2012 Sunday Coupon Insert Schedule

2012 Sunday Coupon Insert Schedule

Here's what to expect:

January
1 — (2) Redplum, (2) Smart Source & P&G Inserts
8 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
15 — Smart Source Insert
22 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
29 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts

February
5 — Redplum, Smart Source & P&G Inserts
12 — Redplum & (2) Smart Source Inserts
19 — Redplum Insert
26 — (2) Smart Source Inserts

March
4 — Redplum, Smart Source & P&G Inserts
11 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
18 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
25 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts

April
1 — (2) Redplum, (2) Smart Source & P&G Inserts
8 — No Inserts
15 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
22 — Smart Source Insert
29 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts

May
6 — Redplum, Smart Source & P&G Inserts
13 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
20 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
27 — No Inserts

June
3 — Redplum, Smart Source & P&G Inserts
10 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
17 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
24 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts

July
1 — No Inserts Due to Holiday
8 — Redplum, Smart Source & P&G Inserts
15 — Smart Source Insert
22 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
29 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts

August
5 — (2) Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
12 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
19 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
26 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts

September
2 — No Inserts
9 — Redplum & (2) Smart Source Inserts
16 — Redplum & Smart Source Insert
23 — Smart Source Insert
30 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts

October
7 — Redplum, (2) Smart Source & P&G Inserts
14 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
21 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
28 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts

November
4 — Redplum, Smart Source & P&G Inserts
11 — (2) Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
18 — Smart Source Insert
25 — No Inserts

December
2 — Redplum, Smart Source & P&G Inserts
9 — Redplum & Smart Source Inserts
16 — Smart Source Insert
23 — No Inserts
30 — No Inserts

Thanks Freesnatcher!

Where to Find Coupons

One of the first questions people ask when they're interested in couponing is "Where do I find them?" Here are some common places to look:

The Sunday paper: This is the main source of coupons. The Sunday paper generally comes with 1-4 coupon inserts per week, specifically the Smart Source, Red Plum, and P&G inserts. While getting one copy of these coupons will save you some money, the real key to big savings is getting multiple copies. So many deals are dependent on having multiple copies of the same coupon. Some people recommend you get as many copies as you have family members, but I think a good number is 3 or 4 papers.
In our area we have access to several papers: The Spectrum, The Deseret News, The Salt Lake Tribune, as well as some Las Vegas Newspapers. Although many people agree that The Spectrum is not the best option for those who want great content, it is the best option for couponers because you'll get the Red Plum inserts (most Utah papers no longer get them), all the local store circulars, and Albertsons Twice the Value coupons when they are published. None of the other available papers give you those things.

If you really don't want to get the Sunday paper you could turn to coupon clipping services where you can buy multiple copies of individual coupons or entire inserts. Many people sell coupons on eBay as well. Here are a few coupon clipping services:

Coupon Carryout

The Coupon Clippers

Coupons by Dede


Other places to get coupons:

At the store in small coupons dispensers located in aisles (blinkies), attached to products (peelies or hang tags), inside product boxes (that you can use after you buy a product, on your next purchase).

Catalinas: These print from a machine next to the register at Albertsons, Smiths, Target, and Walgreens.

In magazines (All You magazine is basically a magazine for couponers and those who want to live frugally).

In the mail with free samples.

Where to Find Printable Coupons Online

Here are some of the best places to find printable coupons online:

KCL coupon database: Regularly updates, this page gives a list of all the available printable coupons online. I like to use ctrl+F to do a quick search rather than scrolling down the looooooooong page of available coupons.

Coupons.com: The most popular coupon site online, you can generally print each coupon twice. Wanna earn swagbucks for printing and using your coupons? To to the main Swagbucks page and click on "Coupons" under "Quick Links" or here. Here you'll find the same coupons as on coupons.com, but you'll be earning rewards for using them.

Smartsource.com: Another good site. Gives you printable access to some of the same coupons in the Sunday Smart Source inserts.

Redplum.com: Like Smart Source in that a lot of these coupons are those also offered in the Sunday Red Plum inserts.

