Couponing Resources: Part 2 - What is a coupon database?

In my last post on couponing resources, I mentioned how couponing has come a long way in the 12 years since I started.  One of those ways is by the availability of online coupon databases!  There are people out there who apparently sit down and input all the available coupons, from Sunday newspaper inserts, online printables, and other sources, into a searchable format for your free use!

First, let me point you to the ones I use, and then I'll explain a few scenarios in which you can benefit from them.

Coupon Mom Database - you have to log in, then choose your state or region (because different regions get different coupons) and you're ready to start searching!

Springs Bargains Database - not all coupons may be available in your region, but I sometimes find more printable coupons listed here than on the Coupon Mom one.

Scenario 1: You have made your grocery list for the week, and you want to save some money.  Go through your list one item at a time, and start searching.  If you need ketchup, you can either search for "ketchup" in general, or if you prefer only one brand, like "Heinz", search for that.  Once it brings up results, you will see either a link to a printable coupon website, or a description of where to find that coupon.  For example, it may tell you "7/31 RP".  That means you'll find your coupon in the July 31st coupon insert from the Red Plum company.  "4/17 SS" means it's in April 17th's SmartSource insert, and "11/6 PG" means it's in the November 6th Proctor & Gamble insert.

Now, I don't go clipping coupons until I need them.  Instead, like CouponMom suggests, I keep my inserts in order of date for reference when I need them.  For me, this saves time, and saves me sorting through a bunch of coupons I may never use when I need something.

Scenario 2: You saw in your store ad that yogurt is on sale, and your family uses a lot of, so you want to get a good deal on as much as possible.  You search for that yogurt brand's coupons, clip as many as you have, print some more available online, and you are ready to stock up!

Scenario 3: Your husband just ran out of shaving cream, and mentions he's going to stop by the store for more on his way home.  You don't want him to pay full price if he doesn't have to, so you do a quick search, clip the coupon, and hand it to him to stick in his wallet.  Voila!  (This actually happened to me recently.  I gave him a coupon, and he saw that the military Exchange was having a closeout on his brand of shaving cream, simply because, it appeared, they were repackaging the product.  Between the closeout price and the coupon, each can cost 65 cents!  Therefore, I clipped 4 more coupons for the product, sent him back for more, then asked my sister to mail me any she had, and sent him for still more.  He is well-supplied for shaving cream until the end of 2012!)

As you can see, having coupon databases available are a valuable resource in saving us money.  Without it in the past, I'd spend a lot of extra time going through all the inserts individually, or clipping all the coupons and organizing them in a categorized binder.  But this easier method and free resource really works for my life.  Hope it helps you too!

Click here for Part 3 - "Where Do I Get Coupons?"

Couponing Resources: Part 1 - Getting Started

I have been couponing a long time - about 12 years.  In that time, I've learned a lot, and a lot has improved.  I'm not an extreme couponer, though, and I don't want to be.  My goal is to buy what my family will use, and some extra for my church's food pantry.  Any more than that takes up more storage than I care to use, and also takes too much time out of my week to plan for/shop for.  That said, here are the resources I use most to find the deals I get.

If you are a beginner to couponing, I recommend CouponMom.com's tutorials here.  She has two video tutorials, and three printable tutorials, all for free.  Once you understand these basics, you will benefit from her list of deals for national chain stores like WalMart, Target, KMart, Family Dollar and Dollar General, as well as drugstore deals at Walgreens, CVS, and Rite-Aid.  She also has deals for some area grocery stores, listed by state or region. 

Next, you should check to see if there are people in your area who blog about coupon match-ups (when coupons that are available match with what stores have on sale, which means, sometimes, a great deal!)  I do that by going to becentsible.net's Store Deals page, where you can find bloggers for certain chain stores, or certain stores by your state.  Following these types of blogs will help you familiarize yourself with special coupon policies your local stores have, and restaurant and other store deals and events.  And because it's a blog, you can read other people's comments which include suggestions, questions, answers, and even sometimes when a store runs out of something.  My favorite local blog is http://springsbargains.com/ (the Colorado Springs, CO area).  It is truly the best I have ever seen.

