Ok: Here are some couponing details/tricks that you can use when you are planning your shopping list.
CVS Shopping
This is a great store and I JUST discovered all the cool deals you can get here. My mom had been shopping at CVS for a while and I never "got it" until recently. They have a rewards card and they have deals each week that reward you with Extra Care Bucks (ECB) (i.e. you buy the item, you get an instant rebate to use on another transaction). You can also earn 2% on your purchases and that is rewarded at the end of each quarter, and then you can also earn 5% on prescriptions. Track those CVS "ECB" deals and you may never have to pay for shampoo/toothpaste/toothbrushes again!
Grocery Stores
Take the ads that you received in the mail on Tuesday and search them for any "store" coupons that you might use. In most cases, you can combine those coupons with your sunday "manufacturer" coupons. This is called "stacking." You get the reduced price from the store coupon in addition to the manufacturer coupon savings.
Also, check your store's coupon policy. Vons allows doubling of coupons, but only the first one. So if you really want the best deal on multiple coupons, you need to do multiple transactions to get doubled coupons every time. Also they only allow doubling up to $1. So if you have a 50 cent coupon, you get $1. If you have a 75 cent coupon, you get $1. I generally reserve any coupons that are less than $1 for my Vons visit since they double them and I will get twice the value out of them at Vons than at anywhere else.
Target
Target also has their own coupons that you can combine with manufacturer coupons. I have bought John Frieda shampoo and conditioner (normally about $6) for only $1 each by combining Target and manufacturer coupons. Again, check the policy for all the details.
Walmart
Walmart is awesome: When the price of the item is less than the face value of the coupon, they give you the difference to apply to your shopping order. So, for example, there recently was a coupon for $2 off 1 dial lotion, body wash, or soap. It DID NOT specify a size or exclude trial sizes. I had 8 coupons, got 8 bottles of trial size dial body wash for $0.97 each, and I earned myself $1.03 for each one I bought. I applied that "overage" to the rest of my shopping cart. Now I really don't necessarily need travel size body washes, but I *will* donate them! I was able to save $8.24 on my normal grocery list, so it was worth it. I have done the same thing with things I actually needed (like floss) as well. This is where clipping ALL the coupons can benefit you (and someone else!) even if you don't think you will ever use the item.