How to Get Cheap Printer Ink and Paper

There are many places where you can get great coupons online, and often these coupons are higher value than those that come in the paper. I suspect that the reason printable coupons often have higher values is that the consumer is using their own ink and paper to print them. With that in mind, here are a few tips to minimize your ink and paper usage:

Get printer paper for cheap: Staples regularly has paper for $1 after rebate. Around back-to-school time I've seen it sold for $0.50 after rebate or even free after rebate (in fact, in the last month I have scored 4 reams of paper for free at Staples, and that's not counting the 2 I missed by not going in one week). Staples rebates are very reliable and can be submitted online in under 5 minutes. You can receive your rebate via Paypal or check.

Get printer ink for cheap: I am a firm believer that you should buy a printer based on the price of ink, and not the price of the printer. Inexpensive printers tend to have the priciest ink. When buying a new printer, shop around for ink first. I find that 4-cartridge (black, yellow, magenta, blue) printers have cheaper ink than those that take 2 cartridges (black, color). If you can get off-brand ink cartridges you can really save. I buy my off-brand ink cartridges on Ebay, where I can get a set of 4 cartridges (black, yellow, magenta, blue) for under $20. These last me about a year, at which point I return my empty cartridges to Staples where they give me $2 back for each one in Staples rewards.

The last trick I have for stretching your printer ink is to set your printers settings to use less ink for each print. Your printer preferences generally allow 3-4 ink settings, usually draft, normal, and high- or photo-quality. My printer has a setting called "fast normal" which uses less ink but still prints my coupons high enough quality to be scanned at the register. Play around with your settings and set your default to use less ink.

Utah Deal Diva has some more great tips on saving money on ink and paper here.

Electronic Coupons

Loading electronic coupons onto your loyalty cards is an easy way to coupon without having to worry about clipping inserts and remembering to bring them with you. Currently the only local retailer to accept e-coupons is Smiths. There are several websites that will load coupons onto your Smiths Rewards Card:

Smiths Food & Drug homepage: The Smiths site allows you to load up to 150 coupons onto your Smiths Rewards card. You have to create an online account first. They will be ready to use 1 hour after loading. Also, if you give them your mailing information, Smiths may send you coupons from time to time in the mail. I receive special coupons from Smiths about once a months or so that correspond with upcoming sales and promotions.

Cellfire: After creating an account you can load coupons onto your Smiths card or onto your cell phone to use at other local retailers.

Shortcuts: Another site where you can loan coupons onto your Smiths card. This site also offers printable coupons and cash back for online shopping.

Upromise: Upromise is the only site that currently allows you to save from multiple retailer's loyalty cards. In our area, you can save from your Smiths, Albertsons, or Rite Aid cards. Unlike other digital coupons, however, Upromise does not give you "cents off" upfront, rather, they take the savings and add it to your Upromise account, which is a college savings account. If you don't have a child that needs saving for college you can appoint a grandchild as your beneficiary or even use Upromise to pay off student loans. See Upromise.com for more information.

All You Magazine

All You is a monthly magazine that is chock-full of coupons (over $50 of coupons in every issue). It features many articles with money-saving ideas as well. It is available only at Walmart stores (for about $2.25 an issue) or by subscription. You can sign up for a subscription at the All You website or though magazines.com. Magazines.com is an online superstore for almost every magazine, and offers lots of deals and discounts too. The other great thing about it is that you can get 26% cashback when you shop magazines.com through Ebates.

All You is very popular among couponers and All You-exclusive coupons are often cited in coupon match-ups in the various couponing blogs.

Grocery Smarts

Grocery Smarts is a great tool that a lot of shoppers use. It allows you to create a printable custom shopping list for each store, lets you know which deals are hot (and how hot), and directs you towards the coupons you'll need for the sales. To get started simply click the logo below:

 Once you get there, use the drop-down menu to select your desired store (in our area - Walmart, Smiths, Albertsons, Harmons, Kmart, Lins, Rite Aid, Target, Walgreens). You then press the "Start" button at the top, click on the items you want to add to your shopping list, and click "Shrink" when you are done. Then you can click the print button to print your shopping list to bring to the store. Use the right-hand column to see what coupon match-ups you'll need (this column will also point you to where you can print applicable coupons). Then go back to the home page and do the same for the next store you want to shop. 

