Top Holiday Coupon Weeks

My favorite times to coupon shop are when the stores have everything on sale!  Holiday weeks have more items on sale than regular weeks.  They often advertise items very low to entice shoppers to spend a bit more.  As a coupon user, I know that these weeks are loaded with top manufacturer offers too.  Manufacturers start to issue their coupons in newspaper inserts, with printable links, and digitally about 14 days before the holiday itself.  This makes a perfect time to coupon shop.

The best holiday weeks may seem obvious, and with a little planning ahead you can really stock up your cabinets for a lot less money.  In my 10+ years as a coupon expert for County Market, I have found that some holidays are better than others.  Here is my top list:

#6 Easter.  This week is the time we first see spring grocery brands peek out.  Ham is on the cover of every ad, and bunny cakes fill the bakery.  I usually look for side dish staples that can be adde to any meal during this weekly sale.  Items like Velvet shells and cheese, or Rhodes dinner rolls are sure to be on sale.  Why? Because they go well with ham!  Eggs are also a deal for Easter, so think ahead to any menus that you can rely on eggs.  Cakes like Pillsbury, Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker will have deals, breakfast casseroles companions like Jimmy Dean, or frozen bagged veggies from Green Giant, and French toast companions like Aunt Jemima Syrup make wonderful cheap food selections when the eggs are so cheap.  Gather those coupons, and be prepared.

#5 Memorial Day & Labor Day.  I put these two together because the sales are almost identical.  Usually you will find lots of  convenience foods.  Lots of Deli deals, lunch meat like Land Of Frost, and Kretchmeier, look for soda and alcohol beverage deals, many easy to prepare kit types of foods.  You'll see either Oscar Mayer or Nathan's hot dogs in the ad.

Lays Chips usually hit the front page.  Look for peels from Lays about 2 weeks before each holiday for free dips when you buy 2 chips.  Easy open a can types of foods are in these sales like Bush's Baked beans, or Suddenly Salad pasta kits, and even Dole Canned fruits. Look for huge deals in condiments in both these sales.  KC Masterpiece and Sweet Baby Rays often hit the front page, and just about any brand of ketchup, mustard, mayo and relish will be on sale.  Have your coupons ready.

#4 Cinco De Mayo.  This may be our families favorite sale.  Everything in the ethnic Mexican foods aisle goes on sale.  All I have to do is collect all the brand coupons a few weeks before the first week fo May and plan to stock up for the next 6 months.  If you never prepare tacos, nachos, or baked burrito pie, this holiday may not be for you.  In our house, we make all these foods regularly.  Start planning in March.  Send emails to your favorite brands like Wholly Guacamole, Old El Paso, Herdez, Chi Chi's, or Mrs. Renfro's to ask for coupons.  You will have them in time for the store to put your items on sale. Tip:  Ask for Margarita ingredient brands too.

#3 Christmas This is probably the holiday you think of first when talking about shopping.  With grocery sales, it's decent, but not the top.  We often see deep discounts in the meat department.  You'll also find seafood selections on sale, and plenty of pre made cheese and fruit plate deals.  For coupon shopping you will need to look for items that go along with party planning.  Look for deals on Nabisco crackers, Kraft cheeses, Prairie Farms ingredients, and all spices.

#2 Thanksgiving.  It's a doozie.  Full ad, that usually runs longer than a week.  Of course you will find deals on Turkey.  Keep in mind, you can usually pick ups frozen turkey for the same price as a chicken!  I tend to pick up a couple, then make a turkey for soups and stews in January.  If you want, take your frozen turkey to the meat counter and have it sawed in half.  You'll also find all kinds of coupon match ups this week.  Look for regular coupon brands like Campbell's, French's, Rhodes, Sister Schuberts, Pillsbury pie crusts, Cool Whip, and many more.

 They will ALL be on sale, and most will have coupons that match.  This week's sale is so big, you'll find many more items marked down once you get in the store.  I usually cut my shopping the week prior just to double up my goods this week.  I normally would spend $100 per week, but for this time, I skip the week prior and spend $200 in one week.  I can get $400 for $200 easily.

#1 New Year's Eve. Does this surprise you?  That New Year's is at the top of my list?  It is a little surprising. The brands on sale here are pantry staples.  All the things you need to make appetizers, or to flavor other foods.  I usually stock up with pepperoni peppers, olives, roasted red peppers, cans of green chili's, and cream cheese.  Many of these items are shelf stable, and many are freezer worthy.  Look for coupons that expire 12/31 and use them up this week.

