£5 off voucher for Hobbycraft

Save money on your next purchase from Hobbycraft by registering with their website by 30/06/11.  You'll be able to download a £5 off voucher which you can use against purchases until 14/08/11.

30p off Cheerios coupon

Until 31/12/11 you can save 30 p off your next purchase of Cheerios (375g or 600g only). Tesco's currently offering a 600g box of Honey Cheerios for just £2.00 - with this coupon you'd only be paying £1.70.

Free milk, fruit and vegetables with NHS Healthy Start

NHS Healthy Start gives families with children under four and pregnant mums vouchers which mean free nuts, milk, fruit and vegetables.

To qualify under the scheme, you must be pregnant or have at least one child under the age of 4. You must also be claiming one or more of the following:

• Income support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit and an annual family income below £16,190.

Eligible families will receive food vouchers in line with their family's needs.

• £3.10 a week for mums-to-be
• £6.20 a week for each baby 12 months or younger 
• £3.10 a week for each child aged between one and four

 Under the scheme, you or your children may be eligible to receive free vitamins.

Looking for coupons in the UK? Check your magazines!

Flipping through my Weight Watchers magazine, I found so many great coupons on diet foods.  It was a strong reminder that looking for bargains shouldn't be solely left to the internet.

While the UK's coupon industry doesn't quite compare to the mega-machine which operates in the US, the UK newstrade issues more than 4.9 billion coupons valued at a whopping £7 million pounds. But only 635 million are redeeemed.  Nearly 40% of these can be found within newspapers and magazines, rather than circulars.

Speaking to friends and family, I've begun compiling a list of magazines which regularly offer money off coupons on groceries, goods and services.  I'll aim to update this from time to time. One word of warning: the younger women's magazines are your best bet for coupons for savings on health and beauty products, including makeup and perfume. For your household shop turn to publications like Prima and Best.

The list so far:

Best
Weight Watchers
Prima
Marie Claire
Red
Asda magazine
Morrison's magazine
Sainsbury's magazine
Tesco magazine
Waitrose Food Illustrated

If you have any you'd like to add to my list, please add them by commenting on this blog.

Thanks!
Karen 

Don't accept Extreme Couponing as the gospel

Next time you're watching Extreme Couponing, do so with a grain of salt. It seems there's a darker side of couponing... and I'm not talking solely about the hoarding and obsessive nature of it all.

You might learn a thing or two while watching, but always remember that this is a reality show designed to entertain rather than educate.

With such big money at stake, the minority of couponers out there who take it to the extreme can't be blamed for trying to go for the ultimate thrill: a FREE big ticket grocery shop.  But for the average couponer, this interest isn't about a buzz... it's about making changes to their bottom lines which enable them a more comfortable lifestyle.

The latest dog food discounts, coupons and freebies!

At times it feels like my home could double as a zoo.. and feeding time is never a great time where my wallet is concerned. Feeding a 7 stone dog isn't cheap at all!

Hill's are best known for their veterinarian-recommended products for dogs. The company also manufacture Nature's Best for dogs. To help keep prices low for owners Hill's offers owners who register for their newsletter with a £5 off voucher. Additional savings can be had from registering - the company keeps their customers up to date on special offers with email newsletters.

For a limited time only, the Iams website is offering a printable coupon which gives £1 off your next dog food purchase.

Your next of Pedigree Better by Nature can be £1.50 cheaper with this voucher.

Royal Canin - my dog's food of choice - doesn't offer vouchers or coupons very often - but there are real discounts to be had if you ask nicely. Many Royal Canin stockists (including pet shops and vets) offer discount plans, such as £3.00 discounts. My local pet food shop has a great scheme available for Royal Canin dog and cat foods (including the breeds) - you buy 5 bags and you are eligible for a free one. That equates to two free bags a year for us - or a whopping £90! Another way of accessing cheap Royal Canin is by registering as a breeder or a rescue centre. Of course you need to be a breeder or rescue centre, but it's a route of getting the best prices.

Setting up a coupon binder and planning my savings!