Then, consider some of the national blogs for the scoop on free samples, rebates, printable coupons, facebook page deals, and more.  My favorites include:
http://moneysavingmom.com/
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://bargainbriana.com/

Each one of these has a wealth of insider information, such as what coupons are coming in your next Sunday paper, giveaways and contests, recipes, and more.  One could spend a lot of time trying to go about getting every deal that is on these blogs, so it's easy to get sucked in.  I prefer to follow them on facebook, and when they post a new entry that I happen to see, I click on it if I'm interested.  Otherwise, I skim over it.

In my next article, I'll talk about coupon databases and how to use them.

Click here for "Part 2 - What Is a Coupon Database?"

Cleaning out the pantry cooking

Before I launch into a month of tracking how much I spend on a month's worth of groceries, I am getting a head-start now at cooking from my pantry.  Yesterday, I took inventory of what I have in our pantry, freezer and fridge, and typed all the ingredients into supercook.com.  I love that website!  Once all my ingredients are on the list, it searches recipes all over the internet and tells me all the stuff I can make.  So easy to use, and it saves me money by delaying my trips to the grocery store.  It also came in handy when we were planning to leave town on vacation, and will be very helpful when we prepare to move at the end of this year.

Our pantry has a hodge podge of ingredients, because since May 29, we've either been traveling (total days gone this summer = 31) or cooking theme weeks!  In between our three family trips, we chose a different cuisine and planned our entire menu that week around it.  One was Mexican, the next was Asian, and the latest was Italian.  There were a few special ingredients purchased for each one which weren't all used up.  Also, I've made at least two trips in the last 2 months to take advantage of combined sales with coupons.

From all that, I came up with a list of 8 things I can make from what we have on hand, so I have a week's worth of dinners planned already.  Those ideas go on a list on a piece of scratch paper onto my fridge.  My first shopping trip in August will probably be small, just milk and fresh fruit.  I have plenty of breakfast cereal and bagels on hand, and some waffle mix.  I have two loaves of bread in the freezer for sandwiches for lunch, although we sometimes have leftovers from the last night's dinner.  My garden is currently producing onions, green beans, swiss chard and zucchini plus basil, oregano, cilantro and parsley.  Our pantry/fridge/freezer includes:

alfredo sauce
allspice
american cheese
applesauce
bacon
bagels
baking powder
baking soda
balsamic vinegar
banana
barbecue sauce
basil
bay leaf
beef steak
beef stock
bread
breadcrumb
brown sugar
brussel sprout
butter
canned tuna
canola oil
carrot
cayenne pepper
celery
chard
chicken
chicken soup
chicken stock
chiles
chili beans
chili flake
chili pepper
chipotle chiles
chow mein noodles
cilantro
cocoa
coconut
coconut oil
cooking spray
cooking wine
corn
corn syrup
cornstarch
cracker
cranberries
cream cheese
cumin
dijon mustard
Dream Whip mix
Easy Mac
eggs
flour
frozen pizza
fruit juice
garlic
garlic powder
graham cracker
green beans
grits
honey
hot dog
italian seasoning
jelly
kamut
ketchup
lemon
lettuce
lime
maple syrup
margarine
marshmallow
mayonnaise
milk
mozzarella cheese
mustard
nutmeg
oat
oatmeal
olive oil
onion
onion powder
onion soup
oregano
paprika
Parmesan cheese
parsley
pasta
peanut bars (Nature Valley)
peanut butter
peas
pepperoni
Philidelphia cooking cream (2 pkgs)
pickles
pie filling(cherry)
popcorn
powdered sugar
prunes
pumpkin
raisin
ranch dressing
red pepper flake
red wine
refried beans
relish
rice
rice vinegar
roasted red peppers
sage
salami
salsa
sausage
sesame oil
shortening
shrimp
sour cream
soy sauce
suddenly salad mix
sunflower seed
syrup
taco sauce
taco seasoning
thyme
tomato
tomato paste
tomato sauce
tuna helper
tuna
Uncle Ben's rice pouch
vanilla
vegetable oil
vegetable shortening
vinegar
wine vinegar
Worcestershire
zucchini

A week from now, we'll see what's left!