New to couponing? It takes a little while to get the hang of things. but the time you invest will really pay off!
First I want to say welcome! This site is not just for those that are on a budget. I also feature all sorts of freebies and great online deals to get you the biggest bang for your buck!
The world of couponing can be a little overwhelming at first. If you are willing to dedicate a little time and a little energy to learning the basics, you can easily start shaving 50% or more off your grocery bill each week (and you will probably start buying higher quality products!)
So how does it all work? You want to keep 2 key principles in mind:
1. Buy Low
2. Stock Up
Simple. You want to buy at the lowest price possible for the products that you need. And once they reach that rock bottom price, you simply stock up to last until the next sale!
Once those products hit that low price that you like, well then you add on the coupons and get an even better deal! Once you get the hang of it, using coupons can actually be really fun and very simple to do. At My Frugal Adventures, I hope to make the entire process very easy for you. If you are willing to invest a few hours a week, you should be able to put a few hundred dollars back in your savings account each and every month.
So here are the very basics that you need to get started:
1. TIME. I really suggest you set aside a little time each week and start reading as much as you can to learn about how to pull everything together. I have tons of resources for you listed below.
2. GET A PRINTER and a NEWSPAPER. You will need to start getting coupons! So the two best ways to do that are via the internet (and I post tons and tons of printable coupons each week) and in your Sunday Paper. The coupons will be different and you really want to have access to both types of coupons. This is also the point where you need to consider how much time and energy you want to put into using coupons each week. For our family, I have 3 newspaper subscriptions and that is more than enough. If you have a large family or if you live quite a distance from stores etc.. you might want to consider more newspaper subscriptions- because obviously the more coupons you have the more products you can buy!
3. START CHECKING THE ADS! Then you will want to start watching for the deals at stores that are in your area. I typically do matchups for CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target, Safeway and Raley’s Bel Air stores. There are lots of others that I post match-ups on a weekly basis- so you can click on the “Stores” tab at the top of the web site to find a store near you.
4. The weekly coupon matchups for each store will tell you exactly where you can find the coupons and will highlight the very best possible deals. So you can just print the deals you are interested in and collect the coupons and you are on your way!
So here at My Frugal Adventures, my philosophy is that you put in a little time and a little energy and you can really save big.
Here are a few articles that might help you get started:
VERY BASICS:
5 Lessons I Learned Using Coupons
Your Guide to Couponing Acronyms
Regional Differences in Newspaper Coupons
THE NEXT STEPS:
How to Determine a Grocery Budget
OTHER STUFF:
How to get free item coupons!
Creating a Price Book (and my personal price book)
Don’t feel like bothering to use coupons? Save at the grocery store without any coupons.
And finally, if you have a few minutes to watch these videos- here are a few topics I have covered:
How to get the best coupons…
How to Save Big at the Grocery Store
U-Promise: Free College Savings Program