Couponing at the Commissary

Couponing is a great way to stretch an already tight budget. While shopping at stores like Albertsons, Safeway and other large grocery store chains have their perks like “doublers” their prices tend to be on the spendy side during non sale dates. This is why DeCa’s motto is “Save an average of 30% or more!” Items are marked at cost + 5% surcharge to cover the cost of building, maintaining and upgrading Commissaries nationwide. They understand the tight budget military families are on, and they strive to bring you the best value for your dollar. “DeCA encourages commissary patrons to use coupons because savings realized through coupon use can add significantly to the savings that our patrons already generate just by shopping in commissaries.”

DeCa (Defense Commissary Agency) wants to make couponing at the Commissary beneficial to you and an enjoyable experience.  I highly recommend printing out the entire DeCa coupon policy and reading it over. I did this, then put a sticky note on the front telling me what page has specific information I might need during a check out. Such as overage, using competitor coupons and using Wags rewards. One important thing to remember shopping at the Commissary is you can only use 1 coupon per item. So if you have a military store coupon and a manufactures coupon, you can only use 1.  This is really the only difference to shopping at the Commissary; everything else is pretty much the same.  

Here is the Coupon policy. Print it and keep it with you at all times! :) 

Did you know the Commissary allows overage!?

In Chapter 4, Section 7-4 it states:

n. Valid coupons will be entered at the value stated on the coupon. If the value of the coupon exceeds the cost of the product, the customer will be given the full value of the coupon. (DeCAD 40-6
June 5, 2007, Change 1, April 2, 2009, pg. 48, Ch. 7 Section 7-4)

Did you know the Commissary will take Walgreens register rewards if the wording is correct!?

A Commissary shopper asked: “Do commissaries participate in Walgreens Register Rewards or accept manufacturer coupons bearing another store’s logo?”

This is DeCa’s answer:

“DeCA does not participate in Walgreens Register Rewards per se; however, we do accept the manufacturer coupons that print out on the registers at Walgreens and other retailers, provided the verbiage does not limit redemption only to the retailer advertised on the coupon. For example, if the manufacturer coupon states “Redeemable at” or “Redeem at,” we can accept it; if it states “Redeemable ONLY at” or “Redeem ONLY at,” we cannot. While these coupons may reference Walgreens Register Rewards or have a Walgreens or another retailer’s logo printed on them, we are accepting these as a manufacturer’s coupon”

I highly recommend going and printing this page off and keep it with your Commissary coupon policy. You can find this information on the DeCa facebook page. Under the “Notes tab” there are pages of questions asked by Commissary users and all answered by authorized personnel so you can rest assured what you read there is true and accurate.

A down side to trying to plan out a shopping trip to the Commissary and doing match ups is they don’t have a regular sales flyer. But they do have many resources online; you just have to know where to look! 

Here is a list of sites that I check regularly to find sales.

~ Go to the “What’s on Sale” tab at:

http://www.commissaries.com/

You will be prompted to put in your DOB and SSN to access the entire list of items on sale. *Note it is against Commissary policy to copy/paste this list with prices to the internet.

~ Flyers showing what’s on sale at your Commissary:

http://www.militaryshoppers.com/onsalethisweek/index.htm?20100423

http://w3.kraftbrands.com/KraftMilitary/

The Commissary provides some great free publications that have lots of coupons in them such as the Maxi Saver and Coupon Connection. They are located at the front of the store, usually by the entrance/exit. They are mostly military only coupons that can only be used at military installations, but occasionally there are some general manufactures coupons too!

I hope this has given you valuable resources and knowledge to use your coupons at the Commissary and save even more!

-     

How do you do it?

So lately alot of my friends have asked me for some help with getting their coupon binders started. The mose common question is "How do I catergorize my dividers?" So here is a list of the dividers that I personally use. 

