I was reading through some posts on one of my favorite coupon blogs: Bargain Briana and found this list!  It cracked me up and seeing as how its Sunday I thought this list oddly appropriate!

1. Thou Shall Not Used Expired Coupons. Unless it is your stores policy to accept them. Sometimes they will not beep even with expired.
2. Thou Shall Use the Coupon for the Item is intended.
3. Thous Shall understand the requirements & restrictions on the coupon. Read the coupon language carefully. Sometimes there is a certain number you have to purchase or a specific variety is only included on the coupon.
4. Thou Shall Not Decode the Coupon to misuse the coupon.
5. Thou Shall Not Alter Coupons.
6. Thous Shall Not Make Copies of Printable Coupons. Making copies of printable coupons is a big “no no”.
7. Thou Shall Not Clear the Shelves.
8. Thou Shall Question Any FREE coupon items for legitimacy. The old adage, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
9. Thou Shall Not Misuse the Self Checkout System.
10. Thou Shall Use Your Couponing Powers for Good Only!

As seen on Bargain Briana’s 15 days of CouponingRecent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• October 31, 2009 -- Carving and Couponing…
• April 18, 2010 -- Back atcha! Meijer shopping trip 4/18/10
• April 11, 2010 -- Coupons… gotta make it back!
• January 9, 2010 -- Top 10 Deal Finding / Coupon Sites
• October 27, 2009 -- Recession Payback… LOTS of great Coupons here!

There is some good common sense that goes along with your shopping experience. Generally you MUST be nicer than the other 90% of customers because you are “complicated” when you check out with coupons. I know … the manufacturers put out coupons for you to use them and there SHOULD NOT be a stigma attached to them… but lets face it. There is.

1. Get a TRAVEL coupon caddy. When I get my “runs” ready on Saturday night, I go through the ads, pull the Q’s I need and my TRAVEL caddy is separated by STORE. Each deal that I am going to use is WRITTEN down on a scrap piece of paper and wrapped AROUND the Q’s in my caddy pockets. When I go to a store I take out only the Q’s I need for that store. This also helps to curb IMPULSE buys. That is the GOAL of the marketers. Go in with a plan, stick to the plan and get out with your deals!
2. Get Organized. It can take me up to a few hours the night before a run to get my deal organized and coupons clipped and sorted. I work on a clipless coupon system so I do have to clip the night before a sale. If you are a working on a sorter system it will take you less time than me but I just cannot make the commitment to clip every coupon knowing that I am only going to use 30% of them! I have had cashier compliment me on how organized my coupons are and how EASY it is to check me out. I try my best to make it easy on the cashiers.
3. The Cashier is your FRIEND… NOT your enemy. Smile and be friendly. I know that people think I am trying to distract or suck up to the cashier but mostly I am just trying to be nice. They are helping me to save money by spending extra time ringing up my order… THAT is something to be HAPPY about. Generally I know that standing on your feet all day, dealing with gripey people at Walmart… is not the ideal job. I try to make their day a little better. I have even gone as far as sharing Q’s and hading a free candy bar to the cashier. I generally apply this to my life to though… if someone flips me off on Nicholasville Road… I usually say a prayer … unless its bad day… LOL
4. Be considerate. If you have not put items on the belt yet, or even if you HAVE, and there is someone in line behind you, ask them if they would like to go ahead of you. This usually wins you big points with all involved! Ask the cashier, if you are going to have a complicated transaction, if they would like you to split it into seperate transactions. That way, you come off as someone wanting to make their life easier and not as a “know it all”.
5. Shop at OFF times. During the day time mornings or EARLY on weekend mornings has been the best time for me to shop. Cashiers are fresh and are generally more friendly and willing to help you out if they have not been on their feet for 6 hours and slammed all day on Saturday. Also, you are less likely to end up with a piled up line behind you, thereby further stressing out the cashier.
6. Shop Smart. When I enter the store I pull my list and coupons and then my caddy goes BACK in the purse- closed. As I pick up each item I verify the number of items needed compared to Q’s and as I USE the Q I put them in a “discard” pile in the outside pocket of my purse. This also helps me to double check that I am getting what the Q specifys etc.
7. Prepare your buggy. I stand at the head of the checkout lines and sort. All of my like items, coupon items, sale items, etc. Then I STACK the coupons on top of each of the items. Price matches are done the same way. Paper laid on top with the big Price Match circled so they cannot miss it. COUNT your items and Q’s. This is where my list comes into play. My list at WAGS has all of the items, number of Q’s and RR’s used, and number of RR I should receive. Machines and humans do malfunction and if I miss a Q or RR its a LOT easier to get it back RIGHT THEN than in a week from now when I realize it!
8. Size up your cashier. Its bad to say but I do this. I like to go to younger cashiers, mostly guys. They seem to be more agreeable and less likely to balk over my stack of coupons! They are also less likely to call the manager and start to nit pick or act like they are the God of all coupons!
9. Get Educated! KNOW THE RULES of the various stores. Be kind but firm. Once managers and cashier realize that you KNOW what you are talking about they will usually leave you alone. I recommend getting a copy of each store’s policy and putting it in your travel coupon binder. Their statements are generally short and can be printed on half a page or index card. Be honest with your coupons and if an issue arises you have good ground to stand on! Do not be pushed around by managers who assume making their OWN rules are ok. If there is a big issue… copy down the names of everyone involved. Leave the buggy behind, TAKE YOUR COUPONS and leave. Go to the parking lot and call corporate and inform them that you are in the parking lot. Generally you can get the issue resolved immediately and your buggy will not have been re-sorted and put back yet.
10. Don’t be intimidated. Lots of time the cashiers don’t have the authority to override something but managers do. Kindly explain the problem and most of the time the managers will fix it. If the manager refuses… call corporate. They are generally nice and so are the HEAD store managers. Remember that SHIFT managers are not STORE managers…
11. Utilitize the self check out if you can. After 10 pm at Meijer the self check out is all that is left open. I LOVE THIS! I can scan away with my Q’s and never inconvenience anyone! I prefer it actually!
12. Exercise general safety. When you are in depth and looking at coupons you sometimes neglect your purse. I have a carbinder clip that I use to clip my keys and handle of my purse to the buggy. I have read too many stories where couponers had their purses nabbed! BE SAFE… a $1 coupon is NOT WORTH your wallet! When you are hauling your goodies to your car late at night and trying to check the receipt… do it INSIDE the store… not at your car. Stay on the phone with a friend or your hubby… makes everything safer!
13. Takes pics and post to your blog so we can link to it here! (ok… so that’s not a real rule but I would LOVE to see your runs!)

Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• May 28, 2009 -- Coupons 101 – Getting started… Types of Coupons and Where to find them.
• November 20, 2009 -- Black Friday 2009: A survival guide!
• November 15, 2009 -- Ten Commandments of Couponing!
• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 1, 2009 -- What does 20 cents look like to you??

I am also very privileged that I have so many great blog readers who keep me in nifty coupons from all over America!

I acquire my coupons from a variety of different places including:

1) The Sunday Paper. Lexington’s paper notoriously SUCKS for coupons… we always have the smallest inserts and the least amount of coupons but eh… water under the bridge. If you can get your hands on Louisville Papers you are in business!!!!!!! They get the bigger inserts and their Smartsource / Redplums are always DOUBLE the size of ours!

All coupons that come from the Sunday Paper are MFR Coupons (manufacturer coupons).

** I buy 5-10 papers per Sunday- depending on the inserts. If there is only one SmartSource (as is true for every 3rd or so week) then I only buy 5. If its a week when there is a P&G, Redplum AND a SmartSource then I will buy 10!!** Keep in mind that you will have to factor in the price of your papers to your weekly shopping budget. For me… I rarely pay full price (or any price for my Sunday papers) but I will talk about that LATER

2) Internet Printable Coupons. Most companies are internet savvy. They have websites and they offer coupons through various sources on their own sites or on other internet printable websites such as:

Smartsource
Coupons.com
Redplum.com

3) E-coupons
Cellfire
Shortcuts

4) Bricks – This is the most popular form of online printers for individual companies. Usually when a company runs a promo with an online coupon on THEIR site it will be a Bricks coupon. Most of the time these coupons have a limit of 1-2 prints per computer. If you click the BACK button it will generate another coupon.

5) In store – If you are browsing through the stores you will find the following:

Blinkies – Those little black or red machines that attach to store shelves and spit out a coupon electronically. They are called Blinkies because usually they have a red blinking light on them to get your attention!

Peelies – The coupons attached to the top of an item that states – Save $1 when you buy this item. These are generally intended for if you pick up the item THAT day.

Tearpads – Pads of coupons found on store shelves that you can take multiples of. When I was shopping with Ali at Kroger the other night we found a tearpad that had a mail in rebate form for a FREE Crest Toothpaste. (SCORE!) On Sunday I found a tearpad with Kraft Parmesan Cheese $1/1 Q on it. The Parm was on sale for $2.99 which made it $1.99 after Q! This is amazing because the stuff is normally $4 a bottle!

Wine Tags – Special Coupons that are attached to the bottle necks of products particularly drinks, detergent, 2 liter bottles, dressings, makeup products, etc.

Catalina’s – Coupons that print from the Catalina machine.  These are found locally at Kroger, Meijer, and Walgreens.

6) Store Specific Special Promos – Samplers will generally have coupons and the Beauty Assistants at Walgreens have a whole basket of coupons under their counters.

Also there are store specific deals and coupons.  As I listed in my Coupon Abbreviations / Lingo those are:

ECB’s – Extra Care Bucks (at CVS ) – Printed on the bottom of a CVS receipt these work like gift cards but are really a coupon.

RR – Register Rewards – ( at Walgreens) – Print from the Catalina machine and work like giftcards but there are RULES for RR.  I will discuss those more indepth in a future post.