My aim - over the course of the next few weeks - is to build up a healthy coupon binder. Everyone has their own approach to it, but I've gone for a big ring binder filled with 9 pocket binder inserts. I've split it into supermarket sections such as health & beauty, fresh foods, etc.

I'm only just beginning to look at the stores themselves to get a real feel for how often particular items go on sale. Once I work out the sales cycles I will try to post it up. I had a feel for these some years ago when money was very tight and I think that - unlike the USA - UK sales cycles are tighter. On last week's Extreme Couponing they suggested 12 week sales cycles.  In the UK it's about 3 weeks for the big brands, like Coke or Hula Hoops.

Why pay more for your grocery shopping than you need to?

Your grocery budget may be fixed, but your bills don't need to be! According to one West Virgina mom, strategic shopping is the only way to go!

When her husband was facing redundancy, stay-at-home mother Brooke Dunn developed budget beating strategies to save money at the tills... and now she's a business owner sharing her business with others!

With savings of 40% every shop, she's a great example to us all... even us in the UK who don't benefit from such an active coupon system!

Luckily, we have resources out there like moneysupermarket.com. It has numerous articles filled with great money-saving tips which could save you - on average - £800 a year. That's more than $15 a week!

Make money with coupons

There are some coupons out there which I know I will never be able to save money with. such as Pampers or Huggies. He may act very babyish at times, but I just can't see my 11-year-old's toilet training regressing that far!

Normally I'd pay very little attention to coupons for baby products and other goods/services which I just don't have a need for. But the question is - why shouldn't I?

After all, they have a real value to others... and I'm not talking about the £.01 value which is stated on the reverse of a supermarket coupon. And the amounts that they're trading for will mean that you never turn down a coupon again.

Want to get a little taste of what's out there? Whether you want to sell your coupons or pick up some real savings, check out the supermarkets and grocery coupon category on Ebay today.  Coupon clipping services are just starting to take off here in the UK and you can find some of the first companies with storefronts on the auction site.

Good luck and happy clipping!!

The latest cat food discounts

The benefits of owning a cat know no limits - but they can come at some cost if you have a multi-cat household like me. Five (yes, 5!) cats can build up quite a bill, so I'm always looking for ways to cut corners while still giving my cats good quality dry food and wet food.

Luckily for us, pet food companies understand the financial pressure on us owners - as well as the perks of winning over our loyalty. As a customer, I strongly suggest you take advantage of the great deals out there!

Hill's produce Prescription Diet and Science Plan for cats. One of my moggies must eat - at some cost - Prescription Diet S/D for the remainder of his life. If you already feed your cats this, then I don't have to tell you just how expensive prescription cat diets can be! Luckily there are small savings to be had from time to time. Register with Hill's and you'll get a £5 off coupon which you can use against your next Hill's purchase.

Iams is offering a £1 off coupon which can be used for cat or dog food purchases.

Why have savings when you can have FREE? James Well Beloved is offering free cat food samples via their website. What's more, I don't know a cat who doesn't love their tasty dry food!

Unfortunately my cats are just your average moggies... If they were purebreeds I could take advantage of Royal Canin's feline breed offer. Whether your cat is Persian or Bombay, Cornish Rex or an European shorthair, you'll receive a £5 voucher off your next purchase of a complete food bag that is 2kg or more.

Register to take up the Purina One one-month challenge and ten days later you'll be eligible for a £1.00 coupon off your next purchase.

Join the Whiskas newsletter to regularly receive coupons giving you great deals on pet food. If you have a multi-cat household make sure you list all your cats names... you'll get more vouchers! And if you have a cat under 12 months, you'll be immediately entitled to a printable kitten food voucher.

Enter a promotional code from a Go-Cat box to get a money-off downloadable voucher from their website.

Co-operative food discounts

Co-operative's website hosts a number of coupons which entitle customers to food discounts.

Save 50p off your next purchase of Flora Cuisine (until 29/05).

Save 50p on your next turkey purchase

Turkey is good for your heart.... and your pocket! Register your details with the British Turkey Association and you'll receive 50p off your next purchase of turkey mince, turkey fillets, turkey steaks or even a good old fashioned roast.

