One of PYP’s newest and most rapidly growing features is the Financial Support Group forum, affectionately called the FSG. In the FSG, members share their money struggles, goals, ambitions, and successes. Here’s how to find the FSG forum:

1. From the front (or any) page in PYP, click on the “forums” link. You can see it below circled in red.

2. Once you’re in the forums page, scroll down to where you see the One Penny at a Time forum. Click the link, which is circled in red on the screen shot below.

3. From here, you have two options. If you’re new to PYP or you haven’t posted much, click the “new post” button to explain your situation, ask for advice, or tell your story. Please note that posts within this forum are publicly viewable, which means that they can be seen by anyone on the Internet. This is a wonderful place for people who are beginning to turn their finances around to start. You’ll be flooded with encouragement and great advice immediately.

4. Once you’ve made around twenty posts on PYP or in the One Penny at a Time forum, you can ask for the password by sending a private message to Dori. (This is just a small precaution to prevent trolls and spammers from reading details about our members’ financial lives.) After that, you can click on the Financial Support Group forum and enter the password. Voila! You’ve just entered the FSG family, a place where incredible things happen in our members’ financial lives!

I discovered a method that makes my coupon file even more user-friendly. The coupon file is all about fast, easy filing and fast, easy retrieval, but I hadn’t realized that there was a level on which I resisted getting coupons because I had to pull the folders out in order to read the dark letters that were scrawled on the dark files down in the middle of the folder. Often, my eyes had to work through several groups of scribbled-through numbers in order to identify the date.

This new method is much easier on the eyes and on the fingers, since all I have to do is flip lightly through the folders and note the dates that are printed in clearly-contrasting ink in a neat row on the binders.

I’m not suggesting that you go out and buy a labeler just so that you can more easily organize your coupons, but this is a good idea if you already have one or if you’ve been thinking about getting one for other household uses. If you’re looking for a bargain on one, here are three suggestions:

1. Keep your eye on the Screaming Deals Online forum. Great deals on various label makers have been popping up fairly frequenly these days.
2. Go to the ShopLocal and see if label makers are on sale at any stores near you.
3. Go to PriceGrabber.com and search for label makers to find some of the cheapest prices on the Internet. Then come back to PYP’s front page and see if you can find an additional coupon code from the drop-down menu.

Couponing is all about streamlining the process as much as possible. I’ve been surprised at how much this little change has improved my coupon storage and retrieval, and I bet it’ll do the same for you.

Do your friends ever question the amount of time and effort you put into saving money, couponing, bargain hunting, and frugal living? While it is important to be moderate, it helps to remember that the money you save is worth far more than the money you earn. Check it out; you may be surprised at how much per hour you’re really making.

If you can’t view this video in the blog, you can watch it directly on YouTube.

New PYP members often want to jump right into the nitty-gritty of how to use the forums to find the best deals online. This video shows you how to do just that. If you want to view it in higher quality, you can download it here.

If you have trouble viewing the YouTube video in the blog, you can watch it directly on YouTube.

Always use a coupon on the item its intended for. You’ll know what it’s intended for by reading it. Just because a coupon “works” on an item it wasn’t intended for, doesn’t make it valid or ethical to use on that item. If you get a reputation as a dishonest couponer, it will stick with you forever. Also, FYI…Coupon fraud is a felony, not a misdemeanor.

Always honor the guidelines and policies set by your grocery store. Trying to get around set guidelines or limits will hurt you in the long run.

If a coupon says “One per customer” or “one per transaction” then you may only use ONE at a time. Most coupons say “one per purchase” which means you can use one coupon for each item you buy. If you have 5 coupons for Ragu spaghetti sauce, you can purchase 5.

Many people agree it’s ok to remove a peel-off (peelie) coupon from an item and use it on another ELIGIBLE item. Others think its not OK. It’s a personal choice….But most of us agree that it’s rude to remove more than a couple peelies. It can be frustrating to see a whole shelf of items that someone removed the peelies from.

Be reasonable in your expectations of a store. Remember stores don’t get reimbursed for honoring other stores coupons. So one at a time is a good guideline. Don’t expect them to hand over hundreds of dollars in merchandise that they won’t be reimbursed for.

