Get Inspired to start couponing

To be a couponer it really isn't that hard, or time consuming if you know what you are doing and you have a plan before you go into the store. There are so many coupon websites out there where all the wonderful ladies put everything together for you as far as what is the best sale that week and so forth. Find a few that you like and always check them often to find the best deals. I have other posts that I have done on couponing. This is going to just be a short post with pictures of shopping trips I have done in the past. I want you to see the real deals I get when I coupon and how worth it, it really is :) Everyone can do it, trust me! Look under my labels under Coupon 101 to get started.

Do you want to start to Coupon???

If you are on a tight budget, love hunting down bargains, and you're extremely well organized, extreme couponing might just work for you. I am going to share some tips and tricks about couponing. I still enjoy going to Walmart and price matching everything. These tips will apply to that or if you want to go to different store for the deals it will work too. You can see more of my posts on couponing under my labels on Coupon 101.

You will have to be firm and polite. Extreme couponing can bring out the worst in some of the people you deal with, including cashiers, store managers, and other customers, so being able to maintain a smile, a friendly attitude, and yet remain resolved that you are entitled to use the coupons will be required of you. For some people, that kind of confrontation during shopping is the last thing they feel like encountering after confrontations everywhere else in life!

Understand how coupons work. There is a wealth of specific terminology and policies related to coupons that an avid coupon user needs to know in order to get the best deal. Keep in mind

Know if your coupons are stackable: This term relates to whether or not it's possible to use the manufacturer's coupon with the store's own special at the same time, making for even greater savings.

Be aware of specials days: Some stores have specific days for specials and some will offer double or triple values for coupons. Knowing which stores do this, and when, will require some research beforehand.

Know the store's policy and have a copy of it with you. This is simply a safeguard against cashiers who aren't aware of store policies themselves and don't really want to have to deal with your extreme couponing. It is far easier to say "we don't accept that" than to go to the effort of ringing it all through, so be prepared to politely but firmly clarify the appropriateness of your coupon actions by pointing out the store policy. You will often find the policy online; if not, ask the store manager for a copy. THIS HAS SAVED ME SO MANY TIMES KEEP THE POLICY WITH YOU!!!

If you want more than one coupon from a particular publication, ask friends and family to keep copies for you. If you're friendly with a local business that sells the newspapers, they might also let you have unsold copies for free. You could also call in at hotels, and cafes that throw out their newspapers at the end of the day and ask to collect them on weekends.

Don't neglect the coupons found on the shelf with the product or those printed or stuck direct to the product itself. These provide an excellent additional source of savings.

Organize your coupons. The more successful coupon shopper places coupons in an order and a carrying device that makes them easy to get. My system is this if you click HERE 

Plan your Menu  around your coupons. It can be a good idea to spend a little time assessing the coupons you have before you against the meals you'd like to prepare for the week following. This way, you can make the most of the coupons without stocking up on what could well be useless items (in which case, you won't have saved any money).

Be aware that grocery items go on sale in rotations, usually of about 12 weeks and they'll often be on sale in several stores

Be brand flexible. Extreme couponing means that you need to be prepared to try a range of brands or store labels that you might not have used before.

Be polite and be considerate. Extreme couponing can drive the cashier and other customers to extreme annoyance because you are effectively holding up people by drawing out each coupon for each item in your cart.

Buy only what you need and will use. A bargain is not a bargain if you don't need it. Keep that motto!

 

What I Never Pay For

I have been couponing for over 5 years now. I have certain things that I will never pay for.  I will always wait until the right cycle comes when the items are on sale and stock up on them. Here is my list of things you can get for FREE with coupons:

• Razors
• Shaving cream
• Single paper towels
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Shower gel
• Deodorant
• Floss
• Face Wash
• Feminine Hygiene products
• Mustard
• Ketchup
• BBQ sauce

I know I am missing A LOT but this still gives you an idea on what to never pay for, you can get them all for FREE!! I will have an updated list with a bunch more things coming soon to not pay for EVER! That's my frugal tip for the day. Thanks for stopping by =)

One of my favorite Organization Tips

As many of you know I am a big coupon shopper. If you are like me, I don't like to just throw stuff in bins or baskets when I get a great sale on an item. (you forget what you have and how many you have) One of my favorite things is organizing and make things look nice. :) This is one of my favorite things I have......my Peg board! You can put anything you buy at the store, that can be hung up. This way you can see what you have without just stuffing it somewhere and forgetting about it. It all hangs and looks so clean and nice. If I had a basement I would have a whole wall designated for a peg board, but I don't so I just have one in a closet along the whole back wall. It works great!!! Here are some pictures of parts of it to give you an idea. My son says we have our own store when he sees it! :) Please don't forget to follow my blog, thanks :)

Coupon Lingo

Here is some good to know Lingo in the Coupon World. It would be good to keep with your clipboards until you are familiar with it all. Click Here

Coupon Store Sheet

Here is my Coupon Sheet I take on my clip board to Walmart when I go Couponing. I hope it will help you all stay a little more organized. Here is the link for a FREE download
Click Here 
If you are interested in Couponing don't forget to check the Coupon 101 for more.

