When you begin to coupon, you may not always be able to achieve the prices listed below. Until you start building your stockpile, you may have to pay a little more and that's okay. Once your stock pile has been started though, here is a list of items and the most you should pay for them:
Free Items -
These are all items you should never have to pay for again!
Toothpaste FREE
Each month there are coupons for Colgate and Crest. These are the 2 main toothpaste brands you can always score for free at the drug stores and grocery stores
Toothbrushes FREE
Manual AND battery powered toothbrushes should always be free. I have been able to get manual toothbrushes for free at the drug stores and grocery. Battery powered toothbrushes are usually free at drug stores. Electric toothbrushes will probably never be free, but there are tons of coupons out there to get them cheaper.
Mouth Wash FREE
Free mouth wash usually comes from drug stores & is usually Crest or Listerine. I have also been able to score a bunch of Scope for free at the grocery store when on sale.
Floss FREE
Never, never, never pay for floss. Reach is the most popular brand you can score for free. You can also get the more expensive brands (Oral B for example) for free when paired with a sale.
Body Wash FREE
Yes…the $4.00+ bottles of body wash can be scored totally free. There are always coupons out for bottle wash and brands like Olay and Softsoap so on sale quite frequently.
Bar Soap FREE
Ivory soap is the big one you can get for free often. I have also been able to score Olay and Dove recently for free.
Deodorant FREE
You should be able to score just about any brand of deodorant totally free – I have been able to score Dove, Secret, Lady Speed Stick, Degree and Lady Mitchum. For men, I have gotten Gillette, Right Guard, Brut, Old Spice, Degree and Dove Men for free.
If you can find the brand at a drug store, you can probably score it for free. Brands like Herbal Essences, Pantene, Aussie, and Garnier should always be free. If you prefer more expensive brands like Nexxus, John Frieda, Dove and Head and Shoulders, you should be able score them for under $1.00.
These have been free at drug stores more times than I count since I started couponing
Hair Styling Products FREE –
I have a ton of gel, mousse, and hair spray that I didn’t pay anything for.
Lotion FREE
Lotion sales happen in the winter months. So, make sure you buy enough when it is free to last you all year long. You should be able to score Cruel, Dial and Vaseline for free easily.
Pain Relievers FREE
If you aren’t brand specific you will be able to score a few different brands of pain medicine free often. In the winter months is the time to stock up on Cold and Flu medicine…which you should also be able to score for free.
Contact Solution FREE
I have seen contact solution be free a few times since I started couponing last November. Stock up when you do see it free so you don’t ever have to pay full price later when you need it.
Eye Drops FREE
This goes free once every few months. Purchase enough during one sale to last you a few months so you never have to purchase it at full price.
Band aids FREE
Always. You can find this freebie at just about any store too with the right coupon
Shaving Cream FREE
When I started couponing I thought under $1.00 was a good price for shaving cream. But, I now have 7 Skintimate shave creams that I got totally free, so I know it can be done. The key to this I would say is buying a few when they do end up free because great shaving cream deals don’t come around as much as the other freebie deals do.
Razors FREE - .99
Yes…ALL razors should cost you no more than $.99. Even those $10.00 Gillette Pro Glide power razors! Drug stores will be the main place you can score your razors totally free, but I have gotten Venus razors for free at the grocery store when paired with a good sale.
Feminine Products (all) FREE
I would have never thought it was possible before I started couponing…but it is. You should never pay for tampons, pads or pantiliners again. Always, Tampax, Playtex, RepHresh, and Kotex are the main brands you can score for free.
Make up FREE
This is another one I never thought possible. But, since couponing I haven’t paid a dime for ANY of my makeup! Powder, blush, mascara, eye liner, lipstick, Chap Stick…plus more can all be gotten for free.
Household
Napkins FREE
The coupons for napkins haven’t been awesome lately, but you should still be able to score these for free when you match a coupon with a sale.
Printer paper FREE
A great place to score this for free is office supply stores. Buy enough when they are running a sale to last you a few months.
Tape FREE
Back to school time and Christmas time are great times to stock up on tape
Pens FREE
Back to school season is the time to stock up on pens. Make sure you buy enough to get you through the year.
Air fresheners FREE
You should be able to score the aerosol spray air fresheners, the cones, the plug ins and any other kind you can think of for free.
The winter months seem to be the time to stock up on candles for the year. I got a bunch of free last year at Christmas time with sales. This is another one to make sure you purchase enough to last you through the year.
Dish soap FREE
Never pay for dish soap! You can score the small bottles of Dawn for free quite often.
Cleaning products FREE
Cleaning products are another item that is easy to score for free. If you have a Giant Eagle, they run promotions for Mr. Clean products and you can always score it for free. I have also gotten free cleaning supplies at Target, and CVS.
Candy & gum FREE
Any individual bag of candy or gum you should be able to score for free.
Yogurt 4 packs (any brand) FREE - $.75
You can score a great deal on kids yogurt quit often and will be able to get it for free. I would pay up to $.75 a pack for Fiber one, Yoplait or Dannon.
