It is funny how I am getting approached by people I know and more importantly DON'T know while I am shopping. Wallet, cellphone in hand (aka my calculator) and my new binder of coupons (I got a nice zippered one for Mother's Day - thanks honey!), I pause and try to help fellow shoppers with their purchase, occasionally handing out a coupon or two. The main question I get is "How do you save so much money? I used to do coupons but don't have the time." My reply is that it actually does not take much time. I added it up one time and I think I spend less than 5 hours a week "couponing". By couponing, I mean, finding coupons, clipping them, filing them and creating a shopping list.
Step 1 ~ Locate Coupons
There are several options out there. My favorite source is the Sunday Paper. There is usually over $100 in coupons each week put in the paper. Where the paper is $2.75 I find that a great deal as I know I can easily spend $2.75 in coupons per week. How many papers should you get all depends on your needs. Each week I get an email from
Sunday Coupon Preview. In that email, it tells me what coupons are going to be found in the upcoming Sunday paper. Sources of coupons inside are from Smart Source (SS), Red Plum (RP), Proctor and Gamble (PG) to name the most frequent ones. Sometimes I will buy 2 papers and sometimes 4 or more if there are some product coupons that are for items my family uses a lot of (chips, toilet paper, sports drinks, etc.).
Another great source is ALL YOU magazine sold only at Wal Mart. This is a great magazine for right around $2 and comes out monthly. Inside not only does it have innovative tips on cooking and decorating but there is always $50 - sometimes $120 in coupons per issue. Pretty sweet huh? I posted previously that I used $5 off coupon for JMS clothing that is sold only at Wal Mart when Wal Mart had a clearance sale on JMS and got 4 articles of clothing for absolutely FREE. Great magazine, can't say that enough!
You can also find coupons on the internet. Good sources are
Coupons.com,
Smartsource.com and
Redplum.com. Also, if you are a Facebook junkie, a lot of companies have a Facebook page as well and if you "LIKE" their page, you will get first hand information on their promotions and they will allow you to print coupons from their page. And if you are brave enough, EBAY has coupons to be bid on. I did this once and bid on a lot of 100 coupons for 99 cents including postage. Surprisingly, they were decent coupons so I might do it again someday. You just should be VERY vigilant and do your research on the buyer as to NOT buy counterfeit coupons, as that is against the law. There are also internet clipping services available. You pay someone to clip coupons for you for specific items. You pay a "handling fee" and they send them to you. Haven't approached that avenue yet but I have heard there are a few good services out there. Again, do you research and only go through reputable companies as counterfeit coupons are an issue in some cases.
A few other sources of coupons are PEELIES. These are coupons that you PEEL off of a product. There are also in some products coupons inside. Products famous for this are cereal and first aid/medications.
In store coupon booklets. These are coupon booklets usually located in the front of stores next to the sales ads or in the pharmacy sections. These are usually IN STORE coupons that you can use WITH your paper coupons (known as STACKING). Be sure to pick these up if you see them as they are quite valuable.
Finally, a new way that I am getting familiar with is a Coupon Train. This consists of a group of people sending coupons to each other. Person 1 sends to Person 2. Person 2 to Person 3, Person 4 to 5 and so on and then the last person sends to Person 1 to create a full cycle. The only cost to this is your time to go to the post office and the cost to mail the coupons.
Step 2 ~ Create Shopping List
In the new age wave of the internet, I have found that coupon match ups are posted on line 1 - 2 days before the sale breaks (or starts). I keep a on going "shopping list" in my house that both my husband and daughter are getting good at writing down what needs to be shopped for as we are almost out of the item, or it is something they decide they want or are craving.
So with shopping list in front of me and coupon match up available. I start compiling my shopping trip. Here is the thing to keep in mind. If it is NOT on SALE and I DON'T have a coupon for it, it won't be bought! So what I do is highlight what is on my house hold shopping list the item if it is on sale per the ad. I will then pull any coupons that correlate to that purchase from both my coupon binder of paper coupons and any IN STORE coupons. I then estimate my OOP (out of pocket cost), as like many these days, we are on a tight food budget so every penny counts! :-) With BIG LIST and coupons in hand I will head to the store. One thing I will mention is that I don't always shop at one store. We have a few grocery stores to choose from where I live and sometimes the stores will have different sales and/or prices. An item may be on sale and cheaper with a coupon at store A than at store B. So read your store ads wisely! My preference is Safeway however, as in the store they have a rewards card program, you can load electronic coupons to your card via internet (and in most cases use them with your paper coupons), and in each weekly ad, there is a chance to double up to 50 cents per coupon; up to 4 coupons. So for me it is a win win!
Step 3 ~ Shop Wisely
Sometimes, if you are like me, I get nervous when I am under pressure and their are a ton of people around. I easily get flustered I should say! So for me, the best time to shop is in the early morning, when I am fresh and energized, and there is typically less people out and about. By early I mean around 9am or so. Also at this time, since most stores stock their shelves over night, I have a fairly good chance of getting what I want / need when I head to the store.
In my binder, I keep a copy of the store ad. Sometimes the order does not ring up right, so with ad in front of me, I can be vigilant of the sale price and have it available to show the cashier if needed.
Oh and did I mention, bring your coupons with you? I have forgotten once or twice. I have now gotten good with clipping an envelope of coupons to my shopping list so I don't forget. Also, I bring my coupon binder with me. Sometimes there is an unadvertised sale and with a coupon handy I could get a good deal.
Another tip, some stores give you a bag credit if you bring in your own grocery bags. I have several that have already paid for themselves so now I make money with them. SCORE!
Step 3 rolls into Step 4 ~ Stockpile
A stockpile is, well in essence, an abundance of items or "stock" that will last a while. If there is a good sale on cereal (to me if I can get cereal for less than $1 with sale and coupons) I will buy $10 worth or 10 boxes. That will last a couple months in my house. Or toothpaste, if it is on sale and with coupons and is less than 50 cents or in most cases free, I will get several tubes. I now have enough toothpaste, no kidding, to last my family several years and still be able to give some to charity around the holidays (my church give gift boxes to the needy and hygiene products are good to put in there). So shop wise and stock up! My goal is to not have to buy several things for a long time. Right now, I wont need to buy like I said, toothpaste, but also I wont need laundry soap, shampoo, deodorant, and several different condiments for several months to a year or more (and yes I am aware of the shelf lives on the condiments so I only have what we will need and use - I am not one of those crazy shoppers where I need 50 mustards or 25 digestive aids).
This is just some of the basics to shopping with coupons. There is so much more to say about it, but I have to save it for another day as the sun is shining and I have to get my daughter from school soon. I promised to take her to the park and ice cream (and I even have a coupon for the ice cream - I'm telling you coupons are everywhere!
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for under $20.00 I love the Case-It brand for its durability. You may also consider purchasing extra packets of the clear double sided coupon sleeve pages just so you never run out. You can purchase them at Amazon in 3, 6 or 9 pockets per page. Amazon also has the 