Baby
Baking
Beverage
Cans/Jars
Cleaning
Condiments 
Dairy/Dough
Deli/Bakery
Female/Hair
Frozen
Men
Meat
Non_grocery
Personal
Produce
Snacks
Starch
Vitamins



Target
RiteAid
CVS

Please feel free to use these to help you set up your binders :)

In the mini 7 pocket accordian pocket binder I carry in my purse they are set up as:

Walmart
Target
Safeway
SaveMart
RiteAid
CVS
Kmart

These allow me to organize the coupons I KNOW im going to be using at a specific store

Christin in a nut shell

My name is Christin and I am 28 yrs old. (Soon to be 29 :|) 

My high school sweetie and I have been married for 9 years. Started dating in 1996! OMG! :)

He is in the Air Force and we are currently stationed at Fairchild, AFB WA. 

We have an 8 yr old son and a 4 yr old daughter. 

I also began couponing when I saw the TLC show "Extreme Couponing" and was intrigued. Could I really be getting name brands for less than generic?!
I am happy to report, YES! YOU CAN! 

So, most of my posts will be related to commissary shopping and couponing. 

I hope to be able to show you how to get the best "bang for your buck" and stretch those very important and hard earned dollars. :)

I echo the tips Jen mentioned 

* Take it slow. 

It takes time to accumulate coupons and match up sales. I did a ton of reading and researching before I decided to take my binder and hit the store. 

I admit, my first attempt was a failure, but don't get discouraged.

* Clip all coupons. You never know what will be on sale in a week, in 2 weeks. In a month. 

* Stay organized. What ever system you decide to use, keep it organized and up to date. The worst thing to do is go shopping with a bunch of expired coupons. 

* Speaking of expired coupons, DONT THROW THEM AWAY! 

Military families stationed overseas can use them for up to 6 months past the expiration date. 

A few of my favorite expired military coupon sites are:

Guam Military Coupon Exchange

Couponing for the Military

and 

Coupons for the Troops

Jen in a nut shell

Hey Jen here! Im 32, a mother of two beautiful children, my daughter will be 8 next week(going on 30) and I have a 20 month old son. Like many of us couponers we saw Extreme Couponing on TLC and wondered hmmmm can someone really do that? Could we really stock up on everyday items and save money? I was hesitant at first but when my husband said if you can shop like that and save us money Happy Shopping Babe! I was off! I got a binder together a coupon organizing mat and started clipping away. My first Sunday paper had a PG in it and man o man it had many goodies. So I went out and bought many papers that Sunday I was so excited to shop and be encouraged to do so. (Im a shopaholic naturally).

My husband and I looked at many blogs and decided to hit up Walgreens and try this couponing thing out. Well it was amazing! And I think by the end of the first week we had over 50 Gillette & Schick Razors. We were now officially hooked! This was back in May and since then I have been able to stock up on items such as shaving cream, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper etc.. for cheap! And what I love the most is that EVERYTHING is brand name! Never in my life did I think I could get Brand Name for cheaper than generic. there are somethings but 98% is Brand Name :)

I have been able to donate to the church, give items to friends and family when they are in need and much more.

I rarely leave the grocery store spending more than $30 or saving less than 65%.

A few tips:

devote time to your coupons (they are $)
be patient (it wont happen over night)
Save ALL coupons (you just never know when it will go on sale)
Be open to trying new things that go on sale
Dont by it just because you have a coupon for it (Unless you have to have it)
Buy your Sunday papers at the Dollar Store (YES they are only a $1 on Sundays)
Be-careful it is an ADDICTION! :)

Happy Shopping my little shoppers! Sorry if this blog went all over the place :) Alot on my little mind :)

Help! How do I start!?!

Christin here! I know all of you are wondering where in the world do I start this whole couponing thing?! 
This is how I started. A little rough and primitive, but it worked until I felt that it was something I wanted to continue doing and it was actually saving my family money. Then I jumped up to the big leagues and bought a binder and put the whole system together.  
If you are interested in a binder system, Jen and I sell them at a great price! *wink* --------->


*Most importantly you need to start buying at least 2 Sunday papers. This will give you a decent stack of coupons to begin with. As I'm sure you've noticed all the great deals that are going on this week require coupons from last Sunday or the Sunday's before paper. It took me a while to come to the realization that if I was going to be getting all these good deals I was going to have to 'bite the bullet' and buy the Sunday paper. I buy 4 papers, as a general rule its 1 paper/family member. But if you are just getting started and don't know if its something you are going to stick with long term, start with 2.  