NEVER be rude to a cashier. Always be polite, even if the cashier is clearly wrong, rude to you and/or dumb as a post. This way you can go over his/her head and get the matter resolved, and they will take you seriously because you kept your cool and were polite.

It’s VERY common for newbies to get overzealous and want to get anything and everything they can for free. PLEASE remember that there will be more deals, and you don’t have to get everything on the shelf right now. We’ve all been newbies. Spare yourself the embarrassment you’ll feel later for your “overzealousness.” The worst thing that can happen is for cashiers to start recognizing you for your excessive couponing adventures and talking about you in the break room. These store managers and cashiers can be your best friends or your worst enemies. Make sure they are your friends.

Update: To view this video in high quality, you can download it here. In order to make the screen shots extremely clear, the file size is quite large and may take a whie to download. We’re looking for a more efficient option, but in the mean time, if you start the download and then go eat dinner, you should be able to come back and watch the video.

Do you have a friend (or maybe it’s you) who’s not sure how to navigate Pinching Your Pennies? This series of videos is meant to give you an in-depth look at how to navigate all the different areas of PYP. This video starts by looking at the basic areas that can be accessed through the navigation bar at the top of every page. Future videos will look at how the forums are organized, the types of shopping lists that are available and how to easily print them, and how to use the communications features of PYP, including the chat room and the private message system.

As usual, if you have questions about using PYP, or suggestions for videos on a particular topic, comment here and I’ll put it on my “posts to write for PYP” list.

Do you ever begin to print a coupon, only to realize that you’re also printing something like the above: a three-quarter page, full-color, high-resolution ad for a product you were already planning to buy? Sure, you’re glad to have the 1.00 coupon, but you’re not sure you wanted to spend fifty-cents worth of ink to get it. And since coupons print automatically without opening up your print-job tray like most documents do, you don’t even have a chance to change your printer settings to use less ink before the coupon prints!

Unfortunately, you can’t choose to have the ads not print on your coupon pages (yet!), but there is a way to change your printer settings to make them automatically default to the lowest possible ink use so that those unwanted intruders eat up only a little black print, instead of a lot of your much-more-expensive colored ink.

1. Click on the “start” button and choose “Control Panel”.

2. Once in the Control Panel, open “Printers and Faxes”.

3. Find the printer (or printers) on which you’re going to print the coupons and right click. Choose “Printing Preferences” from the drop-down menu that appears.

4. Set the preferences to “draft” and select the checkbox for “print in black and white”. Press “okay.”
5. Your computer will now automatically print all documents, including those pesky ads, using these settings. Remember to change the settings before you print other documents that want to have appear in color or high resolution.

I remember when my local SuperWalMart first opened. It was a beautiful thing, all the lowest prices, right in one place! Below many items on the shelf would be a tag saying “we’ve pricematched this item for you!” They had already done the work for me, lowering the price on items to match the sale price of a local competitor. Does it get any better than that? I was convinced I’d be a loyal WalMart shopper forever. A few months down the road, I noticed there were fewer shelf tags. A few months after that, they had completely vanished. I had to either remember to pricematch at checkout, or pay the higher price. Higher price? Yes, WalMart had the higher price. Their slogan, “Always Low Prices—Always,” and their pricematching policy seem to contradict each other. If they have the lowest prices in town, why would I need to pricematch?

“Automatic pricematching,” unfortunately a temporary maneuver at my WalMart, was a brilliant strategy to win price-conscious customers. By the time the “honeymoon phase” was over, many shoppers were in the habit of shopping at WalMart, blissfully ignorant to the fact that they were no longer getting the lowest prices.

At some point, I realized that it was costing me more to shop at WalMart. They drew me in with the promise of low prices, always, and then slowly made those low prices disappear. They now make those low prices available only to those willing to browse the competitor’s ads and pricematch the items. They probably count on the fact that busy families don’t have time to compare prices from grocery store ads and make a list of items to pricematch before trekking to the store.

I soon discovered that I could save money by shopping the sales at other local grocers. I participated in double coupon promotions, shopped case lot sales and 10 for $10 sales, and used store coupons. By shopping smarter, I was able to spend less. I was also surprised to find that shopping at other stores required less time than shopping at WalMart. Because SuperWalMart stores are larger than many shopping malls, and commonly needed items are strategically placed on opposite ends of the store, a trip to WalMart can take a considerable amount of time. Factor in a long wait at the checkout, and you can easily blow an afternoon.
I was happy to discover other benefits to shopping local and regional stores as well…….. better customer service, fresh local produce, from-scratch bakeries, community support programs, and of course the economic benefits of supporting local retailers.

