Winter Garden Magazine June 2014 | Page 11

com. When I pull up Coupon Mom’s site, I go to the stores I want to shop at and run a report of what’s on sale. I only select items that I can get at least 50% off or higher. Once I make my selections, I print the list and then go to my files I previously labeled by date and month to locate the coupons I need to cut out for my shopping trip. I take the list and the coupons to the store and this becomes my shopping list. Coupon Mom optimizes savings on BOGOs (Buy One Get One Free). My shopping list will be based off what is on sale. As my stockpile builds, I only need to buy sale items because I have stocked my freezer and pantry full. I have been very successful with this process and will often go to several stores for deals to capitalize on my savings. When you see how much you can save on your monthly food and household item budget, you might become addicted to those savings, too! Searching Advertisements: If you prefer doing the work yourself, check the advertisements sent out each week by your local retailers. Winn Dixie sales start on Wednesdays and Publix sales start on Thursdays so they send their ads out during the week. You can find CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Target sales ads in your Sunday Sentinel. It is here that you will be matching your coupons with the deals. Price Matching: Retailers will often offer price matching to keep you shopping at their stores. Make sure you bring the advertisements with you as proof of the pricing you are asking for. Coupon Policies: Check with your local retailer to obtain a copy of their policy. Each store is different. Publix, for example has the same policy for all of their stores. However, each store location has diff \