I have to confess, I don't use Grocery Smarts. I've played around with it and I can see why some people love it, but for some reason it just doesn't appeal to me (it might be my knee-jerk reaction against printing out my grocery list - I've always been very frugal with how much I print). Also, I question some of their star ratings. Some sales that they list as 5-stars aren't 5-star worthy, in my opinion. I do think it's a great tool, however, especially for beginners.

Coupon Methods: The Binder

 

I love my coupon binder. It has saved me thousands and thousands of dollars. Yes, it's bulky, heavy, and difficult to carry when my arms are full with a infant car seat, a toddler, and my reuseable bags, but it is so worth it.

This method involves cutting and organizing all of you coupons on a weekly basis, and then bringing your binder with you whenever you shop. I think this method is superior to the filing method because of my other favorite shopping experience: the clearance shelf. If you've always got your coupons with you, you'll be ready when you find a great clearance deal. I've combined coupons and clearance to get many, many items for free over the years, everything from blue jeans to light bulbs to feminine hygiene.

Utah Deal Diva recently switched to this couponing method and has a great post that breaks down the specifics. I recommend clicking on the link to visit her site to read this post, as she's got great photos detailing what she's talking about.

My Coupon Binder

As many of you know, I recently switched my coupon organization method from using 3 accordion files to the infamous coupon binder. It's been a month now and I feel like I can give an honest review as to how it's been.

First, a little background as to what I switched to. I'm using a 1.5" zippered binder and it's FULL. I should probably be using a 3", but it's just too huge for me to carry around. I might splurge and get a 2-2.5" online within the next year, we'll see. But for now, this works. I purchased 2 sets of 35 baseball card holders from Walmart for $5.97 each. I also purchased 2 packages of ten 4x6 photo sheets for $2.36 each. I get my coupons from so many different places, I don't want to limit myself to a certain size. I also bought 2 packages of plastic dividers for $3.97 each. (That was after I bought 2 packs that totally didn't work!) Both packs have 8 dividers and I'm using them all. Overall I spent just over $27 on my transition costs.

I have 1 photo sheet page at the very front of my binder for coupons that I am planning on using during that shopping trip. I've also put coupons there that I print off, but don't get a chance to file yet. Behind that I have all my free product coupons. I look at them often, so as to make sure I don't let any expire! 

Behind that all my different categories begin. I have 16 different categories as follows: Dairy, Cereal, Crackers/ Dry Goods (granola bars, pasta, bread, etc), Pre-made Foods/ Side Dishes (canned soup, Boxed potatoes, etc), Dessert, Baking Items (spices, boxed muffin mixes, etc), Condiments & Sauces, Meat (refrigerated), Frozen Items (anything that's frozen except desserts), Beverages, Baby Items, Personal Care (shampoo, razors, etc.), Medicine, Cleaning, Paper Goods, and Misc.

Within most of my categories, I have individual pages for certain items. For instance, in the dessert category, I have a page for frozen desserts, a page for gum, etc. Within Personal Care, I have a page for body wash & bar soap, shampoo & conditioner, razors, etc. I found that making a zillion categories just filled the binder with a ton of dividers, some of which only had 1 page behind them. Space was too important for me.

So here's what I think of the method...separated into Pros and Cons...

Advantages of the Binder Method:

• It's a lot easier to find coupons for unadvertised deals. It's just a lot easier to find coupons, period.
• Once you have it all organized, it's very easy to put your coupons in each week. Although I do spend more time trimming them all neatly so they fit in the slots, the whole process only takes me about 30-45 minutes each week, which isn't bad considering all the coupons I have!
• It's so very easy to see when coupons have expired and to pull them out. That is a huge plus!
• It's a gazillion times easier to shop with my kids now. Outings are less stressful. I am a happier mom while shopping with my kids, which just makes life better. My coupons sit safe and secure either in the cart or on the top of the car cart and I flip through them as needed. As I decide to use coupons, I transfer them to the front 4x6 page so I can easily hand them all to the checker.
• I can more easily carry all the different items I need while shopping. My calculator, scissors and pens all are in the pouch in front. I don't have to clip every coupon in every coupon booklet if I don't want to- I just file it in the accordion file on the front and I have it in case I need it. I can also easily carry around individual store coupon policies. It's nice to have all those items so accessible! 