Why is it important to support the local stores? If WalMart becomes the only game in town, shoppers will pay in the end. I compare this to looking for gas at an interstate exit. If you get off the interstate and there are two gas stations, they will compete for customers and the prices will stay in check. If you drive further down the interstate where there is only one exit for miles, and only one gas station at this exit, they can charge what they want and drivers in need of gas will have to pay it.

Am I suggesting that no one shop at WalMart? No. I’m just suggesting that before we shop exclusively at WalMart, we consider the possible consequences. Competition is a good thing and benefits us all in the form of lower prices. If everyone shops exclusively at Walmart, the end result will be higher prices and fewer choices. It we want to continue to have choices in where and what we buy, and how much we pay for it, we need to make an effort to shop our local stores. If there are 5 or 6 items from one local store that you plan to pricematch at WalMart, consider just going to that local store instead. Don’t make a habit of automatically pricematching everything at WalMart without thinking about the possible long term consequences. If the driving distance, price, and all other factors are equal, consider supporting other local stores. If all factors are not equal and it will just plain save you money to shop at WalMart, then by all means, shop at WalMart. Most families can’t afford to pay higher prices, just to keep competition in the local economy. The good news is, they don’t have to.
By shopping smarter, we can all save money, and also encourage healthy competition in our area. The secret to smart shopping is to make a list of the best priced items in a store before you go, gather any coupons you need, and stick to your list. When an item is at its lowest price, (lower than Walmart!) don’t just buy one or two. Buy as many as your family can use in 3-6 months, depending on the shelf life of the item. Stores encourage buying multiple items, evident in the 10 for $10 and even 20 for $10 sales that are becoming more and more popular. By buying a case or more, you can avoid paying full price for that item for a long while.
PinchingYourPennies.com can help you make your grocery lists, easily locate coupons to save you even more, and make you aware of great sales and in-store specials that you would have otherwise missed. PYP contains detailed lists for each store, letting shoppers know where to find the hot deals for the week, with or without coupons. Some sale prices can be combined with coupons from your Sunday paper to get items free or dirt cheap. Significant savings can come from using grocery coupons, and PinchingYourPennies.com can show you how easy it is to use coupons to your advantage. A team of “professional” bargain shoppers maintain this website, and offer their services free of charge. These bargain shoppers take saving money seriously, and can tell you that WalMart isn’t always the cheapest place in town. Where you shop is a personal decision, but it’s nice to know that we still have choices, and that shopping stores other than WalMart doesn’t have to blow the budget.

Ever wondered what’s in one of those massive coupon binders? This video shows how a coupon binder works, and all of the things it can contain. If you have trouble viewing the video in this post, you can also watch it on YouTube.

You can print the price book featured in the video from this page.

Here are the lists of categories referenced in the video.

A few large categories, with smaller sub-categories (thanks to rianacj for this list):

BABY(Diapers, wipes, snacks, baby food, formula)
BREAD/CEREAL (Cereal, granola bars, breakfast foods, breads, chips/crackers, rice/pasta)
CLEANERS(Floor cleaners, dish cleaners, laundry, bathroom, standard, air fresheners)
DAIRY(cheese, butter/oil, yogurt, misc. dairy)
DESSERT(cookies, frozen dessert, cake/brownie mix, fruit/jello/pudding, drinks, candy, baking goods)
MEAT (poultry, lunchmeat, seasonings/sauces, breakfast meat, misc. meat)
MEDICINE (cold/allergy, pain releivers, misc)
MISC (Sauces/salsa/ketcup,canned goods, frozen goods, salads/dressing, Pets, misc foods, misc household)
PAPER GOODS (kleenex/garbage bags, plates/paper towels, toilet paper, foils/wraps/containers)
PERSONAL HYGIENE (Facial cleansers, Body Wash, Lotion, Toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, Deodorant, shaving, Makeup, hair care, misc hygiene)

Several small categories (thanks to ahunter1 for this list):

