I know there are lots of people excited about using coupons thanks in part to the new reality TV show called Extreme Couponing. I know this little world can seem very overwhelming at first and I am getting lots of questions about where on Earth you can begin if you are new to using coupons.
I will have a series for you to learn the ins and outs of coupons from the very beginning. I am hoping this is easy to digest information that will have you saving big before you know it.
I should tell you that the show features people that are… well Extreme. I do not typically shop like the people showcased on the show nor do my children sleep in the bathtub so I can make more room to store my deodorant collection. I personally have a very reasonable pantry and we have very little space actually dedicated to the products that I buy or get for free.
So there is absolutely a comfortable middle ground for those that still want to be able to park the cars in the garage and don’t have 30 hours a week to cut coupons. I hope this series I am putting together will be beneficial to those of you that are interested in simply finding easy and fast ways to save a little money. There should be ideas and tips for those of you that really want to go big as well- I encourage you to find the place that makes you comfortable and works for your family.
Soooo.. are you ready?! Let’s get started!
I personally look at using coupons as just one very easy way to put extra money in the bank. I have three newspaper subscriptions that come to my home and I spend roughly 90 minutes a week total on coupons- organizing, printing, planning my shopping trips and our menu for the week etc.. I spend another 2 hours or so actually shopping each week.
I typically save at least 50% on my grocery bills- so I look at it is an extra 90 minutes per week and I probably save at least $300 or more per month. If I had more spare time, I am sure I could save even more.
One important thing I want to mention, is that coupons are not just for people on tight budgets or with limited incomes. The average coupon shopper has a household income of $70,000+. Using coupons doesn’t mean you can not afford to pay for groceries, it is just a smart way to save a little on something you need so you can put the money back in the bank or splurge on something you want!
So if you are interested in getting started learning how to effectively use coupons, the very first thing we need to do is get our hands on some coupons!
I like to suggest starting very small and working your way up. I do not recommend running out and buying 20 copies of the newspaper- because let me tell you this can be incredibly time consuming. I like to suggest people start small and get comfortable and then figure out what is going to be manageable to you.
So there are two primary ways to get coupons- the first is the Sunday paper.
The common perception of Sunday paper coupons is to flip through them and if something appeals to you, rip the coupon out and throw the rest away. The next time you head to the store grab that coupon you tore out and use it and you just saved yourself .50!
WRONG!
What you want to do now is collecting those Sunday paper coupons. I happen to get 3 subscriptions at my house (so 3 inserts each week) and I will leave it to you to decide how many you would like. Once you get those babies you can flip through and see what looks appealing- I usually cut about 10% of them out. Then I tuck them away in my little pouch and I wait for the right time to use it to get the biggest bang for my buck. The rest of the coupons, I toss in a basket in my closet. (And we can talk more about fabulous ways to organize all your coupons later. For now I’d like to start with the simplest things you can do to get rolling.)
Now you want to hold onto those coupons because you never know when they will come in handy. Some of them will expire in 30 days and some might not expire for an entire year. So just hold onto them.
So that is your first order of business, you really want to start researching the newspapers in your area. I would recommend checking out the papers in your city on both Saturday and Sunday- some areas have inserts available a day early and maybe you can get that paper a little cheaper. I recommend flipping through the papers because one paper in the same city might have double the amount of coupons as another paper. So it is important to really look and see what is available. Once you get that sorted out, you will want to track down the best price you can get. If you are paying $1.50-5.00 per paper each week, well that cuts into your savings. I pay $20 per year for my subscription- so .38 per Sunday newspaper. You might check Dollar Stores, call the subscription desk, ask friends- whatever you can do to track down the best price available on the newspaper in your area. (You can also check Discounted Newspaper Subscriptions and see what they offer.) You can absolutely get multiple copies of the newspaper sent to your home. Before you get crazy though ordering tons of subscriptions, I really suggest using coupons for awhile so you can see what you will really need. I know some sites will recommend getting 10 or more papers a week and I can tell you there is 0 chance I personally could manage that many coupons and I have been doing this for years.
Job # 2 will be to start collecting internet coupons. I post them all the time- the first time you print from most coupon sources like coupons.com, smart source or red plum, they will require that you download a coupon printer. Each coupon will have a unique barcode so that is why you need the download. If you install the software once you should not have to do it again. I think as you start getting more experience you will recognize the coupons you want to print ASAP. I will usually tell you if I think it is a hot coupon as well. So this is homework #2. Internet coupons are a great resource, so if you have a printer you will want to be ready to start printing away as coupons come up! The really good ones can be gone very quickly- most coupons will have a certain limit on how many total can be printed and you don’t want to miss out.
Two important notes on printables:
1. You can usually get 2 copies of the coupon by using your back bar to go back and the coupon should spool a second time. Don’t cheat yourself out of your second copy by forgetting to do that.
2. Sadly, you can usually only get those 2 coupons per computer that you have. If you want extras, you either need access to more computers or you need to sweet talk a friend into printing coupons for you. It is absolutely never, ever OK to photocopy coupons. That is actually a crime and please don’t ever put yourself in a situation to get in trouble.
So those are the primary ways to score coupons, you might also start keeping an eye out at the grocery store because you will start to see coupons can be found everywhere! Sometimes you see little machines that spit out coupons- if it is a product you can use grab one or two of the coupons and just tuck it away. You might also be on the lookout for little booklets in your stores that have coupons. Safeway, Publix and Kroger often have great coupon booklets available. (And there is such a thing as coupon karma so again 2 or maybe 3 booklets is plenty- no reason to take the entire stack.)
