How to Start?

For Common Coupon Terms and Abbreviations, go here

For Coupon FAQ’s, go here

 

• COUPONING 101

So, here you are, looking at all these deals. And you are thinking…. What does that mean?  What is she talking about? How can I get all these deals too? We already buy store brands, so that must be the best deal. (wrong)  But, I don’t want to spend hours a day cutting coupons and running from store to store. So, here is a quick Intro. to Coupons with step by step instructions for the beginner couponer.  First and for most. Start slowly. Or you will be overwhelmed. Don’t go running all over town  7 days a week to get every deal.  Realize that you do not have to get every deal out there.  Just because I post them, it does not mean I go out and get all of them. The goal is to build a stockpile of coupons and products so that you can basically only shop the sales with coupon matchups.  Paying full retail will be a thing of your past.  It will only be a few short weeks and you will have many many coupons and products.

STEP 1: Purchase at least 2 papers each Sunday. I personally buy 4 or 6 but I also have a family of 6 that I shop for. So a family of 2 probably will not need as much product. You will figure out what works best for you.  I recommend always buying an even amount of papers for BOGO deals. Because you can use 2 coupons on a BOGO.  And no matter what organization system you use, I recommend keeping every coupon even if you do not think you will ever use a particular product. It may end up being free or pennies to buy and these are great opportunities to either try a new product or donate it to a charity, family member or friend.

STEP 2: Print out coupons online. Most websites allow you to print 2 of the exact coupon. Do this by printing the 1^st one and then hitting your back button and then refresh your page. It will then print 2. Print in black and white ink ONLY. There is no need to use color ink. The stores don’t care if the picture on the coupon is in color or not. So, why waste the ink. 

STEP 3: Gather coupons from other resources. Keep your eyes out for store publications and sale flyers. Often times they will have store coupons in them which can be stacked with a Manufacturer coupon for an even better deal. Check to see if your store has any other magazines or publications that they send out via the mail. For example Publix has a few . These will often be listed on their website.

• Collect Blinkies and Tearpads.  Anytime there is a blinkie machine, I grab a couple. I may not use it right then and there but I will keep it for a future sale.  The same goes for a tearpad in the store.
• Then there is the peelie.  This a coupon that is stuck to the product. This is a decision each couponer must make for themselves.  To take it or not to take it without buying the product.  Some couponers feel it is ok to take them without purchasing the product it is stuck to while others feel it is wrong. This is a decision that you will have to make for yourself.
• Coupons in products that you purchase. Many times there will be coupon in or on the packaging.
• Free Samples from the products website. Almost always there are coupons with the free sample that you receive in the mail.
• Another great resource for coupons is ALL YOU magazine. It can be purchased at Walmart or online. There are always a ton of coupons in here. Often over $100 per issue.
• Email the company itself. Asking for any coupons. I will often email them with my personal opinion of their product and I quite often in turn receive coupons from them in the mail.

STEP 4: ORGANIZE

HOW TO ORGANIZE ALL THESE COUPONS

One of the most challenging parts of couponing is how to organize them. It is a personal choice. Everyone has their own system and it may take you 2 or 3 different tries to get it to work for you. I personally have done 2 or 3 different ways all of which I have tweaked in many many ways each time. It is honestly trial and error. It will take some time to figure out what works best for you.

Some typical Methods are:

1. The Coupon Binder:

 · Buy a 3 ring binder. One that zips up to keep it closed. (So if it does open and fall, you are not picking up 100’s of coupons all over the floor.)

·Buy baseball card holder sheets. There are 9 slots on each page. You will put your coupons in each slot.

·Cut every coupon from your papers

 ·Organize the baseball holder sheets  by categories.

• Some people organize by store aisles while others organize by product such as dairy, meat, pasta, cleaning, etc.
• Place all of the same coupons in the same slot. So they are all together.
• Keep a section for store specific coupons as well.

 

2. The Filing Insert Method.

• Get a box, Rubbermaid bin or something that can hold all the inserts. Some also use 3 ring binders and a hole punch.
•  Write the date on each insert you get. Put all SS, Red Plum etc. together.

                  There are 2 options for this

•  Just put all inserts together intact and file

(For example: You have 4 SS and 4 RP. Here you have 4 SS and 4 RP in a pile. If you have a cat food coupon in the RP. You open each RP and make 4 cuts to get 4 coupons)

SEE PICTURE BELOW:

 

   §  Or separate the insert pages and put each page together with its match

(For example: you have 4 SS inserts and 4 RP inserts. Tear each page apart within the insert and put each sheet within the coupon insert together with the other matching pages). So if you have a cat food coupon from the RP. They are all 4 together and when you go to cut it, you make 1 cut and get 4 coupons at once. )

SEE PICTURE BELOW:

 What to do with all the “loose” or non insert coupons?