Coupon Box

This is my first coupon helper I have to keep me organized. :)  Its perfect size for coupons and it snaps shut. I made my own dividers out of scrapbook card stock and tabs. (I will be putting a file up with some section ideas.) I paper clip all of the same coupons together and put them behind the section they belong. When I go to the store I decide on what ones I am going to be using, and I put them in the front so I don't have to worry about them until I get to the register. Piece of cake!!

The next coupon helper I have is my clip board. This is where I list everyone of my coupons I plan on using. I have a section for each "bigger category" this one in the picture is for Household items. I have a column where I know how many of each item I need (this helps so much, you don't have to pull out your coupons each time to see how many you need), then I have a column for what item to get, price match column, (remember in my previous post that I do all of my coupons at Walmart so that's why I have a price match column), coupon column, and a should pay column. When I go through the store I have a highlighter to mark which things I have in my cart. If you notice on my sheet I don't have a price match for each item yet. I will wait until I can get a really good deal before I buy it. But the point of the clip board is,. Once I cut all my coupons I write them ALL down on my paper in the categories so I know what deals to look for. I hope this all makes sense. Just ask if you have any questions. I also have all the store policies on my clip board in the back so if I have any problems I pull it out!

Supplies to get started:

Box that snaps shut (4x6 or 5x7) then you wont have to fold any coupons

Dividers for sections (I just made mine)

Tabs for sections (I will post a FREE download with tab ideas soon)

Pen

Highlighter

Clip board

Coupon sheet for the store (I will post a FREE download of mine soon)

Coupon Policies for the stores you will go to.

Coupon Binder VS. Coupon Box

I have been couponing for over 5 years now. I started out using the Coupon Binder method and used that for YEARS. I loved it! I am a visual person so it was great for me. BUT, it always seemed like a lot of time always putting/folding in new coupons in and out of all the baseball card slots. So just recently I switched to just a plain coupon box. I LOVE IT!! It is less time and every coupon either web coupons or newspaper coupons fit without me having to fold them. I am all about saving time. So my point is both are great, just for me the coupon box is perfect. I will be posting how to set up each one and you can choose which one you want to use. Also I will have a package that you can buy for the coupon box if you want me to set it up for you and have everything you would need to get started!

Get Pumped for Couponing

I know a lot of people are just not sure that clipping coupons is worth the time they have to spend. However if you know the secrets / process you CAN really save a lot of money.

When you first start couponing, you want to save as much money as possible. Believe me, I was once there too! But, just take everything one step at a time. It usually takes 2- 3 months for new couponers to feel completely comfortable learning all of the coupon rules and tricks. So if you can steady yourself until then and just do your best, you will be on the road to saving some serious money!

When you are brand new to couponing, it can be really overwhelming trying to get deals at different stores, understand all of the coupon policies and learn how to use coupons on top of it all.
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to start with one store at a time- working from the easiest to the hardest. So, start with a Walmart or a Target. Their couponing policies are pretty basic and you won’t have to deal with Register Rewards or Extra Care Bucks or other weird promotions from stores. (Some people will go to all the different stores to get more incentives BUT personally I do all of my shopping at Walmart. I price match everything so I only have to go to one store. Sometimes they don't carry everything but more than likely they have the items I need to get. I will go in more detail later about the Walmart price match system.) After you have been using your coupons at one of the easier stores, feel comfortable knowing the coupon policy and how to make the store work for you, then you can move on to another store.

Some must knows:
1. ‘One coupon per purchase’ does NOT mean separate transactions. You may use one manufacturers coupon for each item you buy. ‘Per purchase’ means each item you purchase.

2. Using coupons helps the store! They are paid by the manufacturer for each coupon you use, so don’t ever feel guilty about using coupons. Not only are the stores paid by the manufacturer, but they are given a handling fee as well. This is anywhere from 7-15 cents for EACH coupon!

3. Manufacturers coupons may be used along with store coupons. That means for every manufacturers coupon you have that matches a store coupon, you may use both coupons together and double your savings! This is also what is meant by ‘stacking’ coupons.

4. Don’t cut your coupons on Sunday and then use them on Monday! Wait and watch for sales to pair them up with. This increases your savings 4-5 times! If you have multiple sets of coupons, you are able to stock up when prices are rock bottom. You will feed your family and add to your storage at the same time

5. You can’t be brand specific. I know there will be some things you are going to stick with, but for the most part you have to be flexible. Anymore the quality of most products are very comparable. Not being brand specific is the only way you can take advantage of the best deals with coupons.

6. Ask yourself these questions before clipping a coupon: Will my family use the product? Even if I snag it for free, will it get used? Can it be donated? Don’t save the coupon if you answer NO to all these questions.

7. Take baby steps, be positive, and remember: Every coupon you use is money you save!

Store Coupon Policy

So the best advice I can't stress enough is, make sure you stand up for the companies policy on coupons. I ALWAYS make sure before I go to the store that I have their coupon policy with me. I can't tell you how many times I have to pull it out of my coupon box (which I will later show you) and show it to the Cashier and sometimes even a Manager that isn't fully aware of the policy. It has saved me on so many occasions! Here are some links for some stores on their Coupon Policy. (I wont have every store, but if you go to their website you can search coupon policy and print it.)

*Walmart Coupon Policy
*Target Coupon Policy
*Fred Meyer Coupon Policy
*Walgreen's Coupon Policy
*Safeway Coupon Policy


I will be having more info coming on my tips and tricks with coupons and everything you will need to get started.