Are you new to couponing? Wondering how to start? or if it is worth it?
I’m here to tell you that it is. I barely clipped a coupon, let alone used one until October 2008, when I decided to give it a try. In my experience, I have found that spending the time to cut coupons, organize them, plan a shopping trip, and use the coupons can save you money. This month (Jan 2009) alone, I have saved over $900 for our family. So, if you are interested in saving some serious money for your family, you will want to start couponing. If you are new to this, here are some pointers:
1. Begin a stash of Coupons
- The easiest way is to subscribe to the Sunday paper. There are more coupons if you actually subscribe rather than buying it that morning, so I recommend getting it delivered to your residence. You can also ask friends or family for their coupon inserts if they do not use them. Usually there are anywhere between 1-5 coupon insert each Sunday and these inserts include: RedPlum, P&G (approximately once a month), and Smart Source. You can purchase more than one paper on a given Sunday if you know that there will be a lot of good coupons. I highly the Sunday inserts each week, so you can know what is coming.
- Printable Coupons.
- eCoupons : Load coupons directly to your shopper’s cards. Doesn’t get any easier.
- Check out 10 Tips to Increase Your Coupon Stash.
2. Organize your Coupons
- Once you have a stash of coupons, it is important to organize them so you can find them easily when you need to. There are various ways you can do this. Some people use shoe boxes (I find this to be a bit bulky since I have 2 little ones with me) or
envelopes or coupon holders. I’m using two separate coupon holders that both close securely with a band. I found that I needed more than one since I couldn’t even close it with all the coupons. So, I divided my coupons between food/grocery items in one and drug store items in the other. Here’s a picture of one of my holders.
UPDATE: (5/24/09) After a few more months, and A LOT more coupons, I have updated my coupon organization! Check out my new Coupon Organization System. I’m also adding a picture here so you can see two different types of systems next to each other. - How you organize your coupons doesn’t really matter as long as you are able to find them when you need them.
3. Plan a Shopping Trip-Look for Sales that Match your Coupons
This is where the fun starts!
This is where the fun starts!
- Let’s say that you have a coupon for $0.25 off of Palmolive. If it is normally priced at $1.25, that doesn’t save you much, but if you put that coupon on top of a sale price of $.99, it will only cost you $.74, or 60% of the original price.
- Some stores, like Fry’s (a Kroger affiliate) double coupons, and even triple or quadruple at some points. In our example, if Fry’s at the Palmolive on sale for $.99 and you used the coupon, which is doubled, you would get it for only $.49. Of course you save even more if they tripled or quadrupled the coupon (they only double/triple/quadruple a coupon to $1). However, this is how you can end up getting some items FREE.
- Some stores like CVS and Walgreens have rebates or coupons printed on your receipts that you can use on your next purchase (CVS has Extra Care Bucks or ECBs and Walgreens has Register Rewards or RRs). They definitely offer great deals that you won’t want to pass up, especially when you match them with your coupons. Check out CVS 101 for more on this.
4. Use the Coupon Database to find coupons easier and faster. Save your time and money!
- Not sure how to use it? Here are 3 easy steps to making your own coupon match-ups.
Confused by all the Coupon Lingo? Here’s an explanation. Hopefully this has given you a good start, but please leave me a comment or email me if you have a specific question and/or let me know if this was helpful. Also, if you have a good couponing idea or two, please leave those as well!
And don’t miss all the fun Summer FREEBIES & Discounts available for your kids!
Melissa Hurst, the founder of SavingCentsWithSense.net, is a married mom of three young children, so she understands the importance of stretching a family's budget to maximize savings. After working full-time in higher education for seven years, she pursued a passion of teaching both in the classroom and through her articles to help others. Her money-saving tips have been featured on Arizona Midday, and she is a regular columnist for LifetimeMoms.com and Times Publications in Arizona.
