Where do they all come from?

[Anowson]

I have seen customers save upwards of 70% of there bill, and the bill was originally 55$. Where do all these copouns come from? i would love to get my hands on some of those!

[scfr]

Welcome - It sounds like you work at a store where you saw customers saving money using coupons and decided to learn more - That's terrific!

Flash is our resident coupon expert - Her blog is here:
Viewing the 'Coupons' Category: flash's saving Blog

And there are some articles on saving money on groceries here:
http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/grocery-articles/

Hang around here for awhile and you will learn a lot.

[toys]

70% wow, that's incredible! I feel like I'm doing good when I can save 30%.

[GoodBuyGirl]

If you visit websites of companys of products you buy and click on the "Contact Us" link, most have an online email form where you can send them a compliment or complaint. I have gotten lots of great Free product coupons just telling companys I like their product. I usually don't even ask for coupons. After you have gotten all the coupons from companys you buy products from you can write other companys and trade off the frees from them for frees you would normally buy.
As far as Sunday inserts there are usually more coupons in the larger newspapers.(bigger cities)
There is also Ebay, Coupon cipping services, trading boards, coupons on product packages, and magazines.

The more you use coupons the easier it gets to find them. You'll notice them more.

[Lori63]

Definitely check out Flash's info~you'll be saving in no time!

[1601timothy]

I knew about most of the tips that you gave but saving 70% really seems like too good to be true!!

[poundwise]

There are some people who are able to save 70% or even 100% typically by buying items on sale with multiple coupons at a place that doubles coupons, etc. Unfortunately, while this is fun for them, it is not really all that practical.

Most examples I have seen of this include buying lots of unhealthy, processed foods, stocking up on a dozen bottles of shampoo or 10 cans of pork and beans, etc. It looks like fun (sort of) but when it comes down to meal planning, eating well, and stocking the pantry and cabinets reasonably, I don't go in for the various "grocery game" practices.

We're content to shop wisely and use coupons for the items we buy anyway and, of course, we watch the circulars for sales on meat and produce, etc. as well. This will never yield a grocery budget that is cut in half or anything but it works well to balance time, money, and the desired meal types, etc. for our family.

[cicy33]

I will tell my "secrets" at the bottom. I am also an avid couponer almost to the extreme!! I average on a normal shopping day about 25% or 30% as mentioned above. but on a really good day or even a triple day (though it does not have to be a triple day to do it) I have saved as much as 50% or more. and yes, as much as 75%. I am not one of those that buy junk food. Yes, some of it is if you are talking about brownie mix or cookie mix. I don't buy cookies very often, or candy. But I also save on mustard, hot sauce, ketchup, lipton tea, ragu (that is a huge one!), noodles, frozen veggies, bread, bagels and some frozen food. Now, the information to get those types of savings. Here is what I do.

1. EBAY! if you have the patience and control you can get great auctions here.

2. Coupon sites try trading coupons for other things, like box tops. Major trade item!

3. Tell your friends that you would love to have their extra coupon inserts. I have 3 friends at work now that bring me coupons every week that they don't use. So I get mulitples.

4. Buy extra papers. This is ONLY a good idea if there are more than the cost of the paper in the coupon section. For example, one week there were coupons that gave me like 3 or 4 coupons in it that alone made the item free. It was worth my time to buy extra and cut them. You can also trade the extras as mentioned above. Be willing to try new products!

5. Watch the ads and see if you have a store that ad matches and doubles coupons even just up to .50. For example, lets say that Target has dawn at 1.00. you have a .50 coupon for any dawn. Take the ad to your store that matches and doubles and you just got free dawn. I got over 20 bottles of free Dawn dish liquid this way. won't go bad!

6. VERY IMPORTANT! Take your coupons to every store you go to that carries food. You never know if there will be a great sale. Some sales are not advertised.

7. CVS sometimes marks down their shampoos to like a $1.50. Have gotten a lot of shampoo that way! Walmart had a sale a while ago herbal essences b1g1 free multipack and I had a b1g1 free coupon. So, I really did well on that one! Took us a long while to use the shampoo.

8. Almost forgot, STOCKING. Major coupon bonus. If you have the coupons and sometimes maybe an extra $20, you can stock up on certain items, like shampoo and pay very little but get a ton that over time will save you a ton of money.

It does not work to just get the coupons, you must also keep them organized. If you are not willing to put in some time then don't bother with trying to coupon on a large scale, keep it small. I have a binder and must regularly throw out the expired ones, and put in the new ones. However, this is a time consuming activity that some people do not have time for. I make the time, but then I absolutely love it! These are just a few of the things that I do. I will add more if I think of more.