*Now that you have your coupons, what to do with them?!

Basically you need some sort of filing system...I started with long envelopes stapled together at one end and stuck coupons in different ones for different categories. Cereals together, drinks together, refrigerated food together. 

*Then you need to do your "match ups" I never used to look at the weekly grocery fliers until I started couponing. So when you are digging out your inserts from the Sunday paper, keep those grocery ads! 
Also, there is a Wednesday midweek free press paper that comes in my area that has the midweek deals that usually run from Wed-Tuesday of the following week. Safeway ALWAYS has store coupons that you can use for extra savings. 
For example: Skippy peanut butter this week is $1.69 with the Safeway coupon until next Tuesday. I can stack that coupon with a Skippy coupon that came 2 Sundays ago (?) for $1 off 2 ($1/2) Skippy peanut butter. So my total cost for 2 Skippy p.b would be $2.38 or $1.19 each! See how that works? :) 


*When I do my match ups I keep a notebook by my side and write things down like this: 

The break down is this
Snackwells are on sale until next Tuesday for $1.75 with the in store coupon. I have a coupon for .75 off 1 (.75/1) So that makes it only $1 per package! 
I keep a small envelope in my binder for match up coupons. Staple them together so they don't get separated. Before I get in line, I unhook the staples. :) No one wants to wait for the coupon addict to unhook her coupons. :P 



*You are ready to hit the store! Take your time and make sure you are reading your coupons and matching it with the right size etc. Some specify size, flavor and have limitations to how many you can use in 1 transaction. 


*When you get to the register be sure to greet your cashier with a smile and let him/her know right away that you have coupons. This gives them an opportunity to scan over your coupons so they can mentally be checking your items knowing what you purchased and what coupon goes with it. Keep your cart organized, all like products together and put them on the belt in the same fashion. This helps everyone in the long run. :) 


I hope that clears up some of your questions and if you are still wondering ask away! Jen and I created this site to help teach people how to use coupons to save your family money. Facebook is a great resource for information. :) 

September is National Coupon Month

The PMA Coupon Council Releases New Coupon Usage Statistics and Kicks Off National Coupon Month

As Americans continue to be concerned about the price of gas and general cost of living in today's unpredictable economy, they look for ways to save and get the most "bang for their buck." September is National Coupon Month and a reminder that clipping coupons is an easy and fun way to save.

According to recent research from the Promotion Marketing Association's (PMA) Coupon Council, many consumers are already taking advantage of the savings opportunities. The recent PMA Coupon Council Internet survey of 1,000 people found that:

• 89 percent of the overall population report that they use coupons when shopping (for grocery, household and healthcare items at supermarkets).
• 97 percent of primary shoppers report that they use coupons at supermarkets.
• Coupon users report an average of seven percent savings on their grocery bill with coupons.

"Consumers love coupons -- they are a great way to economize, stretch the grocery budget and try new products for less than retail price," says Charles Brown, Co-Chair of the PMA Coupon Council.

"And particularly when shoppers are pinched by rising gas and energy costs, as well as increasing food prices, coupons offer an easy chance to save. All consumers have to do is organize their shopping to buy items with the coupons available to them -- whether in their newspaper, in their mailbox, in the store or on the internet." Brown added.

 

Shoppers See Value in Coupons

Typical Savings Studies have shown that shoppers who spend 20 minutes per week clipping and organizing their coupons can save up to $1,000 per year. (With an average annual family grocery bill of $5,000 that means 20 minutes could result in a 20 percent savings from coupons).

The typical family saves between $5.20 and $9.60 per week using coupons. Those who spend 10 minutes or less per week clipping and organizing their coupons (46 percent of shoppers) still achieve an average $7.00 weekly savings on their grocery bill.

PMA Coupon Council Co-Chair Matthew Tilley adds, "In this environment, shoppers can be particularly responsive to coupon offers. But so far in 2008, CPG marketers haven't really changed the number of coupons available, therefore consumer redemption is steady with last year. That's a significant change because until last year, we saw 15 years of declining coupon redemption in the U.S."

