Earlier today a reader wrote in this email below. I answer emails like this everyday and try to help as many people as I can. Today I was hoping YOU all could give some advice to this Mom and help her with some tips to get her going!
“Hello, I am a single mother of 3 trying to save money any way I can. I have started using coupons but, I am getting a little upset because, I feel, that I doing it wrong. I am writing you for help. What can I do to make it worth my time and pocket. I am trying to find other mothers in my area that help me and show me. Please help me get on the right track.”
Thank you for your help!
Start slow maybe pick two stores to shop at with coupons learn there polices and always get more than one paper so you can buy extra when things go on sale .
Being organized is KEY to being successful at couponing. You must have a coupon binder and have your coupons sorted into sections that are easiest for you to find your coupons (in an order that makes good sense to you) and have your coupons in baseball card sleeves. (you can find these at Office Max or Office Depot ) and the zipper binder can be found cheapest at Walmart.
Every week, you should receive the weekly sale papers in your mailbox from your local supermarkets. See what is on sale & see if you have coupons for those items & this is how you get maximum savings (always use a coupon on a sale item to get maximum sabings). The nice thing about Walmart is, that you can bring the sale papers from other supermarkets in your area to Walmart & they will do what they call “Price Matching”, meaning, Walmart will give you the item at the sale price from the other supermarket.
I do not waste my money on purchasing Sunday newspapers to get coupons. I mostly print my coupons out, aside from the ones I get in my mailbox weekly from Red Plum and P & G (Proctor & Gamble). The web sites that I use to print my coupons from are: http://www.coupons.com, http://www.redplum.com, http://www.couponnetwork.com, http://www.smartsource.com. I also will use a coupon clipping service if there are things on sale that week that I really want to stockpile on and the coupon clipping service will mail the coupons to me within 3 or 4 days while I can still catch that weekly sale. The coupon clipping service that I use is couponsthingsbydede.com. They cost pennies on the dollar to receive their coupons. I hope this helps you…
Definitely start slow. Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to follow and grab all the great deals, or you’ll burn out quickly. Pick a store you are familiar with, print their coupon policy (and carry it with you), organize and clip coupons according to what your family needs and will use. I had to relearn grocery shopping when I started couponing just over a year ago – instead of a weekly list of things we need, I now make my lists based on sales and coupons for the week, focusing on things I know my family will use. Sure, there are times I run out of something and have to buy it that week, but for the most part I have what we need right here at home when we need it. The most important thing is to take it slow, though, or you’ll be overwhelmed. Use great sites like I Heart the Mart to help, of course!
Make ur list first and then cut ur coupons for them. What I do is I make my lists on Thursdays of what I need, check all my ads for the stuff and then cut away.
When I first started out a little over a year ago I was so frustrated. But then one day it clicked. I just started by focusing on thing at a time. Couponing can seriously get overwhelming with all the newspaper inserts, Internet printables, mailing lists, trading coupons, buying coupons, etc. Not to mention, trying to save at 10 different stores and learning coupon policies and so forth. I decided one thing at a time. I started by getting a newspaper subscription. Then began learning couponing at my closest drug store and closest grocery store. Ran with that for a few months and then just added new stores to my repertoire as I became more familiar/comfortable with others. Hope that makes sense…. 😛
Another piece of advice would be to find a couponing blog in your area. It really helps when the blogs you’re following are in your vicinity.
And lastly, sites like Weusecoupons.com and Afullcup.com (hope it’s ok to mention those IHeartTheMart) really help me. People post specified scenarios that they will use to help them get the most of what they want from specific sales at specific stores. It’s a great way to generate ideas on how you’d like to maximize your savings.
Hope this helps! Keep trying. I’m sure you’ll get it soon enough. I don’t know anyone who became a so-called coupon guru without some stumbling blocks and some time. You’ll get the hang of it =)
Devote 15 minutes a day. Pick one store and master it. You won’t be good overnight, so please remember that there is always a learning curve. Don’t chase every deal. Any savings that you are getting is better than paying full price. Don’t be afraid to walk away from a deal if it doesn’t work out the way you planned. I know it’s hard being stretched thin, but you can do it. I find most savings on my health and beauty items. Food budget didn’t really change much. Find a close friend to help you clip your coupons. Don’t get too discouraged, you’ll get better with time.
It would really help knowing what stores you have in your area. Trying finding a blogger in your area that does matchups for all your local stores. And yeah start slow. ALWAYS ask yourself “is this something I need?” and most times you’ll put it back even if you have a coupon. You’ll save money that way too. It’s so easy to buy with coupons thinking “Oh I’m saving money” but really you’re buying stuff you don’t need/use. And yes, start slow and get organized. Everyone has a different method for couponing and organizing. And be cautious of drug stores (wags cvs…etc) because even with a coupon Walmart might be cheaper….. Slowly but surely you’ll get there!