• I use an accordian file box. It is actually a crop box for scrapbooking. I label each section. My labels are Dairy, breads, beverages, household, baby,meats etc. (See picture below)

WHAT IS STOCKPILLING?

I am not talking about a stockpile that is covering every inch of your house. Don’t call the contractors to build an addition. Use the amount of space that you want, but just because we say stockpiling, it does not mean hoarding or obscene amounts of product. 

Stockpilling is simply stocking up on an item because it is free or inexpensive. As you get more acquainted with your couponing, you will determine what your price point is for it to be considered  a stockpile item. 

Sale cycles are usually 6-12 weeks. So when you shop for your stockpile, you want to buy enough to get you through that 6-12 weeks.  If the item is not perishable or has a long shelf life then often times people will purchase enough to last 6-9 months.

To make your stockpile a success, you want to match a great sale with a great coupon. You should not be able to get it cheaper. It was either free, a moneymaker or at your personal rock bottom price point.

Keep your stockpile organized. Organize by product and expiration. So you use the right prodcuct 1^st. FIFO First In First Out. This essentially means. The 1^st jar on the shelf is the 1^st jar to be used.

If you find that your stockpile is to large. DONATE. A local food pantry, shelter or church would love your extras.

I have found that a stockpile also comes in hand when my kids have a food drive. No need to spend  more money, I just shop from my stockpile.

So now you are thinking. I have no space for a stockpile So, I can’t do this. Wrong. You can find room for a stockpile. Under bathroom sinks in your bathroom. Canned goods are safe in your garage on a shelf (Buy at Walmart for $20) Under bed storage containers. In laundry rooms on shelves. The possibilities are endless.  We recently downsized our home by well over ½ due to a sudden and unexpected job transfer to a new state. We currently live in a 1000 sq. foot home with 6 people. If we can find storage for a stockpile, so can you.

Here is part of my personal goods stockpile for an example. Not huge and overwhelming but all these items cost me less than .50 each. No need to run out to the store and pay full price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COUPONS AT THE REGISTER

· Have your coupons out and ready. Nothing is worse than a customer behind you getting upset because you are digging for coupons. I suggest in the beginning that you organize your trip before you leave the house. Have the coupons pulled out and ready to go.

•  If you are in line and will have a big transaction and lots of coupons  and there is a person behind you with only a couple of items, let them go ahead of you.
• Learn what your stores and/ or cashiers prefer. Some like the coupons in the beginning of the transaction. Some like them at the end. Some just plain don’t care. Just be sure to watch the register when the coupons are scanned. You want to make sure that each coupon goes through. Not only do you need to listen for the beep but also watch the screen to ensure that the correct amount was deducted. (Especially at target. It will beep even if it does not take off the amount of the coupon)
• Know how much your total should approximately be. So if there is a difference, then you can catch it before the end of the transaction. (Much easier than having to go to Customer Service after the fact)
• Always be polite. It seems obvious, but it is easy to get upset and frustrated. It could be a cashier, a customer service manager or even a customer who is angry and not coupon friendly. At some point or another, you will encounter this. It might be a cashier that is not as knowledgeable about their policy. Yes, this happens more often than not. Or a customer behind you huffing and puffing that you are taking  to  long. I simply just say “ I save more than I spend so it’s worth my extra time to use coupons.” I always take a copy of the stores coupon policy to remind myself of it or to show them their policy should a problem arise.

Other Tips 

Brand Loyalty:  We are all brand loyal to some degree, however to maximize your couponing, you may need to try other brands to get the best deal. And you never know, you may find a new favorite brand.  We have found several.

Bigger is not always better: Sometimes it is cheaper to buy 2 smaller boxes of something then to buy 1 large box. Just take the time to do the math.

Shop on Saturday: This is a tricky one for me. Why shop on a crazy busy day? Because this is quite often when stores have sampling going on and they often give out high value coupons for these items. With that said. I will not do my major couponing trips on a Saturday. I will typically go on a Saturday to pick up 1 or 2 things and get my samples and coupons. (If I go out at all) Crowds drive me crazy in stores.

Organize your RR’s, ECB’s, OYNO by date of expiration date: Nothing is worse than finding that “free money” in the bottom of your purse and it’s expired.