The very last step, is you will want to start understanding the coupon policies for your stores. Each person will have a slightly different experience and it is important you are aware of policies that might prevent you from getting great deals. You can go to the web site of your store (such as www.Safeway.com) and look for the coupon policy or you can just ask at customer service in your store. Remember those policies can change at any time so be sure you check back every few months for updates.
So that is part 1. You are already on the way to starting to score great deals! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below. There is really a lot to learn so again I am hoping to just take this one step at a time and hopefully it turns into a fun and easy way to start saving big at the grocery store!
… You can continue along with this series by clicking the articles below:
- Extreme Couponing: Understanding coupon matchups
- Extreme Couponing: Ready for Action
- Extreme Couponing: Determining a Realistic Savings Plan
- Extreme Couponing: Understanding Buy One Get One Free Coupons
- Extreme Couponing: Organizing Your Coupons
- Extreme Couponing: Free Item Coupons!
- Extreme Couponing: Creating a Pricebook
- Extreme Couponing: Using the Coupon Database
and you can get even more information from the Where to Begin section or if you prefer to watch videos, scroll down here to see topics like price matching and organizing coupon binders.
Finally, you can subscribe to my free newsletter to get daily updates on all sorts of freebies, online deals, coupon deals and more!
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Ur site helped out a ton, thanks for your time. Though, I am still a bit confused how I will be saving much $$ I always buy the cheapest/generic brand as to save as much as I can. But I thought if I started using coupons I could save even more, but It seems the majority of coupns are only for “name brands” and if its a .55 cent off, well the cheap brand is typically still cheaper than the “name brand” is WITH the .55 cents off. So can I actually save any real $$ on items I use?
I watched the show on TLC and I could not beleive the money they were saving, how can a person buy a lot of one items without paying a dime, this lady total was $800 and she only $16.00 and she also got meat. I really do not understand how she could get meat and only pay $16.00.
They can call it what they want but in my book extreme couponing isn’t saving money, it’s stealing and all these folks who think they’re getting such a good deal, all they’re doing is taking it out of someone else’s pockets… These stores are not in business to lose money, when somebody gets away with something they simply have to find other ways to pay for it so they might raise their prices and change their rules and basically all that is accomplished in the long run is it makes it harder for everyone else!
Im a mother of 7 kids ages 5 to 19 years old …My grocery bill is very high and learning how to do this would be great …I spend bout $1,200 a month on food alone …I seem to be pretty good at saving on household items but have not had much luck with my groceries …I have just started so Im learning …started bout 3 weeks ago …So I do appreciate all the pointers and tips that you are sharing …Thank you
i just started couponing and i dont have a printer do u have any sites so i can sign up for mailing list
I buy the majority of my groceries in bulk, (Sam’s Grocery outlet), and I find that less time at the grocery store. Is buying groceries in bulk cheaper than coupons?
Pascal,
I am sorry you feel like people who use coupons are running the stores out of business when really they are not. For most of the coupons used especially the manufacturers coupons the store in fact is not losing money the store gets reimburst for the coupons plus they get paid for the handling of the coupons. In the long run it is helping everyone the company that is giving the coupons is having their product sold the store is making money on the coupons and the customer is getting great products at cheaper prices.
Pascal,
While it may seem like couponing is cheating the store, in reality as Tabitha mentioned manufacturing coupons are a store owners most preferred form of payment. The reason for this is because it is instant money in the stores pocket. Immediately after the coupon is swiped the value of the coupon plus handling amounts (normally around 10 cents a coupon) are transferred directly into the stores accounts. This process puts money in the stores hands and is more reliable than personal checks, debit cards, and credit cards. Store also receive perks from vendor sales reps if they are selling through large quantities of a particular item. Most store owners value coupon shoppers as some of their best customers because of the amount of products they purchase. As a coupon shopper, when I can get a great deal, I STOCK UP, purchasing about 3-4 times what I would have purchased without coupons. This is great news to both store owners and manufacturer because their selling through more products, faster! Not to mention they know I will be a repeat customer.
http://gomestic.com/homemaking/how-i-paid-just-36-00-for-800-worth-of-downey-tide-dawn-and-other-pg-products/ Would you recomend doing this?
Kim,
I saw that a few days ago… I will measure my words carefully. I would under no circumstances and for any reason at all participate in this. I do not think it is right, ethical or legal to do.
In response to the link provided by Kim.
First thanks Kim for sharing.
It never ceases to amaze me what people will do. When you walk through the store and wonder why on earth a tube of toothpaste needs to cost 5 dollars then you see somethiing like this its no wonder when a company has to reimburse a store 4.50 of it on a purchase of a product that only cost .50 cents to begin with. Not only do i feel that the person doing this is commiting fraud but so is the store for allowing it.
It is this sort of practice that is making it harder for the rest of us who legally use coupons.
I love couponing, I get a huge rush saving money on my grocery bill, but never in a million years would I think to steal just for the sake of getting by with it and IMHO that is exactly what decoding of a barcode is, its stealing. I am certainly not a spokes person for P&G but I really doubt that they would be ok with these sort of partices. On a final note I want to say THANKS alot to anyone who uses coupons this way, you are really making it tough for everyone else.
i still do not no how you guys do it i have a 2 year old littie girl and a 1 month old littie girl. can some one teach me how to do what you do.
could you please tell me how i get coupons by mail instead of printing them?
hey i was jsut wondering if you could help me out i live in washtion walla walla plz help me with cuponing
so im new at dizz couponiing stuff and i was wonderiing if u could use eny tipe of coupong to shop at eny store or do the coupons have to be from a spasefiic store.. for example can u use walmart coupons at walgreens????
Thank you, thank you!
I’m very excited about couponing but I was completely lost before. Your way of explaining things is very easy to understand.
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