A few more thoughts on grocery coupons:
Organize your coupons in a way that works for you
I cut out all my coupons and put them into two small expanding files (I have too many coupons to fit all into one). I divide them into categories, with those that expire first at the front of each section. My categories are: Beverages, Breakfast: Cereal, Breakfast Other, Cleaning: Dishes, Cleaning: Other, Dairy: Yogurt/Cheese, Dairy: Margarine/Eggs/Dressing, Health: Colds, Health: Pain, Health: Other, Laundry, Meat: Frozen, Meat: Other, Misc: Fruits/Veggies, Misc: Organic/Other, Paper: Bags & Foil, Paper: Other, Pasta/Rice/Bread, Soups, Spices/Sauces, Snacks: Baking & Mixes, Snacks: Bars & Pouches, Snacks: Ice Cream/Popcorn, Toiletries: Hair, Toiletries: Oral, Toiletries: Skin.
Take your coupons with you to the grocery store
You never know when you will come across an unadvertised special. I try to limit my impulse buys to those items that I truly need, which are less than 50% off, and for which I have a coupon.
Getting coupons directly from the manufacturer—give it a shot if you want
A couple of years ago, I bought an ebook online that promised to give me HUGE savings on my groceris by requesting coupons directly from the manufacturer. The deal was to write a letter of praise, suggestion, or complaint for products you actually use and ask for coupons in return. I wrote a lot of letters and had mixed results, mostly positive. Some companies (large multi-product companies) simply replied stating they didn't give out coupons this way. Others sent coupons, most for 50 cents or $1.00 off, but I got lots of coupons for free products. One company sent me three cases of their protein bars because they didn't normally have coupons but were so pleased to have received my letter. I've not done this as often, as the cost of postage rises. By the time I spend 42 cents on postage, not to mention envelopes, paper, and my time to create the letters (using mail merge), I have to get at least a $1.00 off coupon for it to be worth my time. And, I can't write to the manufacturers over and over, so this method is hardly the way to "never pay for groceries again," as was advertised. Still, I have redeemed about $150 worth of coupons from this system.