Meijer Mealbox – found on the Meijer Website.  These are Meijer Specific Coupons.

Target Register Tapes – Come on the bottom of your receipt and are Target Specific.

In Ad coupons – Found mostly at Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS.

7) In Product Coupons – Many times on the inside of a box or backside of a bag there will be a coupon that can be used on a future purchase of a product.  Clip and keep these.  I pulled one off a Gorton’s fish box the other day that does not expire until 2012!!!!!!!

6) Coupons by Mail – Stores like Kroger, Target, CVS and most that have a “loyalty” card will send you offers in the mail. Today I got a pack of coupons from Kroger that included a FREE bag of Lays Potato Chips and FREE Nestle Toll House morsels.

7) Coupon Clippers – There are many places online that you can go to buy JUST the coupons you want for cents on the dollar. Mostly a $1 Q will go for 8-15 cents. That said… the GOOD ones.. go fast! Also.. make sure you are buying from a reputable source. Be very careful buying Q’s on Ebay as there is a rash of counterfeit (copied) coupons out there and those can get you into trouble fast! My favorite coupon clippers are:
thecouponclippers.com
centsoff.com

Buy / Trade – There are tons of places online that you can buy and trade… or even with friends locally! For me… I don’t drink coffee, don’t have a pet… so any of those things I am ALWAYS ready to trade or give away. Better for you to use the $2 off than for them to sit and rot!

So this week… I challenge you: When shopping around in the grocery store, keep your eyes peeled for new coupons!  Generally ones that are found in products or in the stores have MUCH longer expiration dates which is why they are so great to find!

Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• November 15, 2009 -- Ten Commandments of Couponing!
• May 31, 2009 -- Coupons 101 – Your FIRST coupon run
• January 9, 2010 -- Top 10 Deal Finding / Coupon Sites
• January 5, 2010 -- New Year’s Resolution: ADD Magazines to your list of things NOT to pay for in the new year!
• December 30, 2009 -- Fabulous deal on Carter’s sleepers at Kohl’s

Blinkie – Coupon dispensers in the aisles of many grocery stores
BOGO / B1G1 = Buy One Get One Free
BTFE = Box Tops for Education – the little rewards on the tops of many products that earn money for schools
CATS = Catalinas – the printers located at Walgreens, Meijer, etc that print out a small thin register tape type coupon. (Register Rewards are Catalina’s). These are named for the company that produces the printers- the Catalina company
CRT – Cash Register Tape – A coupon that prints on your Receipt. (CVS ECB’s are CRTs). These can be found at many places… Kroger- on the backs of receipts, CVS and Target on the bottom of receipts, etc.
DND – Do no Double – Many of the online Q’s have this stated on the top.
ECB – Extra Care Bucks – Printed at CVS, these work like gift certificates to spend on your next CVS purchase, same day, next order, next week. Watch your expiration dates on these… they generally expire quickly (within 2 weeks or so!)
ES = This is officially dead but you will see me reference it every now and then. This was the monthly mail in rebate program through Walgreens that was done away with last month.
FAR = Free after Rebate
FSOT = For Sale or Trade
GM = General Mills
HT = Hang Tag
IP = Internet Printable
ISO = In Search Of
MFR = Manufacturer Coupon
MIR = Mail in Rebate
NED = No Expiration Date
NIB = New in Box
OOP = Out of Pocket
OYNO = On your next order
P&G = Procter and Gamble Saver – Coupon pack that is released monthly on the FIRST Sunday of the month (unless a holiday) that has most of the Q’s for P&G Products for the month. The majority of these Q’s EXPIRE THE SAME MONTH!
Peelie = Coupon you peel off a product
Q = Coupon
RP = Redplum – Coupon Insert in Sunday Paper
SS = SmartSource – Coupon Insert in Sunday Paper
Stack = Using a STORE coupon WITH a MFR coupon to double up on savings. Most stores allow this.
Store Q = A store specific Q such as the clippables from WAGS weekly paper or ones mailed to you from Kroger or Target that CANNOT be redeemed at any store. Now there is a gray area in SOME Q’s- if it states ANYWHERE on the Q- Manufacturer Q then it IS good at ANY store regardless of the logo listed on it! Even better sometimes places like Meijer will MATCH store Q’s!!!
WT = Wine Tag – the tag that hangs from the neck of any product and boasts a coupon.
WYB = When you buy (ex. Get $1 back WYB 3 products)
YMMV = Your mileage may vary. Meaning… it may or may not work in accodance with the mood of your cashier or rules of the store!

I will resume the Coupon 101 posts this weekend as I will be sitting on a beautiful beach in Negril starting tomorrow!!!Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• November 15, 2009 -- Ten Commandments of Couponing!
• May 31, 2009 -- Coupons 101 – Your FIRST coupon run
• May 28, 2009 -- Coupons 101 – Getting started… Types of Coupons and Where to find them.