your butcher take a chuck roast and grind it in front of you!

People who attend our coupon workshops always ask how to save money on meat. Ground Beef has risen in price quite a bit in the last couple years. I remember when my “buy” price for lean ground beef was around $1.50/lb. Lately – it’s hard to find it for less than $2.50/lb. One way to get cheap ground beef is to take whatever beef is on sale for the week (For instance, this week, Bi-Lo has London Broil on sale Buy One Get One Free) and ask your store butcher to grind it for you, or grind it yourself.

There are several benefits to doing this:

You can get a sale price on ground beef nearly every week – whether “ground beef” is on sale or not
You’ll be able to get leaner ground beef for the same price (or cheaper) than the more fatty, processed ground beef
You’ll get FRESHER ground beef
You won’t have to worry about the dreaded “pink slime” being added to lots of ground beef these days.

You’d be surprised at how willing your butcher is to not only grind your beef, but also cut it into cubes (for grilling kabobs or stew meat) or into steaks (from a roast). Just be extra-friendly when you ask !

More ways to save money on meat:

Look for meat markdowns.
Snatch up meat that has been marked down for quick sale – just make sure you use, cook or freeze it right away! Watch our video - Meat Markdowns at Bi-Lo
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Find Rebates & Coupons for Meat.
Many times around grilling season especially, you can find tearpads for rebates that include meat purchases – Read our post “The Beer Aisle: A Hot Spot for Coupons”. Sometimes you can also find coupons for meat – a good place to look is Coupons.com – just search the “food” category.
Buy a Side of Beef.
Find a local supplier and go in on it with another family. This is a great way to know the quality of your beef is good – most local ranchers are proud to offer hormone-free, grain fed beef.

Filed Under: Getting Started, Helpful Tools, Tutorials

May 17, 2012 by Kasey Leave a Comment

Coupon Tip: Always Get Rainchecks! (My Finish Detergent Deal)

You may hear couponers complaining sometimes that the deals and coupons just aren’t what they used to be – and to some extent, that’s true. It seems like prices go up, coupon values go down, and stores get a little more restrictive as time goes by. That’s not to say we don’t still come across plenty of amazing deals – but it’s fun to pull out Rainchecks I got awhile back and use them here and there for a better deal. Rainchecks are basically promise notes you get when products that are part of an advertised sale are out of stock – the store promises that whenever you come back with your raincheck in hand, you can get the deal/price you were wanting today.

Interesting Tidbit: CVS rainchecks currently have no expiration date. I have some from nearly 3 years ago just waiting for a time I need the items, or when some truly amazing coupons come out to pair them with.

This week CVS has Finish Electrasol Dishwashing tablets as part of an ECB Deal – and it reminded me that I have a raincheck for these tucked in my coupon binder. I fished it out, and it was better that this week’s deal – check it out:

Raincheck Deal from last year: Buy $20 in Finish Products @ $3 each ~ Get $10 Extra Care Bucks
Deal for this week: Buy $20 in Finish Products @ $3.50 each ~ Get $10 Extra Care Bucks

I handed over my raincheck and bought 7 boxes of Finish Gelpacs for $21
I used (7) $.75/1 Finish Coupons
I paid $15.75 ~ Got $10 Extra Care Bucks back

That’s just $5.75 for 8 boxes of Finish Geltabs, or $.82 each!

Filed Under: CVS, Getting Started, Helpful Tools

May 14, 2012 by Kasey Leave a Comment

Coupon Abbreviations, Slang & Lingo to Know!

We couponers use a lot of abbreviations and special “lingo” to talk about deals. It’s a sort of shorthand that makes our lives easier and saves our fingers some typing – but when you’re new to the couponing world, it can be confusing and overwhelming!

Here is an extensive field-guide to coupon abbreviations and lingo you’ll find us using here on Time2Save (New couponers, you may want to bookmark this page for easy reference!)

