This is for all my super beginner friends who don't even know where to start. I'm going to break in down as simply as I can for everyone =)
Couponing takes work, you have to make a list and check it twice just like Santa Claus, so if you want to just walk into a store and magically save without any effort your pretty much out of luck.
Are you looking to start a stockpile of items? Or just save a few bucks on your grocery bill every month? Either way these are the basic tips I have to give
1. Where to get coupons
The first place to start is subscribe to your Sunday newspaper, you can find coupons online BUT the newspaper coupons are normally higher-value.
There are SO many places to get coupons from just look around and you'll be surprised what you find!
2. Organize your coupons
The easiest way to do this is to get a small coupon folder at dollar tree, it has different pockets and stickers to label each
I started off labeling mine by the isles at the store I shopped at most.
Condiments/Baking
Canned food/Cereal
Meat
Snacks
Drinks
Toilet trees/Med's
Cleaning/household supplies
Dairy
Frozen
once you have all of your coupons organized, it will be a lot easier than searching through a pile every time your looking for something.
3. Make a list!!!
I never walk into a store without a list in hand. The best way to make your list is to "AD MATCH". Which is just looking at the stores weekly sale ad and matching your coupons to the products in the ad.
There are also a TON of websites that do all that hard work for you, for many different stores my favorite is http://thekrazycouponlady.com/. she has a list of basically every store EVER and has the weekly ad matches for those ads
4. Save your coupons!!
If you get a coupon for .75c off toilet paper and that toilet paper is not on sale....DON'T USE IT until it is. Keep a notebook and start keeping track of prices on things you normally buy. I keep a "stockpile" price list in my coupon folder of the normal price's of things and the "rock bottom prices" of things, when something hits its rock bottom price, buy enough to last your family 12 weeks, sales usually regenerate every 12 weeks.
5. Know your stores coupon policy & Coupon rules
99% of coupons are only ONE COUPON PER PURCHASE which means you can only use one coupon per item, if you have a $1.00 off and $.75 c off coupon for the same item, you can only use ONE.
Some coupons limit how many you can use per transaction it will state in bold most of the time on the coupon ( Limit 4 like coupons per day)
Make sure you real your coupon before you plan on using it!
6. Always have a back up plan
Because lets face it, there are a lot of shelf clearer's out there and the deal your looking for may be sold out
Another huge way I save my family money is by meal planning, plan your meals around sales!!
If pork chops are on sale for 1.99lb and chicken is 4.99lb make meals around pork chops instead of chicken!
If strawberries are out of season and its 4.99 for a container, skip them and look for a fruit that is in season!
Email the manufacturer of products you like!! They will often send you coupons, also email the ones you're unsatisfied with because they will also send you coupons
If you find a really good deal on something and wish you had more coupons for that item but didint pick up enough papers, check ebay and couponbeat.com they always have a ton of coupons to buy.
Any little bit of savings counts! Start off small, and work your way up, never be afraid to ask questions to other couponer's and stand your ground because sometimes cashiers are assholes and have no idea what they are talking about =)
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