i am a stay at home dad of three and haven't a clue about couponing?

[sunshine111]

can anyone please help me with where to look or how to get the coupons that will save us money, we have an 11, 9 year olds and a 16 month old. we are hurting financially at the moment as only my beautiful wife is working for are family at the present. i would really like to get in on the coupons and take the stress of money away from my wife and hopefully get our heads above water.

please, please, please can anyone take sympathy and help my family and me?

i live in canada, alberta, medicine hat

thankyou from the stay at home mommy - daddy

[Mia001]

in the coupon section you will find
printable coupons
direct link to save.ca, gocoupons.ca, etc...
in store, you can find some coupon pads near products
also, coupons on bags, boxes of certains products....

and beside of that, some stores have clearances shelves....or alf price items....that helps save $ as well
if you cook, you can find pretty good deals on vegetables and meat , just be sure it'S before the due date

hope it helps

[JD in Van]

Sunshine,

I'm new too! We can learn together. You can also get your kids to help you build your stash of coupons. I send my 11 year old through the store collecting tear aways for me while I shop ;P

[lekate]

I'd try to determine items that you purchase regularly that have coupons and go on sale. And create a stockpile based on that. Food is a little tricky, since most food coupons are for processed foods I find it's harder to "save" in this area. But definitely learning to follow the sales and come up with a price for vegetables and meats you won't go above, stockpiling, freezing and menu planning will also help.

[tidytaurus]

Welcome Sunshine111,
Couponing is a great way to help out the family budget, check out some threads and links.
There are a few SC'ers in your area (Med Hat) maybe see if they are doing a coupon swap.
Have fun, save money.

[NicoleLJ]

Hi. I am in Medicine Hat too. Welcome. I have only been doing this since the start of this year but I am already getting a good amount of coupons and saving money. Do you recieve the fliers? If you do there is sometimes a coupon booklet in it called Redplum or Smart Source. That is what I found and got me started. There are 4 sites that some have listed that you can contact to have them mail you coupons. You can also contact many companies and tell them honestly what you think of their product and they will send you coupons as well.

Also if you want when I have some that are close to expiring I could send them to you if you could use them. Trading is also a good way to get ones you want and also join coupon trains. I do that and get the best coupons that way. Good luck.

[anisa]

1 - collect a reasonable amount of coupons so that you have enough for your weekly needs until that coupon's expiry date. there are many ways of doing it, like asking neighbors for the coupon inserts they don't want. always checking save.ca, websaver.ca and brandsaver for new coupons. if you know there is a grocery store in your area that typicly has manufacturer coupons available, make a weekly or biweekly trip and coupon shop. the more expensive stores usually have the coupons. collect a few (not fistfuls) and go shop at the cheaper stores

2 - keep organized. if your coupons are all in a box you will forget what you have, and miss out on chances to use them. something as simple as a dollar store small photo album can help you a lot. you seperate the different coupons you have, and tuck them into the photo sleeves. they are organized, and you can actually see what you have quite easily. another option is a folder type envelope you can get in the dollar store stationary aisle. the type that is divided inside into sections so that you can seperate them into categories.

3 - always check the flyers each week for specials, and then use the coupons on things that are on sale. you will stretch your dollar much further that way.

really simple, easy steps that will make you a better, smarter and financially stronger shopper

personally i found that coupon trains were too much trouble for me. if you are on the ball with your own coupon collecting, you will be able to build a good supply to meet your family's needs. with 3 kids i'm sure you'll be busy enough as it is!

[Poirot]

If you shop at the Co-op get a membership if you don't already have a membership.If it doesn't cost too much.It was $1 but that years and years ago.If you don't have a Shoppers Optimum card get one.The points you accumulate will save you money when you redeem points.Just get all the store loyalty cards that are free if you don't already have them.If you buy something new just buy one to see if your family likes it before you buy more.Combine sales with coupons.Be prepared to fight some cashiers don't think you can combine sales and clearance with coupons.Some stores don't take printable coupons.Sometimes you get a cashier who will take a printable then the next cashier will say no printable coupons.Check with a manager about a coupon rules if you have any problems.If you still have an unresoved problem contact head office.Go around the stores and check the prices out for stuff you buy.Then you can see if sales are actually sales because sometimes flyer prices are just regular prices.Sometimes one store's regular price is cheaper than another's store's sale price.Big money saver shop alone so the kids aren't helping you spend more money.