Coupon Inserts:

SS – Smart Source
RP – Red Plum
PG – Proctor & Gamble
GM – General Mills

Other Abbreviations:

$1/1 – $1 dollar off when you buy 1 product
$2/2 – $2 dollars off when you buy 2 products
BOGO or B1G1 – Buy one Get one Free
B2G1 – Buy two get one free
Cat – Catalina Reward
CRT – Cash Register Tape (usually refers to coupons found on a receipt)
DND – Do Not Double (some coupons say this on the bottom)
ECB – Extra Care Bucks, the CVS “store money” you earn on certain purchases
EXP – Expires on … (followed by date)
FAR – Free After Rebate
FLIP – Food Lion Internet Printable (Store coupons released weekly)
GC – Gift Card
HIPS – Harvey’s Internet Printable Coupons (Store coupons released weekly)
IP – Internet Printed coupon
IVC – Instant Value Coupon (Walgreens store coupons found in the ad or monthly booklet)
MFR – Manufacturer
MIR – Mail In Rebate
MM – Money Maker
MQ – Manufacturer Coupon
OOP – Out of Pocket
OOS – Out of Stock
OYNO – On Your Next Order
PSA – Prices Start At…
Q – Coupon
RIB – Reinventing Beauty Magazine found at CVS quarterly, full of store and mfr. coupons
RR – Register Reward printed at the end of a transaction at Walgreen’s in the form of a Catalina
SCR - Single Check Rebate (Rite-Aid rebate issued in the form of a check)
+UP – Rite-Aid “store money” (+ Up Rewards) earned on certain purchases
WAGS - Walgreens
WYB – When You Buy
YMMV – Your Mileage May Vary (in other words, this may vary from store to store)

Other Coupon Lingo:

Advantage Buy Flyer – Publix Coupon Flyers (Yellow-Grocery, Green-Health & Beauty)
Blinkie – A small box that dispenses coupons in a store, usually placed near the product
Catalina – Coupon that prints at the register when you buy a specific group of products
Double Coupon - A coupon that a grocery store doubles in value
eCoupon – Electronic coupon that you load onto your store loyalty card
Filler – An inexpensive item used to bring your total up to a certain amount (mostly Walgreens)
Hangtag/Winetag - A coupon hanging from the neck of a product
Insert – Coupons that come in Sunday Newspaper
Overage - The value of your coupons/rewards is greater than the cost of the item
Peelie – A coupon in the form of a sticker that has to be peeled off to redeem
Rain Check – Piece of paper given when a sale item is out of stock, guaranteeing the sale price valid for a later date
Rebate – Mail in offer for money or some other reward when certain items are purchased
Rolling – Separating orders to using one catalina or store reward to pay for the next transaction
Scanner Q – CVS Store Coupon that prints from the red machine when you scan your card
Stacking – Using a manufacturer coupon AND a store coupon together for more savings
Tearpad – A pad of coupons placed near a product

Slang you may hear in the Coupon Forums or Comments:

Some of this is just common internet slang – but I know when I first started reading the forums I was lost on some of these for a good long while!

BTW – By The Way
DD – Dear Daughter
DH – Dear Husband
DS – Dear Son
DIL – Daughter in Law
FS – Free Shipping
GDA – Good Deal Alert
HTH – Hope That Helps!
IMHO – In My Humble Opinion
ISO – In Search Of
LOL – Laughing Out Loud
ROFL – Rolling on the Floor Laughing
SAHM – Stay At Home Mom
SIL – Son in Law
TIA – Thanks In Advance

I hope this list helps you, but remember we’re always here to answer any questions you may have. Please leave us a comment and let us know if you have any that should be added to this list!

Filed Under: Getting Started, Helpful Tools, Learning the Lingo

May 10, 2012 by Kasey Leave a Comment

Couponing with Kids in Tow: Tips, tricks & humor to help you cope!