 

Other Coupon Usage Statistics

• Approximately $2.6 billion is saved annually by shoppers using manufacturer's coupons when shopping for packaged products.
• More than $350 billion of packaged goods coupons are offered annually.
• Today, the average value is approximately $1.25 per coupon.
• Nearly 90 percent of all coupons are issued in the Sunday newspaper Free Standing Inserts (FSI), but coupons are also available directly in many retailers' ads or in the store, and in magazines, in and on the package, on the Internet, and even in your mail box.

Source:

http://couponing.about.com/od/smorgasbord/a/couponmonth.htm

Beginners Guide: How to Coupon

Ok, so when I first started couponing... which was NOT that long ago.. I'd say June 14th was the official start of seeing coupons as valuable and not just pieces of paper that I'd occasionally use to save .50 here and .25 there. I was overwhelmed when it came to figuring out HOW to get items for way under retail value, or close to free. 

I started by taking my make-shift accordion file from envelopes stapled together to the store and looking at an item and looking to see if I had a coupon for that item and if it was a good deal. 

I have to admit this was very time consuming and not usually a productive trip to the store. I often left feeling disappointed and confused. HOW are these people doing this?! Then, with the help of my cousin, Jen (I heart you) I began to learn the ropes of couponing.  

First and foremost, you want to do store match ups. 

What this means is you look over the weekly flier for your favorite grocery store, then see if you have any coupons to stack on top of that particular sale.  

For example: Albertsons is having a 10/$6 sale on Yoplait yogurt. I have a coupon for $1/10 Yoplait yogurt. So I would stack my coupon on the store sale reducing my cost for 10 yogurts from $6 to $5 making them .50 each.  

It is extremely helpful to have a binder. It makes it so much easier to categorize and contain your coupons and faster to flip through while at the store. 

When you go grocery shopping, you should have a list made out for your store match ups, but you never know what in store deals or clearance items you might see. So this is when its helpful to be able to flip through quickly and see if you have a coupon for the cheese that is on sale that wasn't advertized in the flier. 

These dont need to be a big jumbo 3" binder to start. Its ok to start with a standard 1" binder and buy a package of 25 baseball card holder inserts.
Jen and I are selling starter kit binders for a really great price! ---------> *wink*

Lastly, the most important thing is only buy things you and your family are going to actually use and eat. 

For my family personally, prepackaged foods and freezer food (with the exception of veggies and chicken) aren't on our meal plan. So although there might be a great deal for Tyson breaded chicken, I dont go and purchase them because we wont eat it. 

Same goes for shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste and so on. I understand that we will always need to purchase these items, but unless its basically free or free dont just buy them because you have a coupon. 

The idea is to be saving money, not spending just because you can save .25 ;)

This concept has recently just clicked for me... *blush*

Next you are probably wondering, "Ok so WHERE do I get coupons?" 

There are several places you can find coupons. 

*Coupon Picking- This was my favorite way to get coupons because it only cost me the money in gas to drive to the recycling center. But then I realized I needed all the current coupons if I was going to get the good deals that week. Some call it "dumpster diving" but I think that just sounds gross and not classy. Have you heard of the show "American Pickers"? Well that's where I came up with the term, "Coupon Picking" :) So basically you go to the recycling center, find the newspaper bin and start digging through! Expired inserts can be sent to military families stationed overseas! So dont throw them away! ;)

*The Sunday paper- You can preview the inserts online to decide if purchasing a paper is worth it for your family. Are the coupons for things you use/eat? If not, skip it and try again next week. There are 3 companies that have an insert in the paper.  

Red Plum

SmartSource

and 

P&G (Proctor and Gamble)

If you sign up for the newsletter, they will send you a Sunday paper preview.

*In store coupons- These can often be found hanging on the shelf of the item it belongs to or on the item itself.  

*Printables- You can print coupons right from your home computer!  

Coupons.com is a great place to get started. You will need to install a free program to begin printing, but Ive not had any negative side effects from this site. 

So there you have it. The basics to begin your couponing adventures!

-Christin

If you have any questions, please go to our Facebook page, add us and ask away! 

We (Jen and I) are always glad to help, as well as our 400+ fans!!!  :)