Dont get disappointed…it is not like the show on tlc….even if you save $20 it is $20 more in your pocket then your last grocery trip. Stock up slowly 2 to 4 of each is more than sufficient and if the opportunity comes up for more then stock up. Dont give up!!
I felt the same way when I first started. Every once in a while I would find a good deal to use my coupon with. I’ve been couponing since 2010, still don’t feel like a pro, but my shelves in my storage room are slowly, but surely filling up.
My best tip would be to get a trapper keeper that zips, and some baseball card holders.
I have mine in sections for, canned goods, baking aisle, frozen food, meat, dairy section, cat/dog food, dry goods/cleaning.
Each of those sections is alphabetical with a baseball card slot for each letter. It makes it a lot easier to find what you’re looking for!
PLEASE remember that AVERAGE coupon savings and EXTREME coupon savings are 2 different things,
if you are simply incorporating Coupons into your “normal” shopping expect savings of about 25-30% off your total ticket
if you’re doing a special “coupon trip” where you shop and stock up only on things you have coupons/sales/discounts for and none of the other stuff, like milk or potatoes or meat, then 50-70% is more to be expected,
honestly if you’re using coupons to simply supplement savings on things you already buy, then 20-30% off is a great starting goal.
First of all, if you are saving money, you’re not doing anything wrong! It may seem like you are because you aren’t one of those women who fills four grocery carts with $6.52 worth of food. I feel like that too sometimes, but for my family (myself, my boyfriend, and our cat), I’m darn proud to say that I’ve saved $2,500 in 2012 just by clipping coupons and shopping sales. That, to me, is a big deal!
Here are my 10 tips on couponing/saving:
1.) Price matching. Don’t drive to Kroger for one thing because it’s on sale, that wastes gas, and let’s face it, when do we ever get a coupon for gas?! You can price match at Wal-Mart. I always bring the ads with me. Some cashiers want to see it, some don’t.
2.) Shop at Target. Get their debit card and earn 5% off purchases, bring your own bags for a discount, shop their end caps (the ones opposite the main aisle) for clearance items (and use coupons with those!), and stack coupons (you can use coupons from Target.com and a manufacturer coupon on the same item).
3.) Stock up in summer for lunch and breakfast stuff for your kids. I’m a teacher and take a lunch each day. I find that when I’m off in the summer, I have more time to coupon, make an accurate shopping list, and stock up for a good chunk of the school year. Boxed cereal, granola bars, and other dry goods (even pudding cups) stock well.
4.) Don’t overbuy. It may seem tempting with a good sale to buy 14 bags of tortilla chips, but some of those bags will go bad before you get to them, and that’s a waste of your money!
5.) Like the following pages on Facebook for deals all day long! I Heart the Mart, MyLitter, The Krazy Coupon Lady, Hip 2 Save, Good Deal Mama, FreebieShark, and WomanFreebies. You will get daily deals for coupons, sales, match-ups or just some freebies! Which leads me to…
6.) Sign up for freebies. Hey, it’s free. What do you have to lose? If you get something for free, it’s not out of your pocket. I love detergent samples! Also, shampoo and lotion samples are great for traveling! And guess what comes with freebies in the mail…coupons!!!
7.) Stop buying water. I have a Brita pitcher in my fridge and I fill a store-bought bottle each morning before work. The filters are not expensive if you buy online or watch for a sale. I generally get 2 months out of a filter. Also, it’s less muscle at the grocery store picking up those 24-pk cases 😉
8.) Don’t throw away money. Items like Ziploc bags, paper plates, plastic cutlery, and brown lunch bags can only be used once. Well, they should be anyway. I have several size Tupperware containers (including the sandwich one!) and a lunch bag I bought from a friend who sold Thirty-One. No expense to me anymore! Plus, I can take my own silverware from home and not have to worry about tossing it out with my paper bag.
9.) Buy in bulk rather than single-serve packets. 100-calorie packs and lunch size bags of chips are time-savers, not money-savers. Fill your little Tupperware containers with these from a regular-size or family-size bag instead. Also, cereal is a great snack too and packs just as nicely as animal crackers or snack mix!
10.) Take advantage of leftovers. For the two of us, I can get 3 dinners out of my lasagna recipe, and that’s when I halve the recipe. Pastas and sloppy joes freeze and reheat well. They also pack well for lunches!