Johnson Baby's skincare - 50 p off coupon

You can save 50p off your next purchase of Johnson's Soft Baby Bath by visiting the Skincare offers page of the Johnson's baby website.

Register and save 50p on Dole Fruit Snacks

Dole has lauched a new, fun and tasty way for your kids to get one of their five a day. By registering on the Dole website, you'll get 50p off your next purchase of Dole Fruit Snacks.

New York Bakery Bagels - 50p off printable coupon

Nothing quite compares to a warm toasted New York Bakery cinnamon and raisin bagel with cream cheese :) 

For a limited time, the New York Bakery website is offering a 50p off printable voucher for download.

And if you join the Philadelphia Cream Cheese newsletter, you can combine those savings with another 50p off coupon!

50p off printable coupon for Post-It sticky notes

Follow this link to get to the printable coupon for Post-It sticky notes:

Sacla Dallaglio sauces and slow-roasted tomatoes coupon - 50p off

Sacla have partnered with rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio to launch a new recipe book. The Dallaglio by Sacla product line includes award-winning pasta sauces and a range of sumptuous Italian slow-baked tomatoes. 

For 50p off your next purchase of a Sacla Dallaglio product, click here.

New printable coupons for Blue Dragon, Bisto, Robinsons and much, much more

BeforeIShop.co.uk hosts a range of printable coupons for use across all supermarkets as well as some for use at specific stores.  Among the latest coupons for download are:

BlueDragon cooking sauces - 50p off - Expires 04/06/11
Bisto instant gravy - 30p off (ASDA only) - Expires 04/06/11
Aquafresh toothpaste - 60p off (Children's range) - Expires 31/10/11
Robinson's double concentrate orange squash - 50p off (ASDA only) - Expires 20/05/11

Dairy products: money-off coupons for Cravendale, Kerrygold and Clover

From cheese to butter to milk, there are plenty of coupons available for big brand dairy product purchases.

Butters

Register today with Kerrygold to receive a 40p off coupon against your next purchase of Kerrygold Lighter Softer.

The Clover website is currently hosting a printable e-coupon offering 30p off your next Clover tub.

30p off your next purchase of Country Life butter

Milk

Cravendale is offering a 50p voucher to customers who register their Twitter handle.

50p off coupon for Cushelle toilet paper and Plenty kitchen roll

Sign up now with Cushelle toilet paper (formerly Charmin) and you'll receive a 50p off printable coupon. Don't worry about expiry dates - it will automatically generate one when the coupon is printed.

Plenty kitchen towels, formerly known as Bounty, have a similar deal. Just register your details on their website and you'll receive a 50p money off coupon.

Pizza Hut and Dominos voucher codes

The Pizza Hut website has a range of vouchers available for download which can save you money next time you have a pizza delivery:

£10 Off When You Spend £25 Or More

Two'sday Tuesday - 2 pizzas for £10

Two'sday Tuesday - Buy one get one free

A special two for one pizza deal can also be found on MoneySupermarket.com.

Dominos Pizza also offer a range of vouchers through MoneySupermarket.com. You can find the coupons here.

Fancy half-price pizza? Domino's is offering 50% off orders of £30 or more until 2nd July 2011.

Pampers money-off coupons

There are a few coupons currently available which offer money-off on Pampers. All you need to do is print out the voucher and you can save at the till.

Pampers nappies vouchers (any size including newborn) (Until 30 June 2011)

Pampers nappy voucher (any size including newborn) (Until 30 June 2011)

Looking for a free jumbo-sized box of Pampers nappies? Look no further than FreeNappies.co.uk. Register to get your free box of nappies today.

McCain frozen food coupons (Expiring in May and July 2011)

The Coupon Gallery at the McCain Farm Shop currently offers printable vouchers which will give you 50p off your next purchase of:

McCain Hash Browns (Until 31 May 2011)
McCain Pizza Fingers (Until 31 May 2011)
McCain Lightly Spiced Wedges (Until 31 July 2011)