Butter/Margarine FREE
If you are not brand specific on your butter, this is one you can score for free. I’ve been able to get a few different brands for free.
Canned Tomatoes FREE
We have a lot of canned tomatoes and we have yet to pay for any of them. Red Gold and Rotel are the 2 that I see coupons for most often.
This is an item to stock up in the summer months to last you all year
Hot Sauce FREE
You can get the Franks small bottles for free quite often.
Salsa FREE
You can score Chi Chis salsa free anytime there is a salsa coupon out.
Ketchup FREE
Stock up in the summer months for the year.
Hot Dogs FREE
This is another one to stock up in the summer months and freeze them for the year
Relish FREE
You can get the small jars of relish for free when paired with a sale and coupon
Crescent rolls FREE
These are on sale a lot around Thanksgiving.
Protein bars FREE
There always seems to be coupons for Protein bars and they all seem to go on sale for $1.00 at some point.
Tuna FREE
Lint is a great time to stock up on tuna for the year. Tuna always goes on sale for $1.00 a can/pouch so paired with the right coupon it should be free.
Household & H&B Products
Facial wash or moisturizer less than $.99
You should be able to score most brands of facial washes or moisturizer for less than $.99
Hand Soap FREE - .50
I haven’t paid for hand soap yet, but it seems like anything under $.50 would be a great deal.
Dryer sheets FREE - .75
Free dryer sheets are harder to come by...but it does happen. You should be able to score Snuggle or Bounce for less than $.75 a box though. The key is to buy the smaller boxes.
Laundry Detergent $1 - $2/small bottle
You should be able to score Era, Tide, All, Purex Wisk and Xtra all under $2.00 a bottle.
Stain Treatments under $.75
You should be able to pick up Resolve or Shout for under $.75. Oxyclean does seem to run a little higher, but you should still be able to get it for around $1.00.
Trash Bags under .10 a bag
Trash bags are my couponing downfall. I NEVER find a good deal on them. Your goal should be to pay no more than $.10 a bag. For example – If a box has 40 bags you would not want to pay more than $4.00 for it. To figure out how much each bag would be: take the amount you are paying divided by the number of bags in the package (4.00 / 40 = $.10 a bag)
Freezer Bags under $.75 a box
You should be able to find the small boxes of Ziploc for under $.75 when paired with a coupon and sale.
Light Bulbs under $.75
Some people will say you should always get light bulbs for free. I have only been able to do this 1 time. So, I think under $.75 is a great price for light bulbs.
Batteries under $.10 a battery
Christmas time seems to be he time to stock up on batteries for the year.
Foil under $.75 a roll
There are always higher value Reynolds coupons available. Pair with a good sale and you should score a decent sale on foil
Paper Products
Toilet Paper under .01/sq ft
Doesn’t that sound confusing? J Toilet paper can be confusing. It comes in regular rolls, double rolls, mega rolls and more so it can be hard to tell if you are getting a great deal. The easiest way to find out if the price is a stock up price is to move the decimal over 2 places to the left in the total square footage amount. So, let’s say you want to buy a package of Charmin at has 340.5 square feet in the package. Move the decimal over 2 places to the left and it means you do not want to pay more than $3.40 for the package of toilet paper (or $3.41 if you want to round it) This way has always worked well for me, and I have never had to pay more than what the square foot rule says too.
Paper Towels under .25/roll
You should be able to score Bounty paper towels for less than $.25 a roll pretty often. I seem to get a better deal when I purchase the big packs for paper towels rather than the individual rolls.
Tissues under .75
Tissue coupons are always pretty bad when it comes to the value. They are almost always $x.xx off 3. But, if you use these coupons with a good sale you can usually score tissues fairly cheap.
Paper Plates under $.50
These go on sale quite often and there are always decent coupons to match with the sales.
Baby/kids Items
Diapers and training pants FREE - .12 a diaper
This works out kind of like the toilet paper rule. You shouldn’t ever have to pay more than $.14 a diaper…even for size 6! Drug stores are a great place to score your diapers cheap. I also get great deals at Giant Eagle. To figure out your price per diaper take the price you are going to pay divided by the number of diapers in the package. So, let’s say you are going to get 25 size 4 diapers for $4.49 after sale and coupons. Take $4.49 divided by 25 = $.18 a diaper. Not a great deal. But if you hold out until you can get them for $3.49 with a sale and coupons it would come out to $.14 a diaper! Let’s say you wanted size 1 diapers at $4.49 and there was 50 diapers in the package. You would then pay $.09 a diaper which would be a great deal. The deals do get harder to score the bigger the size, but it is totally doable.
Wipes and toddler wipes FREE - .01/wipe.
Rule works the same as diapers. Take the number of amount you are going to pay divided by the number of wipes in the container. So, for a package of 72 wipes, you do not want to pay more than $.72. Toddler wipes can be scored free quite often with the Kandoo coupons or Pull ups coupons.
Shampoo/Baby Wash/Lotion FREE - $1.00
You should be able to score great deals on baby items at drug stores. I did pay $1.50 recently for an organic/vegetable made lotion. But, basic Johnson and Johnson/Baby Magic items should be free to $1.00.
