Jill Cataldo

As we have new people joining the blog every week, I thought I'd post a few quick notes on how to make the most out of using this site.

• Welcome! The "Deals of the Week" feature of my blog primarily has a Chicagoland focus, though now that my newspaper column, "Super-Couponing Tips" is syndicated nationwide, it also attracts readers from all over the country.

• SAVE your newspaper inserts. When you get coupon inserts in your Sunday newspaper, save them all. Don't cut anything out, and don't remove the pages. You're going to need the inserts intact in order to be able to find the coupons easily later! Just write the date on the front -- then, stick the insert in a folder or expandable file and keep it.

  

  Coupons in inserts typically don't expire for 3 months or more, but some can have expiration dates as far out as 9-12 months! So you never want to throw an insert away until every coupon in it is outdated -- and don't just pay attention to the things you think you'll buy, either. You might be throwing coupons away for things that will be free later (really! Just ask any of the readers of the blog!) So keep them ALL.

  See this method illustrated on my Super-Couponing site!

• My weekly deals page will reference each insert by an abbreviation, like "9/7 SS". This refers to the SmartSource insert from September 7th. Here's a primer on insert abbreviations:
  
  SS = SmartSource
  RP = RedPlum
  PG = Procter & Gamble
  KL = Kelloggs
  GM = General Mills
  U = Unilever
  AY = All You Magazine

  (All You is not a requirement for using the site, but if you like coupons, you will probably really enjoy it. It's a cheap ($2.49 an issue) magazine that is absolutely filled with coupons each month -- typically $50-$100 worth each month. Many grocery websites are now tracking the All You coupons and matching them to deals, just as they do with the newspaper coupon inserts. You can subscribe to All You online and save about $10/year off the cover price. And depending on the values, if you use 2 or 3 coupons alone from each issue, you've recouped the cost of the magazine, and you're on your way to even bigger savings!)

  I post "Deals of the Week" every Monday morning. The deals reference coupons that appeared in the Chicago Tribune. Other newspapers do not have nearly as many coupons, so if you subscribe to another paper, you may not have the same coupons these deals are calling for. The largest newspaper in any market has the most coupons, and in Chicagoland, that's the Tribune.

  It's also a good idea to hang onto your weekly store flyers (grocery, drugstore, and general merchandise.) I cover Jewel, Dominick's, Meijer, Hilander, Target, Walgreens, and CVS. While my weekly deals focus on Illinois stores, the Target, Walgreens and CVS deals apply nationally. And, if you're shopping at a SuperValu, Safeway, or Kroger store, you may find similar sales to our Jewel, Dominick's, and Hilander deals as these sales often carry to other stores in the same chain.

  Any GROCERY store deals run through Wednesdays of the week they're posted. Any DRUGSTORE or general merchandise store deals run through Saturdays on the week they're posted.

  Hope this helps! Enjoy the weekly deals and the rest of the site! If you like these deals, please consider coming to one of my Super-Couponing classes! Most are FREE in the Chicagoland area, and you will learn how to find deals like these on just about everything that you buy!

  If you have any questions, please feel free to post them on the blog. I post under the screen name Coupon Maven.

  Welcome, and enjoy!

  -- Jill