Welcome to Creative Couponing! Get ready for a wonderful journey to save money and use that money for other things…like the rising cost of gas. {{ACK}}
First, you are going to want to stay up to date on all of the deals by becoming a fan of Creative Couponing on Facebook HERE and sign up for a daily email of all of the deals HERE. Many people are signed up for both as they don’t want to miss out on the deals. Some deals are short lived, like free coupons are gone in 3 minutes, and they tend to get posted only on Facebook.
If you are new to couponing, take things slow. You aren’t going to be a pro overnight. If you can save $10 one week and then try to save $15 the next and so on. In no time with stockpiling items on sale, you will easily be buying only the items that you need when they are C-H-E-A-P! Plus, I will be showing you what is on sale each week!
So let’s get started with getting to know the site! Shown above is the bar at the top of the page. This will be your lifeline to finding all of the deals. Each time I post, the deal goes in a category. If you see a ^ next to a word, that means that there is a drop down menu with other categories.
If I hover over the “STORES” word, you will get a list of the stores that I will have deals for. Just go to the store that you want and click on it. Any post that I have made for the store will be in that section.
At any time, you can go back up to the “STORE” and click on another store to see the deals in that store. Each Sunday or Monday, you will see the new updated lists for the coupon match ups.
Once you get to the store, you may look at it and be instantly confused. No worries as there is an explanation to all of the lingo and how to read a store list HERE.
Now that you know where to go for your favorite store, you want to check out the 101 section for each store. They are located under the “BASICS OF COUPONING” tab. Here you will find the ins and outs of shopping at:
Cub Foods -where you can use expired coupons 3-5 months old
Rainbow Foods – Ways to maximize your savings on Double Coupon Daze
Walgreens – Finding out how to get items for free with Register Rewards
CVS – Using Extra Care Bucks in your favor
Target – Maximizing the deals with store coupons, manufacturer coupons and gift cards! Learn how to price match too!
Printable Coupon Sites: I have a HUGE list of printable sites for you! You can find them all listed HERE. They are all sites that I have printed coupons from.
Ordering Coupons: Need coupons for a sale? Check out the sites that you can order coupons from HERE.
Coupon Classes: You will want to check out the tab “Coupon Classes” to see when my next coupon class is. Right now the classes are full, but I am in the process of getting more classes on the schedule. I hold them at the Water Park of America mostly, but hopefully will get some going up in the northern burbs.
Star Tribune Deal: If you aren’t receiving the Sunday paper, you are going to want to start to buy the paper weekly. You can buy them on Saturday for .75 a paper, but not all places will have the inserts in them OR you can pay just $1.25 for a paper PLUS get a $10 Gift Card OR 2 Water Park of America Passes. For more details, go HERE.
If you live in Washington or Dakota Counties and don’t have a Star Tribune paper being delivered to your house, I have a special just for you. You will need to email me at CreativeCouponing1 at Gmail dot com. It is good only for the first 100 people.
Buy One Get One Free /50%
These are also called BOGO 50%, BOGO Free or B1G1F. You will purchase one at full price and then receive a discount on the second one…either 50% off or totally free!
10 for $10 Sales
These types of sales do NOT mean you have to buy 10 of the same item to get the $1 price. You can buy just 1 and get the sale price of $1.00.
Buy $$, Get $ back or off deals
These will be shown in the ads like this: Buy 10 items, Get $5 off instantly. Buy $30, Get $10 back (at register as a coupon).
You will learn to love these deals and don’t be afraid of them. The easiest is to plan ahead or to bring along a calculator or your cell phone (has a calculator on it).
These deals involve buying a required dollar amount or number of participating items to receive a discount at checkout. Just be sure you have met the requirements and purchased the correct items.
You can usually use coupons on top of these kinds of deals to make the deal even better.
I love coupons and saving money, can’t wait to get started on this site.
Lisa… Please let me know if you have any questions. Welcome to the site.
Hi Karen I see on cvs you say use $ off $$ coupons first then manufacture next and so one but what is a $ off $$ coupon
A $ off $$ coupon is like a $4 off $20 coupon that CVS will either email you, find in a newspaper, have it print out at the end of your receipt or the magic “red” coupon machine.
I am in an area that will not take computer printed coupons. In addition our Sunday papers do not usually have many coupons. (I am in the Brainerd MN Lakes Area.) I have even had a manufacturer actually send me a coupon, but since it looked like it was printed at home Cubs would not take it.
Any ideas for us in this area?
Donna…have you contacted the store manager about this problem? If you haven’t, please contact him/her about using these coupons. I’m not sure if your store in run by corporate Cub or individually. If it is run not by corporate Cub Foods, then they can pretty much do as they want. If they are a corporate store, then go above the manager if they are not willing to talk to you or you get no where with them on accepting these coupons.
They may have had a large problem with counterfeit coupons and decided just to not take any printed coupon. That hurts you because of the inserts that you get. I would get in touch with someone who will listen and see if they would be willing to learn more about the printed coupons.
I have talked to the customer service people who insist it is their policy and it is indeed posted throughout the store. So I don’t believe it would make a difference talking to the manager. Oh well, I’ll do what I can. Just how it is.
Then it must be a independent store.
HI Donna,
I also grocery shop in Brainerd. I was wondering how couponing is going for you. I’m just starting to get into this and am curious if it’s worth it.
Karen,
Wanted to say thank you for all the work you do to maintain this site. You have “schooled me” on coupons! As a result of following the couponing tips and Shopping Lists my family has finally found breathing room in our budget. We’ve also begun to make regular food shelf donations with some of the extra food that we bought at a serious discount (how ironic– that as we spend less we have more to share). The kids are learning some important money management lessens as they shop with me also; I still snicker when they see something they want on the shelf they say, “Mommy, do you have a coupon for this?”
Sincerely,
Carol
Carol…your words have warmed my heart. YOU are the reason that I do this and I am so ECSTATIC that you have found “breathing room” in your budget AND found a little extra to donate. Double Bonus!
My kids grew up with those same words. LOL
HI Karen,
Thanks for all the info you provide on this site! I’m wondering where I can find a Sunday Star Tribune paper on Saturday for $.75? Thanks!
Theresa
You can get them at any place that sells newspapers.
This website is great, I recently joined it. Today I returned from my trip to Rainbow with 6 free boxes of pasta and 1 free bottle of Coffee Mate (besides other low priced items) – thank you for all the info!!!
But I have a question, what should I do to start getting Smart Source and Red Plum Coupons in the mail?
Thanks again.
There are some areas that get the Smartsource in the mail…while others get them in their weekly local newspaper. There really isn’t anything you can do to get them to deliver you the inserts.
Ok, I see. It’s interesting, because there were couple times that I’ve received SS about a month ago, but that’s about it. And I just have subscribed to the Star Tribune, so expecting my first newspaper this week.
Thanks.
ok I was trying to find the toolbar that you stat is the lifeline on this site -what am I doing wrong? also can you go back to a date on the red plum on line and print coupons from a certain date? thanks for the help
Von – The toolbar has changed in appearance since this posting. The toolbar referred to in this post is right under the Creative Couponing banner picture at the top of the page.
As far as printing coupons from previous dates, no you unfortunately cannot do that. The only coupons you can print at any time is what is current at the moment.