Couponing 101

I’ve got to get rid of some of the negativity on my blog, so I’m going to write about something I LOVE that makes me very happy…couponing!

A lot of you have asked how I am able to get such good deals with coupons, so I’m going to take any beginner couponers through a QUICK lesson on how I do it.

1. Order multiple copies of the Sunday paper.

In Utah, I use the Daily Herald because of the Savvy Shopper program. You get a really good deal on the Sunday paper (I pay around $12 for three copies of the Sunday paper, and get the Thursday paper as well) and it allows you to have three copies of every coupon insert. Why have three? So you can buy multiple items when they go on sale! Buying things in bulk when they are cheap is the way to go. That way, you always have a stockpile in your pantry and aren’t forced to pay full price for something because you are all out. Tip: The bigger your family, the more copies of the paper you will need. I’ve heard that it’s best to order 1 paper per member of the family. I get three because I’m not really counting Everett yet. :)

2. ORGANIZE!!

Organization is key to successful couponing. If you can’t find coupons when you need them, they are useless. What I have done is filled a large 3-ring binder with baseball card protectors (9 pockets per page). They are the perfect size for most coupons, and you can easily view each coupon on the page along with its expiration date. I organize my binder by aisle of the grocery store, putting all the cereal coupons together, baby items, cleaning supplies, dairy, etc. You get the idea. To be extra organized, use dividers to mark each section. I also save an empty page in the front, and when I go to the store I put all the coupons I plan to use in that so they are ready to go. You can also have a page for restaurant coupons. If you take your binder with you every time you leave the house, you will always be ready for a sale, date, last-minute lunch, etc.

3. Cut Smart

The first time I cut my coupons, I made the mistake of cutting out each coupon individually. It took forever. To save time, take all your inserts apart and stack like pages on top of one another. Then, carefully cut out all the coupons at once, making sure not to cut off any part of the bar code (that is the important part!). Then, you are ready to place them right into your page protectors. I usually place my coupons in piles by section as I am cutting them out, and then go through the binder from start to finish, placing the coupons and throwing out expired ones as I go.

4. Find a good money-saving website

PinchingYourPennies.com and SavvyShopperDeals.com are the ones I use most. I’ve also used KrazyCouponLady.com. You want to find one in your area, if possible, since some sales are region-specific. The Savvy Shopper is great because you can subscribe to an email list that will send you emails each week, matching up the sales with the coupons for you. You can even check boxes next to the items you want to buy, and it will print you off a grocery list along with a list of coupons to bring! SO EASY! Then all you need to do is head to the store and SAVE! If you can’t find a good deal website, you can always do this part yourself. Go through the grocery ads and match sales with your coupons. You can usually save a LOT of money at Albertson’s when they do their “instant rebate” deals and you also have manufacturer coupons and/or store coupons for those items. I’ve seen these sales at Smith’s/Kroger too. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the coupon policy of each store you shop at. Some stores will not accept a manufacturer coupon on top of a store coupon, so make sure you know or you may leave disappointed.

5. Learn about and use all types of coupons

There are so many types of coupons! Manufacturer, printable, loadable, store, Catalina…the list goes on. I love to shop the “$5 off your next shopping trip” sales at Albertson’s using my manufacturer coupons, because the next time I go I save even more! Also, sign up for programs such as Rite Aid’s Single Check Rebates. I get a check in the mail from Rite Aid every month, usually ranging from $5 to $20 depending on how much I shopped there. You can deposit it into your account, or take it back to Rite Aid and use it like cash! Topping manufacturer coupons onto SCR deals is another great way to save a lot of money.

6. Know when to shop

I find that especially in Utah where there are so many couponers, stores will run out of things pretty fast.  I usually do my shopping early on the morning of the first day of the sale (usually Wednesday).  I leave the kids home with Nathan so I can focus on getting everything, in the right size, the right amount, etc.  Sometimes it can be quite a chore to make sure you have all the exact items you need to get the best deals.  Going early in the morning (I go at 7:30 am) allows me to avoid crowds and always get the items I want, before they run out.  The only disadvantage to this is that sometimes the store doesn’t have all the deals entered into the system, so double check your receipt to make sure everything is correct.

There, I think that covers it! If you have any questions, please post and I will answer them!