There are also deals and matches on mixers in the liquor department, and baking ingredients you can use year round.  Paper goods like plates, cups, and utensils go on sale.  Add in some everyday things like toilet paper and laundry detergent and you have a winner.  This week most shoppers are not shopping.  The stores know it and are enticing you with great coupon matches.


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All internet coupon print limits are subjective. At the time of this email coupons were available for print. If the daily or weekly print limit has been reached, the coupon will be automatically pulled from the websites. You can try to print again tomorrow. All coupons listed are not available in our stores. We list them so you can order or find them to save you money. Check with clipping services, trade boards, or ebay to find coupons not in your store. It is our intent to help you find as many savings opportunities as possible. Enjoy!

6 Coupon Saving Tips

6 Tips for Coupon Shopping

Saving money by coupon shopping can be quick and easy.  Here are some tips that can keep your savings on track and your wallet full.

#1  Get a head start!  Look at what will be on sale before the sale starts.  You can look up what's going to be discounted this week.  You can see County Market  ad on Tuesday before the sale starts on Wednesday.

#2   Keep printing coupons.  So many digital offers are out there, but the print offers have not disappeared completely.  Try printing from some common sites:

Coupons.com
Pillsbury
Prairie Farms
P and G Brandsaver
Campbell's Kitchen
Arm and Hammer

#3 Engage in all forms of coupon redemption.  Use digital, use rebates, use printable coupons, and use newspaper coupons.  There are so many kinds of discounts offered.  If you use them all, you will make more matches and more stacks of coupons giving you more total money saved.

#4 Use a coupon database to search for coupons that exist.  Many websites have databases that list all currently issued and not expired coupons.  When you see an item you want to buy, do a quick search to see if a coupon exists.  For example, if you want to know if Nabisco's Good Thins have a coupon in circulation, look in the database!


#5  While looking at the inserts, if there is an item I want,  go ahead and cut it.  I know I'll use it before expiration. Don't waste your time cutting all the coupons.  Some you will never use, so go ahead and skip them.  These steps will help you to not get caught up in the time trap.  Don't clip what you won't use.  Don't have 200 extra coupons in hand while shopping, and Don't worry about missing 1 coupon.  Grab the main deals each week and be happy saving dollars and not pennies.

#6  Keep your coupons organized by aisle or department.  In My store:  Produce, branded Meat, condiments, canned veg, ethnic foods, baking, cereal, cleaning, dairy, breads, frozen.  Pretty simple.  Keep all. your coupons according to YOUR store layout.

These 6 tips all save you time and money while grocery shopping.

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All internet coupon print limits are subjective. At the time of this email coupons were available for print. If the daily or weekly print limit has been reached, the coupon will be automatically pulled from the websites. You can try to print again tomorrow. All coupons listed are not available in our stores. We list them so you can order or find them to save you money. Check with clipping services, trade boards, or ebay to find coupons not in your store. It is our intent to help you find as many savings opportunities as possible. Enjoy!

New to County Market?

Welcome to a wonderful way to grocery shop!  We often get questions from customers who have just moved to the area.  Shopping at County Market is can save you a lot of money, and it's fun to use all the offers that are available.

The first thing you will notice when you start shopping at County Market stores is that we have a loyalty card.  The Max Card is your customer loyalty card that gives you benefits.  You can get a free card at the customer service desk.  Be sure you use it each time you shop.  All Digital coupons link to this Max Card.  You will also want to go online, and create a profile to match your card.  That way if they want to mail you benefits, or email you special offers you will get them. Be sure your address is correct!

The next thing you will notice is that we have this fantastic coupon program.  We offer more coupons than other stores and have a special monthly printed coupon book called Penny Pinchers. These are store issued coupons that show the final price on the face of the offer.  These coupons can be combined with manufacturer's coupons for additional savings.  These coupons include name brand and store brand items.  Half of the book is for the first two weeks of the month, the other half of the book is for the second two weeks of the month.  This allows for plenty of time to pick out your best offers.

County Market also offers you ways to stay up on all the coupon news. Like this Coupon Blog!  We also have a Facebook page for up to date savings info, and You Tube videos with mini coupon classes.  We host a Live event online each month to answer any questions you have about saving money or coupons at our stores.

Finally, we have a clear and easy to use Coupon Policy.  It makes couponing fun for our customers when everyone knows how the the coupons will be redeemed.  You can print out the policy and keep it with you for reference.  We are pleased you've decided to join us!  We will be keeping you up to date on all things coupon in this blog, on facebook, and with out video series.


