BASIC # 1: COLLECTING COUPONS
You’re going to need a lot of coupons, but you don’t need to go out of control. The smart move is to get multiple copies of the same coupon, so that if you come across a deal you can maximize your savings. Think of coupons as “$$money$$,” because at the end of the day, you’re going to use them like cash. Collect as many as you can, using these top sources:
1. Sunday Newspaper
Coupon inserts and local ads are the best places to start. Look for coupon inserts with titles like “Smart Source,” “Red Plum,” and “Proctor & Gamble.” The more copies of a coupon the better, so I recommend investing in at least four copies of the newspaper.We get 10 newspapers delivered every Sunday morning, this way, when we find our favorite deals, we have 10 coupons.
2. Online Printable Coupons
Just a few years ago, the Internet might not have been worth your time for finding coupons. You had to dig around for far too long to find the right deals in your area. Now, individuals and various websites are posting the best deals available and, better yet, setting up local deals to get in on coupons and big sales. You can get alerts about manufacturer’s coupons and find links to coupons that you’ll just need to click, print, and file. Look for printable coupons, on sites like Coupons.com,RedPlum,Coupon Network,and Smart Source ,you can only print one or two copies of a coupon, but it’s still worth it.
Tip: Don’t print everything you find just because coupons are “free.” Only print what you need to avoid excess clutter and wasted ink and paper.
3. Grocery Stores
Have you ever seen those small boxes in the aisles that blink and spit out coupons? Or have you seen a stack of “Tear here” coupons near the entrance of your grocery store? Take advantage of these in-store sources of coupons, and don’t ignore the store’s free coupon booklets either.If you don’t see them near the door, ask at the front desk.
4. Manufacturers
If you write a letter to the manufacturers of your favorite items and tell them how much you like their products, they’ll often send you coupons – and free samples of new stuff that you haven’t tried yet.I like to do about 2 or three a day,and have gotten lots of valuable coupons including coupons for free products!!
Check out our EMAIL 4 COUPONS page for a list of companies who have sent us coupons and products.
5. Friends and Family
Even if you get the Sunday newspapers, you can get some extra coupons from your friends and family by asking them for their coupon inserts. Plenty of people buy the paper and then throw away the money-saving inserts. Recycling is great, but it’s even better if you can score some deals before they’re carted off.
BASIC #2: ORGANIZING
The trick to successful coupon organization is to find a system that you’re comfortable with and will stick to. You need to know which products you have coupons for, and when your coupons expire. You don’t have time for a frustrating, disorganized pile cluttering up your kitchen table. Since there are plenty of options available, think about the pros and cons of two popular choices.
1. Coupon Binder
In a coupon binder, you’ll use A to Z dividers and baseball card protector sheets. This thick binder will hold individual coupons, sorted by the first letter in the product’s name. You can also use pocket pages for coupons that expire quickly (within a day or two of the day you find them) or coupons that are only valid at a particular store. The coupon binder is simple and handy, but it has a few drawbacks.
Advantages of a Coupon Binder
You’ll have a portable container that you can move from the house to your car and carry into the store. Should you see an unadvertised sale or something on clearance, you can easily check to see if you have a coupon for that item and make an on-the-spot decision to buy or not.
Disadvantages of a Coupon Binder
You’ll need to commit to clipping coupons and filing them. It’s going to take a while to get this organized. You’ll need some space to lay out all the coupons and cut them.
Expired coupons are harder to find in a binder organized in this manner. Once in a while, you’ll have to go through your binder and remove the expired coupons to make room for new ones. This audit will be a regular time commitment for you.
2. Whole Inserts
If you choose the whole inserts method instead, you’ll file away the coupon inserts in their entirety. You don’t have to clip a single coupon until you’re ready to go shopping. Even then, you’ll clip only the ones you need. You’ll just stack the inserts you have so that identical coupons are all grouped together.
If you have four identical “Smart Source” inserts, for example, arrange the pages so that when you’re ready to clip them, you get all 4 coupons at once. You can use a hanging file folder system in a filing cabinet, portable bins, or a large accordion folder to hold the pages. You’ll save time over clipping and filing, but you’ll give up some advantages too.
Advantages of Inserts
You can save plenty of time, especially if you date the front of the insert and arrange the pages for easy clipping.
These files are easy to maintain, since you can just wait for the whole insert to expire and then toss the whole thing in your recycling bin.