Couponing at the grocery or drug store takes patience and focus – and let’s face it, with kids in tow (especially the little ones) those qualities tend to fly out the window faster than you can say “Sit back down in the buggy and stop smacking your brother!” If you’ve forgotten what it’s like – CHECK THIS OUT!

So how is a couponer to manage? In a perfect world, our husbands would walk into the room and say “Sweetie, why don’t you take some time to get your list together and then go out for a couple hours. I’ve got the kids – take your time!” But even those of us who are blessed with wonderful husbands would probably fall out of our chairs if we ever heard those words.

So here’s what I do …. I don’t take my kids.

Unless I can’t help it, I will wrangle my schedule around so that I can go out once a week at nighttime, and I’ll hit every store I need to hit all in one fell swoop. I’ll stop at CVS on my way to Bi-Lo, make a pass at Walgreens on my way back – and call it a week! On an awesome Publix week, I have to plan a little harder because that’s a 20 minute drive for me – but for enough great deals I can make it happen.

These late night trips are pretty exhausting, but I spend the couple days ahead of time getting my list together, printing and clipping my coupons during a naptime or after the kids are in bed, and double checking on the shopping day for any last-minute finds. Being prepared it the best way to get in and out quickly and with everything you planned to get.

Phone a Friend:

Those times when I haven’t been able to get my husband to watch the kids – I’ve swapped “shopping times” with a friend. My friend Tessie used to come over and hang out with our kids while I ran out to the store – and then I’d come back and do the same for her.

In a pinch – I’ve even sent my coupons and list (prepared extra carefully to be considerate) with her while she went on a trip for the both of us.

There are usually ways to make it work – and it just makes it all so much easier when you can run in and out by yourself!

But what if leaving the kids at home is not an option?

Here are some tips to keep the kids happy and maintain your sanity while shopping with kids and coupons:

Prepare – Prepare – Prepare! If everything is printed, clipped, sorted and listed – you will be better able to stay on track. I even mark on my lists how many coupons I have for each item I’m buying – that way I don’t ever have to pull out the coupons to count them. (Less chance for them to get knocked to the floor)
Bring a snack, that way when the inevitable asking begins – you don’t have to splurge.
Think of a grocery game you can play with the kids – I like to have mine play “Spot the blinkie machines and tearpads” and I award them imaginary points for each one they find. That helps me not miss any – and keeps them occupied.
Ask them to help you load things into the cart – just keep them busy doing little things to help mommy – idle hands and all that….
Find out if your store offers balloons, stickers, lollipops, etc… For me, the time waiting at the register is the most stressful part – so a well-timed lollipop from our friendly Bi-Lo bagger is always a welcome distraction!

What tips do you have for couponing with kids? Please share them in the comment section below!

Filed Under: Family Life, Frugal Family Life, Getting Started, Girlfriend 2 Girlfriend, Helpful Tools, Tutorials

May 8, 2012 by Kasey Leave a Comment

When You Need a Break from Couponing (Part 2)

I got 10 packs of Trix Yogurt for $.59 each!

Couponing can be stressful and overwhelming at times, especially when you need to run out for groceries and you just don’t have time to check the ads, print coupons, clip them and form a gameplan. You’re not alone – we’ve ALL needed a break from time to time, and there are options to combat “coupon fatigue”! (In fact, last night Kasey co-hosted a chat as part of Ebates Savvy Living Community on just that topic! You can view it HERE)

In the first part of this series, we talked about UGO Grocery Outlets. I live near one, and this week was able to pick up 8 boxes of Sunkist Fruit Rollups for $.50 each! I also got Kraft American Cheese Slices 24-pk for $1.99 and Smart Balance Peanut Butter for $1.49. (Woohoo!)

Here are some more places that I like to shop when I just don’t have the energy to coupon:

Aldi (Yep – we do weekly lists for them too!)
UGO (United Grocery Outlet)
Big Lots
Merita Bakery Thrift Stores (Do a Google search to find one near you)
Little Debbie Thrift Stores (Do a Google search to find one near you)
*I picked up Blueberry Mini-Muffins for $.50 per box a couple weeks ago!