Air freshener
alcohol
auto care
baby care
bacon
bags-freezer
bags-kitchen trash
bags-misc.
bags-outdoor trash
bags-oven cooking
bags-sandwich
baking supplies
bandages
batteries
beans-canned
beverages
biscuits-canned
biscuit mix
bleach
bread
bread mix
bread/roll frozen
breakfast food-frozen
breakfast food-misc
butter
cake mix
candy
cat food-bagged
cat food-canned
cereal-cold gen mills
cereal-cold kellogg
cereal-cold misc
cereal-cold nabisco
cereal-cold post
cereal-cold quaker
cereal-cooked
charcoal
charcoal starter
cheese
cheese-cottage
cheese-cream
cheese spread
chili canned
chinese food
chips
chocolate chips
cigarettes
cleaner-bathroom
cleaner-powder
cleaner-floor
cleaner-liquid
cleaner-oven
coating mix
cocoa
coffee
coffee creamer
cookies
cookie mix
cooking oil
corn meal
cosmetics
crackers
dental floss
deodorant
dessert-frozen
detergent
diapers
diet aids
dinners frozen
dinner mixes
dip
dog food-bagged
dog food-canned
drink mixes
eggs
fabric softener
feminine products
film
flour
foil
frosting
fruit-canned
fruit-dried
granola
gravy mix
gum
hair color
hair care
honey
ice cream
ice cream topping
insect killer
jam/jelly
jello
juice-bottle/box/can
juice-frozen
ketchup
kitchen-house items
light bulbs
lighters
magazines
margarine
marshmallows
mayonnaise
meat-canned
meat-frozen
meat-luncheon
medicine-antacid
medicine-children’s
medicine-cold
medicine-decongestant
medicine-eye
medicine-headache
medicine-misc
mexican food canned
mexican misc
mexican-salsa
milk-dry
milk-evaporated
milk-fresh
mouthwash
muffin mix
mustard
napkins
muts
olives
pancake mix
pantyhose
paper cups
paper plates
paper towels
pasta
peanut butter
pickles
pie crust
pizza-frozen
pizza mix
plastic wrap
polish-furniture
popcorn
potatoes-frozen
potatoes-instant
produce
pudding
razors
restaurant
rice
rolls-cinnamon
rolls-dinner
salad toppings
salad dressing-bottle
salad dressing-mix
sauce-bbq
sauce-misc
sauce-spaghetti
sauce-steak
sauce-tomato
sausage
school supplies
scouring pads
seafood
shaving-cream/lotion
shortening
skin care
snacks
soap-bath
soap-liquid
soap-liquid dish
soap-dishwasher
spices/flavorings
soup-canned
soup-dry
sour cream
stain remover
stuffing mix
sugar
sweetener
syrup
tea
tissue-bathroom
tissue-facial
toothbrush
toothpaste
vegetables-canned
vegetables-frozen
vinegar
vitamins
water
wax-floor
whipped topping
yeast
yogurt

Albertsons has released a coupon specifically for Pinching Your Pennies! Shelley, our very own Albertsons guru, received a lovely e-mail from them this morning. They wrote:

Shelley,

Albertsons would like to thank you for all the time and effort that goes into helping people save money at Albertsons thru the PYP web site. During the past month Albertsons has been testing a new ad format. We were amazed by the passion and response to the new ad. The feedback was taken seriously and we would like to thank the members for their honest feedback. To show our gratitude Albertsons would like to offer a $5 off $30 coupon for PYP members only.

Thank you.
Albertsons

This coupon is exciting news, not only because it shows that Albertsons appreciates PYP, but more importantly because it shows that Albertsons is paying attention to what its customers are saying. And, of course, it means that we’ll all be saving even more money at Albertsons this week.

PS: In order to avoid any potential difficulty regarding the cashier’s willingness to accept a printable coupon, you might add this copy of Albertsons’ printable coupon policy to your shopping list:

Thank you for contacting Albertsons Customer Care. We received email asking for clarification on our Internet coupon acceptance policy. We have provided this policy below.