You don’t have to take your entire collection of coupons with you to the store – just the ones you clipped specifically for your trip.
Disadvantages of Inserts
It will be difficult to make quick decisions at the grocery store when you find an unadvertised sale or a clearance item. You won’t have time at the store to scan through all your inserts and start ripping coupons right there in the aisle.
If inserts aren’t the only source of your coupons, then you’ll still be searching for a system to organize other loose coupons that you’ve printed from your computer or picked up in stores.
In short, the whole inserts method saves you time, while the coupon binder method puts you in more control at the store.
When we started out in couponing we did the whole binder organizing,and it was just such a mess.We had coupons scattered all over our kitchen table for a week and it just took so much time for us to put together that we decided to go with the whole inserts method.
So now that you have your coupons and they are organized, it’s time to plan a shopping trip
BASIC # 3 SHOPPING TRIPS
Especially for your first shopping trip as a couponer, I suggest pursuing only one deal. Keep it simple and get comfortable at the register. Once you’re familiar with the process, you can go for bigger deals and more of them. But for this first trip, let it go something like this:
1. Watch the Sales Ads
Take a look at your grocery store’s weekly ad to see what’s on sale this week. If you see what looks like a good sale, check to see if you have a coupon for that item. Do the math and determine if the new price is a good enough deal for you. If it is, compile your multiple coupons and get as many items as you can in a single transaction.
Buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deals are great because sometimes you can use a coupon on the free item too. My local grocery store, for example, is running a BOGO deal with Mueller’s Pasta 16-ounce packages priced at $1.39 each. I have a coupon for $1 off two Mueller’s products of 12 ounces or more. Take a look at the math:
Two boxes of pasta on sale/BOGO: $1.39
Dollar-off coupon: -$1.00
My total: $0.39 for two boxes
That means I’m paying under 20 cents per box, for a total savings of 86% off, and I have ten coupons. I’ll get 20 boxes of pasta for $3.90.
2. Set Your Limits
When you’re looking for deals like this one, you need to figure out if the final price is worth it to you. I’d take the pasta for 19 cents a box, but at 35 cents a box, I’d wait. Why? Because as you get more familiar with couponing, you’ll see price points that you know you can beat, and others that you know you won’t find ever again. For instance, I’ll never pay for toothpaste, razors, deodorant, body wash, or shampoo ever again because I know I can find coupons to knock the cost down to nothing.
Decide what prices you won’t go over, and if a sale-coupon combo doesn’t get you there, just wait for a better sale.
3. Check Store Policies
Periodically check your stores’ coupon policies. Every grocery chain is different in how their coupon policy works, so it’s good to stay in the know on these topics:
Does your store ever double the value of coupons?
Do they limit the amounts of the doubled coupons?
Do they have a limit on how many coupons they’ll double?
How do they treat coupons used with a BOGO sale?
Do they accept (or even double) competitors’ coupons?
Often, cashiers are unaware of policy changes, so they might let you use your coupons today, but tomorrow a different cashier may reject them. Some look the other way on expired coupons.Experienced couponers keep a copy of the stores policy to help “educate” misinformed employees. Don’t be rude about policies, but be aware of the rules and make friends with a store manager and some staff members.
4. Make Mistakes
Occasionally, you may learn at the register that your coupon plan doesn’t work out the way you expected. It could be that you bought the wrong size, or the coupon won’t scan properly. Remain calm and be polite. Mistakes happen, whether they’re on your shoulders or they’re the store’s fault. If you can’t resolve the issue, tell the cashier to void the item or call the manager. Just remember that you are not obligated to buy the item simply because you took it off the shelf. If the deal does not work out in your favor, do not buy the item at all. You are the customer, and you should never feel guilty about trying to get a good deal.
5. Have Fun
Saving money shouldn’t be a chore. It’s a game. When you set up deals, go after them, and take home your winnings, you’ll experience some pretty good emotions. Some couponers get a rush of adrenaline at the checkout lane, and others have reported having a “coupon high” afterward. It’s a pretty good feeling when the cashier and the bagger’s jaws drop and they only utter, “Wow!”
SO ,COLLECT COUPONS,ORGANIZE COUPONS,AND GO SHOPPING WITH YOUR COUPONS!!!AND MOST IMPORTANTLY HAVE FUN!!
If you have any questions or would like to share your experiences please feel free to email sdt691980@gmail.com.