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All internet coupon print limits are subjective. At the time of this email coupons were available for print. If the daily or weekly print limit has been reached, the coupon will be automatically pulled from the websites. You can try to print again tomorrow. All coupons listed are not available in our stores. We list them so you can order or find them to save you money. Check with clipping services, trade boards, or ebay to find coupons not in your store. It is our intent to help you find as many savings opportunities as possible. Enjoy!

LOVE Apps and Modern Coupons

Coupon lovers are really starting to catch onto this no scissors approach to coupon shopping.   It's easy, no paper cuts and no running around looking for coupons.  This first step is to add My County Market's app to your phone and home computer.  You can use either or both.  Whichever is convenient for you.  The offers are the same.

Once you have the My County Market App rolling, add Ibotta to your shopping clicks.  It's a nationwide rebate program when you can clip even more offers that you paid on Paypal.  It also works with your max card so no hassles for you.  Just see their offers, click and get money.

 This past weekend I was looking for deals on my phone and found the best deals on My County Market App. We were headed out of town for 4 days camping.  We managed to save 40% on our entire shopping cart with a combination of offers.  Do you want to see?  My coupon Countdown with phone app.

1.  Download the My County Market App onto your phone. 

2.  It will ask you to confirm your email and Max card.  You can just snap a pic of your max card when it asks you for it.  Be sure these are correct!  It's how they ties to your max card shopping.
3.  Click some offers and have them in your virtual wallet.


4.  Shop at the store and pick up the items in your virtual shopping list.
5.  Get money!  As you buy things, then scan your max card it automatically will post to your account.  Next time you shop, you'll have $dollars off your order to redeem from your phone.

It's really easy to do.  I love the fact that I can pick up name brand coupons that are not available on coupons.com or smartsource, like Pepsi, Frito Lay, Campbells, and County Market store brand staples.

I picked up $10 just for signing up with Ibotta on my phone.  Boom!  Direct to my paypal account.  Then I picked up some Pillsbury offers, $.50 on any bread, $.25 on any bananas, and $1 on milk,  for extra this week.  These are in addition to your weekly totals, and YES you can still add printed or newspaper coupons to your order.  How cool is that?  

I want to hear back from you this week.  Use your apps and share on Facebook how much you have saved.  Good Luck!


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All internet coupon print limits are subjective. At the time of this email coupons were available for print. If the daily or weekly print limit has been reached, the coupon will be automatically pulled from the websites. You can try to print again tomorrow. All coupons listed are not available in our stores. We list them so you can order or find them to save you money. Check with clipping services, trade boards, or ebay to find coupons not in your store. It is our intent to help you find as many savings opportunities as possible. Enjoy!

Teach Your Kids to Save

We have been coupon shoppers for many years.  We started clipping back when my third child was born, and I decided to stay home with the kids.  That was an interesting time in my life!  The babies were filling my days with joy and chores, and it didn't take too long to realize that no one was filling my wallet anymore. 

Once we got used to the new budget, we knew something had to change with our grocery shopping.  As I started looking into coupons I was immediately discouraged.  I remember going to my computer and searching for our favorite brands.  Most of what I typed into the search bar showed no coupons.  I couldn't figure out how coupon users really made it happen.

Couponing is not fast.  It seems like it should be a fast thing.  See a coupon, clip, claim, that's it.  Yet couponing is about planning, waiting, and securing your deals in a smart way.  It takes a good 90 days to feel like you are actually saving money.  Yes, there are those rare deals where you know you're buying baby food, and you suddenly have an awesome Beechnut coupon and Beechnut sale.  True savings, are about saving on all your groceries, not just a few items.

Now, I generally will use 20 savings coupons in a transaction.  Sometimes, it's more coupons, sometimes it's less. I never shop without saving 25%, and I try to save 50% on my entire cart.  At this point, I'm sure you're wanting to know what changed.  It was just time.  Your favorite brand may not be in this week's paper, on online this week, or on sale in the store this week.  It takes a bit of time to figure out what your "hot list" of brands includes, and then watch and wait for the coupon and the sale.

Time allows you to pick up multiples when you see a sale, and pick up multiples if there is a smoking hot sale.  Time also allows you to keep track of pricing.  You will need time to teach your self and your family about being patient, and planning out your meals and even snacks.  When you are buying a 3 month supply of ice cream, believe me, the whole family has to be on board and know how to ration those cones.