Internet Coupons printed from a website are redeemable with a qualifying purchase. Albertsons DOES NOT accept Internet coupons containing the following conditions:

a. ‘Free’ product offers that do not require a purchase
b. Redemption value exceeds $5.00
c. Absence of UPC bar code

Again, thank you for contacting Albertsons Customer Care. If we can provide any information or be of service to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail or by calling 1-877-932-7948.

Sincerely,

Gregg C.
Albertsons Customer Care Representative

Did you know that www.pinchingyourpennies.com has FREE printable lists of the best deals at the local grocery stores??!!

My grocery store pick of the week is Albertsons! There is a HUGE Kraft promo that started today. PYP has the COMPLETE list of all the deals.

Albertsons has initiated a new marketing plan. A new ad is being tested in most of Utah County—one of the drastic changes in the new ad is the lack of details about current promo’s. PYP saves the day by providing the info the new ad is missing.

Check out the list by clicking here

NOTE: Many boxes of the Kraft Pasta Salad have .50 peelies!! Final Price: .20!!

Most beginning couponers want ideas for organizing and storing their coupons. This video demonstrates a variety of ways that can work for all schedules and couponing styles.

If you cannot view the video in the screen below, click here to watch it on YouTube.

April 9, 2010 Update: The download links should be active. Let me know if there are any problems.

If you’re new to price books, watch this video to learn what they are and how to use them.

There have been even more requests for changes and updates to the PYP price book, so here’s another upgrade. I won’t post any more individual posts on this topic, so for future additions or upgrades, subscribe to the comments on this post or bookmark this post to see what’s new.

Option 1: Full-Sized Price Book (Click here to download the most recently updated version.)
The original price book prints pages that look like this:
Option 2: Half-Sized Price Book (Brand new. Click here to download.)
The new miniature version prints only half-sized pages. This means that you can either print them on half sheets, or print them on full-sized sheets and use the second half to print another price book page. This allows users to carry smaller price books instead of full-sized three-ring binders. All of the updated pages listed below are included in this first version of the half-sized price book.
Important Upgrade: Master price list. At your request, we’ve also added a master price list which lists the basic prices of all the individual sheets in the price book. This is for folks who don’t want to record their own prices, but would still like some base reference points to carry in their purse or pocket. It’s included in both of the books above, or you can download it individually from the upgrade list below.

Additional Pages: These pages have been added to the price book since its original publication. They’re included in the price books above, but if you don’t want to re-download the entire price book, you can download the individual pages below.

• Blank Template
• Sunscreen
• Shampoo
• Master Price List Page

• Sit down and make a list of your families “tried and true” menu’s. We all have those recipes we make over and over. Try to come up with 15-20 menu’s or recipes.
• From these recipes, write down all the ingredients needed. It is especially helpful to divide this list into non-perishables (pantry staples) and perishables.

That was the hard part! Now you know what items you need to create the meals your family knows and loves. I believe it is crucial to store what you eat and eat what you store. This is called a usable food storage or pantry.

Each week, the staff of https://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/ goes through the local grocery store ads and creates a FREE list of the best deals at each store. If you are a couponer (and you should be!), the list combines the sales and coupon and gives you a final price. In addition, each deal is rated according to the following system:

***** 5 Star Deal: Best price, time to stock up!!

**** 4 Star Deal: Excellent price, buy several!

*** 3 Star Deal: Average deal, only buy if you are out of this item. Not a stock up price.

** 2 Star Deal: Poor deal, avoid if at all possible!

Now, grab that ingredient list and go through the PYP Grocery Lists and write down what is on sale and corresponds with your list. Stock up according to the above mentioned rating system. I recommend setting aside a portion of your budget for your stock piling purchases. When you are first starting out, you will need to purchase not only your weekly grocery needs, but also your longterm pantry items. But, don’t go overboard! Start slowly and remember, there is always going to be another good deal just around the corner.

If you can’t view the video in the screen below, click here to watch it directly in YouTube.

One of the biggest challenges that new couponers face is understanding the wide variety of coupon types, and the lingo that couponers use when discussing these types of coupons. This video shows the different types of manufacturers’ coupons, and demonstrates what they look like, where they’re found, and what terms are used to discuss them on the Internet and in online forums.

The goal of this blog and this video is to help new couponers feel comfortable with coupon terminology, and with recognizing various types of coupons when they see them, so if you have any questions or need anything clarified, please ask. We’re eager and excited to help!