Coupon Clipping Step 2 to saving more money

Now that I have you clipping coupons are you ready to save even more money?  I think I heard a cyber YES so the following will discuss e-coupons.

What in the world are e-coupons?  E-coupons in my world are coupons that I find on my grocery store web site.  I frequently log on to my grocery store web site and scourer the online coupons they offer before I go on a shopping trip.  They describe the coupon and have an expiration date.  I simply click on the tab if I am interested and the coupon will be applied to my savings card that I use at that grocery store.  Later when I go to the store and purchase the item my card applies the e-coupon to my total savings.  Just a quick tip, I always print out what e-coupons I select.  There is usually an option to do this and I slip the copy in my coupon book.  Photo below is an example.

With this tip you can save some big money if you have a store sale on an item you want, combined with a traditional coupon and an e-coupon.  If you take a look at my example above you will see I have an e-coupon for yoplait yogurt (save .75 off 2).  Yoplait yogurt is on sale this week...4 for $8.  I also have coupons (save .75 off two).  My store will double my traditional coupons turning the coupon savings into save $1.50 off two yogurts.  After I apply all my coupons and the store sale itself, I will buy 2 yogurt packs and end up paying $1.75 instead of $4.00.  I don't know about you but that is a great savings to me! 

But wait I am not done yet with my shopping trip yet.  I still have three .75 off two yogurt traditional coupons left because I clipped and saved them in my coupon book like I instructed you to do in my last post.  The savings will not be as huge because the e-coupon was only for 2 packs of yogurt but I will still save money.   Remember the sale is for 4 packs of yogurt for $8.00 and my store will allow me to buy as many as I want for $2 each.  With my three .75 off two coupons I need to buy 6.  The store will double my coupons so my total will come to $7.50 instead of $12.00.  I am essentially buying them for $1.25 instead of $2.00.  A savings of $4.50 for the stash of 6 packs I bought. 

The question now is what do you do with that extra money you saved.  You can buy more groceries or save that money!  What I do with my savings is I make more money.... I use my money saved to buy vintage jewelry or vintage home goods to sell in my on-line store  http://www.etsy.com/shop/DesiredSimplicity.  In a later post I will give you the details on how I have created my store that has been a fun hobby for me.

Now are you asking what in the world am I going to do with a total of 8 packs of yogurt?  Why eat them of course!  My family goes through yogurt like crazy.  But I do take note of the expiration dates when I buy groceries, finding the best date possible.  I keep an eye on this date while they are in the fridge and if I have to I will freeze the yogurt.  My family loves yogurts frozen or with the cup yogurts we poke a hole in the top and insert a plastic toddler spoon in them to freeze.  Both ways result in fun yogurt popsicles.

So get on-line, find your favorite grocery store and look for those e-coupons.  In my next post I will discuss buying coupons on e-bay.