We've been a coupon family for quite a long time.  If you're new to couponing, this would be a good time to spend in our blog archives.  I've been working for County Market for 8 years and have the blog entries to prove it!  Any question you have about phone apps, rebates, planning a grocery list, etc we have here on this blog for you.  My best advice for new coupon users is to stick with it, and give yourself a little time.

Come visit at County Market Coupon News on Facebook

Visit County Market Coupon News Cookin w Coupons's profile on Pinterest

All internet coupon print limits are subjective. At the time of this email coupons were available for print. If the daily or weekly print limit has been reached, the coupon will be automatically pulled from the websites. You can try to print again tomorrow. All coupons listed are not available in our stores. We list them so you can order or find them to save you money. Check with clipping services, trade boards, or ebay to find coupons not in your store. It is our intent to help you find as many savings opportunities as possible. Enjoy!

BOGO Berries in the first week of June

It's my favorite sale week of the year!  BOGO berries are here.  Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.  I usually end up with 8 containers of berries. Two of each variety. Then the only trouble is deciding what to do with all the fresh treats.  This year I have a plan!

1. Strawberry Scones. I saw the recipe online, and thought it looked wonderful. I'll have to race the kids to the berries because they like to just eat them whole. Now, if you're short on time, you can pick up a mix kit in the baking aisle, and just add the fresh berries of choice. 

2.  Blueberry and broccoli salad.  It sounds a bit weird, but I love the idea of putting a bit more broccoli into our diets and sweetening with a bit of blueberry.  If you're looking for savings on the pasta portion of this recipe:  Save with Barilla coupons.

3.  Raspberry Brownie Parfait.  This is a recipe only, and frankly, you can skip the whole adventure and just pick up chocolate brownies, some Cool Whip (coupon on link or use your digital offer on your CM app) and you're ready to enjoy!  It's simple and easy and....includes chocolate. 

4.  Blackberry Crumble.  My daughter's absolute favorite treat!  You can't go wrong with this one, and it's even baked in a cast iron skillet.  It's wonderful with vanilla bean ice cream, so use your Praire Farms coupons to pick up a quart while you're shopping.  

Please feel free to share your favorite Berry plans on our Facebook page this week!  

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For additions Print N Save Coupons:

Print N Save Section of this Blog

Coupons.com

Smartsource.com
Redplum.com 
County Market
 

All internet coupon print limits are subjective. At the time of this email coupons were available for print. If the daily or weekly print limit has been reached, the coupon will be automatically pulled from the websites. You can try to print again tomorrow. All coupons listed are not available in our stores. We list them so you can order or find them to save you money. Check with clipping services, trade boards, or ebay to find coupons not in your store. It is our intent to help you find as many savings opportunities as possible. Enjoy!

All the Ways to Save at County Market

Did you know there are more ways to save at County Market other than the weekly ad?  There are sevearl lists and links that can help you to save more money each and every week.   

1.  We list out Web specials online each week. Check out this week's web specials.  It’s so that you can see more opportunities to match up coupons to sale items.  We only have room for about 160 items to make the  printed ad, but we put additional items on sale.  These are called web specials, because it's the only place you will find the listing, you dont order them online.  

You can get the phone app for rebates that work with your max card.  These deals are only on your phone.  It's a free app, you can download it on your phone, My County Market is the app name. 

You can also use the Penny Pincher book!  It's loaded with offers each month and is available at customer service.  It usually has 24 good offerings in each part of the month.  24 the first two weeks, 24 the second two weeks.  Or, easier to understand, you get 24 offers anytime you are shopping at County Market!  These often include some from produce and the meat department.  Since most manufactuer's coupons are for shelf stable items, these help the grocery bill tremendously! 

If you haven't already, follow our County Market Coupons Facebook page for budget meals, coupon alerts, and deals of the week videos.  Its a fun way to share money saving tips and never miss a deal.  

The other types of Unadvertised sales include the Monthly Price Cut items.  These are listed in a publication called the Buyer’s Guide and is available at Customer Service. 

Visit County Market Coupon News Cookin w Coupons's profile on Pinterest.

For additions Print N Save Coupons:

Print N Save Section of this Blog

Coupons.com

Smartsource.com
Redplum.com 
County Market
 

All internet coupon print limits are subjective. At the time of this email coupons were available for print. If the daily or weekly print limit has been reached, the coupon will be automatically pulled from the websites. You can try to print again tomorrow. All coupons listed are not available in our stores. We list them so you can order or find them to save you money. Check with clipping services, trade boards, or ebay to find coupons not in your store. It is our intent to help you find as many savings opportunities as possible. Enjoy!