I am talking about the 64 oz bottles. You should be able to score individual size bottles for free.
Sports drinks under $.40 a bottle
Powerade and Vitamin Water are the 2 big brands you can get for under $.40 a bottle. This is an item that is one sale a lot in the summer months.
Soda 2 liters under $.50
Soda goes on sale all the time for $1.00 or under. Pair a coupon with a sale and you should get a great deal!
Meats
Now, I will say my husband and I are picky when it comes to our meat and I have never purchased meat this cheap. If you are more open minded about your meat these are the prices you should be able to score meat at when it’s on a good sale.
Ground Beef under $1.49/lb.
Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless) under $1.99/lb
Beef Roasts under $1.59/lb
Pork Chops under $1.49/lb
Pork Roasts under $1.49/lb
Ground Turkey: $1.99/lb
Refrigeration
Milk Varies
You can often get milk for free when paired with a cereal deal at a grocery store, but then the next week you’ll turn around and pay $3.00 for a gallon. This is an item you can’t really stock up on, so there really isn’t a price.
Shredded Cheese under .99 a bag
This one is tough, because the cheese deals have been non exist lately. But, I have been able to score cheese for less than $.99 a bag in the past. If you feel comfortable freezing cheese, buy enough to last you a few months and freeze it!
Blocks of Cheese under .99
This is another one where the coupons haven’t been great lately, but getting 16oz blocks of cheese is doable.
Cheese Slices under .99
Same as above
Cream Cheese under .75
You should never have to pay more than $.99 for cream cheese.
Sour Cream under .75
I don’t purchase this much, but under $.75 seems like it can totally be done.
Cottage Cheese under .99
Daisy’s puts coupons out quite often…so use that with a sale and you should be able to score cottage cheese pretty cheap
Yogurt singles under .35
There are always TONS of coupons and deals on the individual yogurt cups
Greek yogurt under $.40 a cup
Greek yogurt often goes on sale for $1.00 or less so you should always be able to score it for less than $.40 a cup
I have often scored Coffee mate creamer for free in the past, but if we needed it I would pay up to $.50.
Store brand eggs go on sale quite often for $.99. If you have a name brand egg coupon – pair it with a sale and you should be able to score them for less than $.99
Pasta under $.50
A year ago I would say free always. But, lately the sales haven’t been as good and the coupons aren’t as available. So, if you can get a box less than $.50, I’d say stock up
Cereal under $.75
There are always cereal deals and with the right coupons you should be able to score it for less than $.75 a box.
Snack Crackers under $.99
This is hit or miss. Sometimes the sales are great and other times not so much. Buy enough when they are on a great sale to last you a few months.
Granola bars/Fruit bars under $.75.
Brownie Mix under $.50
This is a Christmas season stock up item.
Cake Mix under $.50
Cookie Mix under $.50
This is one to stock up on at Christmas time for the year
Pancake Mix under $.99 a box
Bisquick will be your main brand you can score for cheap with coupons
Pancake Syrup under $.99
I have gotten Hungry Jack and Log Cabin syrup for under $.99 since couponing
Popcorn under $.50 a box
Chips under $.75 a bag
These are on sale a lot in the summer months.
You should be able to score any brand of rice very cheap. There are always coupons available, and rice isn’t that expensive to begin with. Pair a coupon with a great sale and you may be looking at totally free rice.
Frozen Veggies under .50 a bag or box
Frozen pizza under $2.00
Ice cream under $1.50 a carton
Fries/Hash browns under $.75 a bag
Frozen dinners/lunches under $.50 each
This includes all the microwave meals you see people bringing to work
Canned/Jarred Foods
Canned Fruit under $.50 a can
There are always coupons out there for canned fruit. Never pay full price.
Canned Veggies under $.50 a can
These go on sale in the fall. That is the time to stock up for the year. Canned veggies have a long shelf life, so you don’t have to worry about them going bad quickly.
Cooking Soups under $.25 a can
You should be able to get these VERY cheap to free around Thanksgiving. Buy enough to last you the year. You probably won’t see another great deal on these until the next Thanksgiving.
Canned Soups under $.50 a can
This is another fall item stock up. You can get Campbell’s super cheap in the winter months. Progresso will be a little more, but you should still be able to get it for under $.50 a can.
Pasta Sauce under $.75 a jar
Ragu is the one I see sales on most often. But, you should be able to score any brand for less than $.75 a jar
Peanut Butter under $.50 a jar
Peanut butter goes on sale often and there is always a coupon out there to match.
Jelly/Jam under $.99 a jar
Condiments
Mayo under $.50 a jar
This is summer month’s stock up item, but you should see it under $.50 a jar all year long.
Mustard under $.50
You can get this for free a lot in the summer months but I would pay up to $.50
Salad Dressing under $.50 a bottle
This includes most brands.
Pickles, Olives under $.75 a jar
I believe you can get these items for less than $.50 a jar quite frequently, but I don’t purchase them enough to know for sure.
Seasoning under $.50
You can score salt and pepper for free often. Mrs. Dash seems to be the brand you may pay a little more for but getting it for less than $.50 is totally doable
Stock Up Prices
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