Disadvantages of the Binder Method:

• It took me several hours (about 10!) to transfer my coupons over. It was a horribly tedious, boring job that I never want to do again.
• Not all coupons fit in those little slots. I have to fold many, including all printable coupons. That makes it hard to see all the details of the coupon- description and expiration date, at a glance.
• Most coupons do fit, but you have to trim them really well. I spend a little more time carefully cutting each coupon I want in my binder.
• I shopped around to find a good price on the materials needed and I still paid $27! In addition, the baseball card sheets are flimsy and I can see myself having to replace sheets continually.
• Visually, the sheets are busy. I've seen some that are all neat and clean and all coupons are the same size- mine isn't like that. I just have so many coupons of so many shapes and sizes, the one-size-fits-all look just isn't happening. It took me a couple weeks to get used to that. A friend of mine put a solid colored sheet behind each category and while that helps a ton, I just don't have the space for them. 

My recommendations:

• Make your own categories. Know that every person's categories are going to be different! This is just what works for me. With any category system there will be some overlap. (Coupons that can logically go in more than 1 category.) I developed these categories after taking into consideration the items that I use coupons on. Everyone should do the same!
• Get good dividers. The first ones I got were clear and super cute but didn't stick out enough on the side for me to see them. Seeing them is important! The ones I use are plastic and have pockets on each side- also very handy!
• Even though it's less aesthetically pleasing, I like having 2 sizes of pages available. I use the 4x6 pages for tearpad coupons, coupons from packaging, insert coupons that are just gigantic, as well as many printables.
• Zippered binders are a necessity. I've seen my coupons shift around as I've turned my binder. If they weren't all enclosed, I'd be very worried about making sure I was carrying it upright all the time.
• Get a binder with a removable shoulder strap as well as a handle. It's nice to be able to be hands-free when I am carrying my baby! 

Overall, I'm pleased with my choice to switch. Even though I have just as many disadvantages listed as I do advantages, the positive points are more important to me. Each method I've used has had its disadvantages. I think we all just have to consider what stage in life we're at and analyze what is most important to us. This will be a great method for me right now. Although it was a hassle to switch over, I'm glad I finally took the plunge!


If you're interested in starting your own coupon binder, I recommend buying a sturdy zippered binder as thick as you can find. Amazon.com has several options with competitive prices (when compared to the prices of local stores like Office Max). Go here to see zippered binders.
After price checking locally for baseball card holders I've determined that it's much cheaper to find these online too. Amazon.com has them as cheap as $0.16 a piece (when buying a pack of 100), whereas local retailers like Roberts sell them for $0.40 each. Go here to see baseball card inserts on Amazon.com.

Coupon Methods: Filing Your Coupons

Since I don't use this couponing method, I'm pointing your in the direction of someone who explains it better than I could, Utah Deal Diva:

Clipless Couponing (Or Don't-Clip-'Til-You-Need-It Couponing)

You're new to this whole coupon idea and so far, you're completely overwhelmed. You get the Sunday  inserts, but staring at all the various coupons, wondering which ones to clip and then attempting to figure out what to do with them makes a triathlon seem easy.

Maybe you just had a baby and can barely read this sentence without dozing off. You have little time to take a shower, much less the two hours it would take to clip your stack of coupon inserts. The cost of diapers and formula are adding up, but you can't muster the energy to get back into couponing.

Do either of these scenarios sound familiar? I bet many of you are nodding your heads! And if they don't, just wait, at some point you too, as a result of life circumstances or boredom, will hit a wall with couponing.

For that reason, I'd like to share with you a couponing method that only requires 30-45 minutes a week. Max. It's simple and easy, yet still results in high savings at the grocery store. 

 
 There are three steps to this method:

1. Each week, date the Sunday inserts and file them away. I used to use a cardboard box, but have since graduated to a plastic file box. You can date them by specific insert {Smart Source, Proctor & Gamble or Red Plum} but I prefer to file them by date they come in the Sunday's paper. If you forget to date them, don't worry, the date is in small print on the spine of the insert!
2. Access the Grocery Smarts lists to build a shopping list. They cover just about every store in Utah. Each week the lists are updated with the current sales. Stick to the 4 or 5 star deals so you can save the most money! After you've selected a store, press the "Start" button in the upper, right hand corner to begin creating your list. Scroll down and click on anything you realistically need or might buy. When you're done, press "Shrink" then press "Print" to print the page out.
3. Now grab your coupon box and sit at the kitchen table with your list. The coupon location is on the right hand side of your printed list. You know exactly what coupons you need, so pull the insert out of your files, find the coupon and clip it. I use a plastic page protector to hold my list and coupons. Write additional notes on the side. You're all set to go grocery shopping! Keep the insert in your files for 5 months, then recycle!

