Couponing For Beginners

You’ve made the choice to start couponing. You jump on the computer and do a search for “How to start couponing”. It’s pretty overwhelming, isn’t it? I’m going to give you an easy to understand, guide to couponing.

Step 1: Find your coupons

Start with the basic Sunday paper. Most Sunday papers have a good selections of coupons to pick from. Check around to find out which local paper has the largest selection. The money you invest in the paper, will be well worth it.

Check online. You can find a coupon for almost anything online. Here are several reliable sites that you can print coupons from.

• Coupons.com
• Redplum.com
• Smartsource.com
• ValPak.com
• Target.com

Magazines. Many of your favorite magazines have coupons. Take a few minutes to flip through the magazines in your home. My favorite is All You. Every month you have a variety to chose from.

Step 2: Sort and file

You have several methods of filing your coupons. The trick here is finding the one that works best for you.

• The Binder – This is a binder with dividers and clear pocket pages (Baseball card pages) This makes coupons easy to find if you have a large selection.

• The File – These are the little accordion folders with dividers. Many avid “couponers”, started with this method and have never looked back.

• The Box – This is a bin that contains all of your coupons. Many use dividers or envelopes to separate the types of items.

• The envelope – This is your basic envelope, and the most common starter method. People stick their coupons in a basic envelope and just keep them tucked in their purse.

Step 3: Let’s get started!

You have your coupons. They are all filed and easy to find. Now it’s time to pull out the ads.

Look through and see how many sale items you have coupons for. I suggest writing it down on a list in the beginning. Make a shopping trip for those items ONLY. By doing this, you are getting yourself into the “Couponing” mindset. Being successful in couponing requires a little discipline. Plus, you don’t want to get in the habit of buying things just because you have a coupon. Almost everything goes on sale, Save those other coupons for when they go on sale, for a much bigger savings.

Step 4: A few tricks of the trade

1. This takes time. Prepare yourself to spend time clipping, making lists, and checking out.
2. I always have two lists, one is for any freebies, or highly discounted items, and one that acts as my shopping list (I write “C” next to any item I have a coupon for)
3. Avoid buying on impulse!

You’re on your way to saving on your grocery budget! Good luck, and more importantly…HAVE FUN!