Where are your go-to places for good deals without coupons? Please share them in the comments!

Filed Under: Helpful Tools, Keepin' It Real

April 26, 2012 by Kasey Leave a Comment

New Video: Bi-Lo Shopping with Kasey (FREE Bounty Napkins!)

Watch the video above to see Kasey’s “Happy Dance”. Oh yeah, and also how to shop at Bi-Lo for free things….

Currently, Bi-Lo has Bounty Napkins (the small pack) on Price Lock for $1. Using the $.50/1 Bounty Napkins coupon from the 4/1 P&G Insert, we were able to get FREE napkins this week!

“Good Things Come in Small Packages”:
One tip to keep in mind when couponing is that sometimes the smallest-sized products are the best deal (I know, counter-intuitive when you’re used to buying in bulk to save money, right?). Because some coupons don’t have size restrictions on them, you can use a high-value coupon on a low-priced item to get it FREE!

Filed Under: Bi-Lo, Getting Started, Helpful Tools, Tutorials

April 24, 2012 by Kasey 2 Comments

How To Print Coupons Online

Using coupons is a great way to save money – heck, we’ve devoted a whole site to it! – but you’ve got to get some coupons in your hands before you can start. Printing coupons online is an easy way to get them right now – on almost anything you could imagine. Manufacturers release a limited number of coupons online for consumers to print out – usually with a limit of 2 prints per person.(Your computer won’t let you print more after that)

Here’s how to access and print those coupons from your computer:

Register for Coupon Sites: First, register for the following coupon printing sites and install each of their coupon printer software when prompted. The major sites that offer printable coupons are totally safe and will not send you spam or put spyware on your computer – they are:
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Manufacturer & Store Websites: You will also be able to print some coupons directly from manufacturer and store websites – like Pillsbury.com or Target.com. These are safe as well and in most cases will send you an e-newsletter occasionally with new coupon offers or product info.
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Problems Printing? In most cases, switching browsers will solve your printing problems. Some browsers work better for different sites, I use Firefox, and I usually have no problems printing at all.
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Searching for a specific Coupon: Most of the main coupon printing sites will have categories that allow you to find a certain coupon more quickly (Like “Baby” or “Beverages”). If you don’t see a coupon that we mentioned here on Time2Save, you may want to try changing your zipcode. Some coupons are targeted at specific parts of the country, and changing your zipcode to that of a large city (for instance, 90210) may bring up a wider array of coupons.One more great way to search for a coupon is to visit our Coupon Database! This is a search engine that ONLY searches coupons – so just type in what you’re looking for (i.e. Frosted Mini Wheats) and it will pull up the links where coupons for Frosted Mini Wheats are available to print!
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Print 2 Coupons: In most cases, you can print each coupon twice by using your back arrow or simply going through the process again to print.

Filed Under: Getting Started, Helpful Tools, New! Printables, Printables, Tutorials

April 23, 2012 by Kasey Leave a Comment

Video: 3 Steps to Save with Meat Mardowns!

We get lots of questions on how to save money on meat. While we usually just have to wait for a nice sale – there are a few more ways to save on meat. In this short video, join us as we hit the Meat Markdown jackpot – and go over a few tips to save even more!

Stores start marking down meat as it nears it’s expiration date, in order to sell it quickly. Scan the meat cases for “$$$ Off” stickers to find these deals. If you can find “$$$ Off” stickers on an already low sale price – even better!
Since a meat markdown sticker is a discount from the store, you can still stack a manufacturer coupon with it for even more savings.
Even though it may be on or near the expiration date – if you’ve found a great deal you should still stock up. Buy it and either cook or freeze it right away. If buying raw meat – cook it and season it, the portion into freezer bags for easy taco nights, pasta nights, etc…. Lunchmeats will freeze pretty well in a freezer bag for later use.