No wondering what coupons to clip, no carrying around a bulky binder, and no dealing with expired coupons. This is a simple, proven method that saves you time and money on your grocery bill!

Good Couponing Blogs

These are some of the best couponing & deal blogs I've come across:

GENERAL COUPONING/DEAL BLOGS:

The Krazy Coupon Lady: These ladies blog about grocery & drug store deals, online deals, free samples, etc. They post deals for the upcoming week on Saturday generally, covering Rite Aid, Walgreens, K-Mart and Target. They also often give ideas on how to use Albertsons doublers. KCL is probably my favourite deal blog. They have great beginning couponing info including how-to videos, an extensive coupon database, up-to-date catalina info, as well as answers to frequently asked couponing questions. Their site is a really great tool for both beginning and experienced couponers.

Common Sense with Money: Although she lives in the Midwest, this blogger is another one of the best, with very up-to-date deals. She posts about the grocery stores (Target & Walmart) as well as Walgreens and Rite Aid. She also blogs a lot about daily deal sites (like Groupon) and online deals. She has also recently written a free Couponing E-book and you can request a copy to be emailed to you on her site.

Utah Deal Diva: Although she doesn't put out the same volume of posts as the previous two blogs, this blog is good because she's based in Northern Utah. She will blog about Smith's deals as well as other Utah-related deals. She often blogs about free activities to do in Utah, which sometimes includes St. George. I don't check her blog as often, but try to catch up on it once or twice a week.

Dixie Coupon Chicks: This blog is written by a blogger in St. George, and is good because she posts deals weekly for most of the local stores, including Lin's (which is useful because the Lin's ad is not delivered to our area). She also posts about local events.

Hip2Save:Another good blog with deals that some of the other bloggers miss. I haven't spent much time reading this blog but I'm impressed with what I see so far.

WeUseCoupons.com: If you were able to see the very first, hour-long episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC you will know about Nathan, the "extreme couponer" who bought cases upon cases of Total cereal. This is his site. I haven't had the chance to explore it much, but it seems like a good resource. It seems to be of a forum-type site and not really a blog, so individual users can post their own deals. There's also "virtual couponing classes" in YouTube video form.

STORE-SPECIFIC BLOGS:

I Heart Rite Aid: I recently found out about this blog, which covers Rite Aid offers exclusively. This blog is useful because it features the Rite Aid circulars for the upcoming 2-3 weeks, meaning you can see what will be on sale weeks before the ad comes in the paper. Our local Rite Aid has fantastic management, and they are willing to take orders from regular customers in advance and set items aside for you, as long as you let them know before they submit their order. By looking at the upcoming ads you can see if there's anything that you might want and you can get an order in ahead of time. This can often equate to free stuff if you have the right coupons.

I Heart Wags: Just like I Heart Rite Aid, except for Walgreens (which is known as Wags among couponers). Seeing the circulars ahead of time can also help you print off any internet coupons before they reach their maximum print limits.

Totally Target:  Although this blog does cover other deal happenings, as it's name implies, it focuses largely on Target-centric deals.

OTHER GOOD SITES:

Sunday Coupon Preview: If you've ever debated whether or not to hold off on your Albertsons/Smiths/Lins shopping trip until Monday, this is a site that can help you decide. This site gives you a preview of what coupons will be in the coming Sunday inserts. Since Albertsons, Smiths, and Lins ads run Wednesday until Tuesday, checking this site could save you some money. If there's going to be a coupon in the Sunday paper that corresponds with the current sales circular, you might as well wait until Monday or Tuesday to shop.

Pinching Your Pennies: A huge site with forums, coupon codes, etc. This site has deal forums categorized by state with deal threads specific to Utah stores and deals, with links to the Grocery Smarts lists for each store.

Hot Coupon World: Another really good resource. This site is extensive. It's a forum-style site and has oodles of information. It has a good Couponing 101/102/103 section for beginners. Here's the link to that.