Money Saving Monday: My top 5 Coupon Resources

My husband is currently in his 4th year of graduate school. Before that, he was working on his bachelor's degree. In fact, for the 6+ years that we have been married, he has been a student and the main wage earner in our family. So it shouldn't be a surprise that our family keeps a pretty tight budget. When "extreme couponing" became a new fad years back, I was intrigued for the obvious money-saving reasons but had no idea where to start. And being a busy parent, I couldn't imagine devoting enough time to make using coupons worthwhile. I've been doing this for a few years now and I'm happy to tell you that you don't have to go to extremes of clipping and stock piling to consistently save money on groceries each week.

When I first started couponing, I did a google search and was overwhelmed by the number of couponing websites. Some for printing coupons, some to tell you which coupons to use at which stores: it was too much.

I thought it might be helpful if I shared my favorite "tried and true" couponing resources and websites. If you've ever wanted to start using coupons or save a little extra money on groceries, here are some helpful tips to get you started.

First off, one criticism that many (including myself) have for coupons is that they are mostly for unhealthy/processed foods. While this is true, you can still find coupons for healthier foods and even produce/perishables. You just have to look in the right places.

I have to tell you that I don't get my coupons from a weekly Sunday newspaper. I feel like the cost of a subscription (however low it is) isn't worth it to me. Most of the coupons are for things I wouldn't buy and the ones I do want I can find a similar match to from another place. Now, I'm not one to turn down newspaper coupons from someone else who doesn't want them, so if you know someone who gets the paper and doesn't keep the coupons, ask for them. But you can still save money with out the Sunday paper.

Before I get started, I often have to remind myself that coupons are about saving money. (Duh!) So I don't buy things I wouldn't normally eat or buy. It doesn't matter that a coupon can save me $3 on a $6 razor. If I'm not going to use that brand of razor, I just lost $3. I Also remind myself that Time=Money. I know I could spend 10-20 hours a week researching and preparing coupons to save myself $20, but is my time worth $1 an hour?

1) Kroger.com and Kroger coupons in the mail have been my greatest and easiest resource for coupons. Kroger has electronic coupons on their website that often match the coupons from the paper or other websites. The digital coupons load directly onto your store card and are then applied automatically when you purchase the corresponding items. I love this because it means fewer things for me to keep track of at checkout. When you sign up for a free store card, coupons are mailed to you regularly (make sure your address is connected to your account). I often get coupons for things I buy frequently, like eggs, cheese, tortillas, even produce and meat department coupons.

Kroger is the store I shop at the most, but I realize that not every city has one. Most chain stores with a store card have access to digital coupons on their websites (like Safeway, Albertsons, Marsh, Meijer), so I suggest looking into it for whatever store you have in your area.

2) Coupons.com - This site has printable paper coupons that you'll cut and take with you to the store. These are often identical to what I get through the digital coupons. This means that I can buy more than one of the desired item, since the digital coupons can only be applied once. This is helpful when the price is really low and I want to stock up on an item. You can print up to two duplicates of any coupon per computer (again, helpful for stocking up). You will also find lots of good value coupons unique to only this site. You'll have to quickly download their free printing software the first time you want to print something, but after that it's super easy to use.

3) Target.com - I shop at Target a lot too. The thing that makes Target a little different is that you can stack store coupons and manufacturers coupons for extra savings. Target offers store coupons (found at coupons.target.com, in Target ads or through Target text messages) that can only be used at Target. All the coupons you'll find in the newspaper or other printable websites are manufacturer coupons. Each coupon will be labeled as such so you can tell the difference. At Target, you can use both a store AND manufacturer coupon on one item. For instance, you can buy one box of cereal that costs $2, use a $0.50 off store coupon AND a $0.50 cent off manufacturer coupon and get a box of cereal for only $1. You can save even more when you use the Target Cartwheel app. (More on that next week.)

You're probably thinking that it will take too much time to search through all the store ads and coupons to find any good deals. Luckily, there are many websites that have already done the searching for you and provide a write up of the best deals for a store each week. Here are my two favorite coupon match-up websites:

4) Couponmom.com - Coupon Mom looks at the weekly advertisements for several major grocery stores across the country. They match the sales with any available coupons and write up the best deals for you. You can scroll down the list, check a box on items you'll want to purchase, then email the grocery list to yourself, along with where to find each coupon. This site does use newspaper coupons for a lot of the match-ups, but I can still find plenty of good deals on here with the coupons I have access to.  You'll need to make a free account with CouponMom to see the match-ups.

5) TotallyTarget.com - While Coupon Mom does provides a write up for Target deals, Totally Target ONLY does match-ups for Target, so they can go more in depth and tell you about even better deals. This site will give you a weekly ad match up that corresponds with ALL known Target coupons, Cartwheel offers and any manufacturer coupons. They give updates on any unadvertised sales or deals on clearance items. Target often has gift card deals listed in the ad where the store will give you a $5 gift card for buying 2 of a specific item. Totally Target is really good at matching these offers with the best coupons for maximum savings. This website does not require an account or log-in.


I'm sure there are lots of other helpful coupon websites out there. These are the ones that have worked best for me. Feel free to look for others ones that work for you. Just remember that Time=Money. If I have to check with 15 different websites before I can leave for the store, it's a problem. Not to mention that by then, at least one child will likely be hungry again and then I'll never get out of the house.

Next week I'll share how a few easy to use phone apps can save you even more money. (Not all of them require a smart phone.)




Other coupon websites:
Commonkindess.com - A lot of the coupons are for organic/health food items. I've also seen Huggies diaper coupons. For every coupon you use, they'll donate to your favorite charity.

Kelloggsfamilyrewards.com - Has coupons for some Kelloggs products. You can also enter codes here found on all Kelloggs family products that earn you points to redeem for gift cards and better coupons.

Grocerycouponcart.com - Many of the same coupons as coupons.com.

Pickupthevalues.com - Coupons only for Kimberly-Clark brand products, like Huggies and Kleenex.