I follow 3 I heart blogs (a grocery store, Walmart, and a drug store) that match up the best deals for my needs. When you see their match-ups, you will learn what coupons you need to be collecting and printing. Figure out the cheapest way for you to get the coupons you need. I can get p&G inserts for 50 cents in my local paper, and I do internet prints. Your needs are probably different. I can get more cheap and free stuff at Kroger and CVS (those stores and Walmart are all we have here), but I always get the Walmart freebies and price match there. Paul’s blog gives me fresh Walmart shopping ideas, and his coupon links are GREAT! If you sign up for those 3 bloggers newsletters or check their FB or twitter each day, it will only take less than a minute per each to glance through those postings. Have a pen and paper so you can jot down the deals and matchups you want. Then gather your coupons. This is a quick way to start for a busy mom.
reduce, reuse, recycle is not just good for the environment, its good for the pocketbook! Buy a filter for your faucet and some reuseable water bottle. If you live in the city, don’t let them recycle the inevitable water/glass/plastic bottles you end up with, you can still find places where you can do it yourself, its just pocket change, but it’ll add up! Especially from the beer drinkers in the house.
I agree with checking in on the FB pages, Frugal Girls are one of my favorites.
We reuse almost everything except toilet paper. We have a corner in my craft room that is just for extra junk that I don’t want to throw away yet, and eventually most of it gets used.
Check which grocery stores accepts coupons, how many, if they double, etc. The worst part of clipping is to get through the line and find out most of them won’t scan.
Get the cards! Almost every store offers cards now, and even if you don’t use them but a handful of times, you’re still saving something. Drugstores like walgreens and CVS have great deals if you have their card.
I started couponing a year ago and what I did first was *learn and understand* the coupon lingo. Once I understood that, I familiarized myself with the stores’ coupon policy. From there, I picked out a very “coupon friendly” store and would use most of my coupons there. I did that to get used to the process of paying with coupons. I also followed only one coupon blog. I found that if I followed more than one I would get very over-whelmed.
I have gotten discourage plenty of times but I’m still here, learning. I would see all this “hot deals” people would post and I would want to run out and grab them, if i didnt i would get upset. Now, I have learned that there will always be “hot deals.” If you miss one it’s ok.
Good luck!
if you live in a pinchingyourpennies state then u can attend a coupon class. At the class they discuss coupon basics and give you some ideas. I am avid couponer and coupon teacher. I do not use a coupon binder! It takes to much time. instead I use the pinchingyourpennies local grocery store lists that are matched up for you to coupons printable and from the paper. It also gives u a star system that shows u haow great or not great that deal is. This is super helpful! I do sell the paper for at home delivery for way cheaper then going through us then the paper alone. Anyone interested I live in utah and can be contacted at rachelsbunny@hotmail.com. I use this iheartthemart for the awesome under a dollar list and the freebies that paul posts!
I agree, start slow! If you try to jump into it too fast you’ll just overwhelm yourself. Pick one store and learn their policy and shop at that store til you get more comfortable with it. Eventually it’ll just become second nature and then you can try and venture out and learn other policies at different stores. I shop at Publix mostly and I recommend that store to all new couponers, if available to them. My Publix ad starts on Wednesday so I start on Monday getting ready for it. I spend a few hours at night for 2 days. Limit yourself to the time you spend on it so that you still have time to enjoy other things such as spending time with your kids. Couponing doesn’t have to be something you obsess over everyday (That made it not fun for me personally so I know from experience). Only print coupons you know you’ll use. You’ll eventually learn what coupons you will need and when. Right now I’ve noticed that a lot of health food is on sale. That’s because companies know everybody is starting there new years resolutions to lose weight. (summer/4th of July – BBQ/sauce, Hotdogs, meat, condiments, soda/bottled water, etc. Around August – pudding cups, fruit snacks, juice boxes, etc. for back to school….that kinda gives you an idea hopefully!) I *think* sales usually rotate every 6 weeks. Stockpile, Stockpile, Stockpile! If and item goes on sale and it’s something you know your family will use then buy as many of that item as you can (don’t clear shelves though) so that you will have enough to last til that item goes on sale again. This way you won’t run out and have to pay full price before it goes on sale again. Don’t be brand loyal. Couponing makes it fun to try new things! I’ve found quite a few things that had it not been for couponing I probably never would’ve tried and now I love! Try to only shop for what’s on sale and use coupons on those sale items so that you get the best savings. Also, don’t get discouraged if you only save $5-$10! That’s $5-$10 you didn’t have to spend out of pocket! There’s a HUGE difference between “extreme couponing” and “realistic couponing”. Strive to be a realistic couponer. What they show on tv is not realistic. Also, everybody organizes their coupons differently so find what works best for you. I use a plastic tub that fits in the front of the buggy and I have envelopes labeled and that’s what I store my coupons in. I also carry a notebook with me with my shopping list. Other people prefer a binder or one of those portfolio things with the plastic dividers. Again, find what works best and is easiest for you! Hopefully I was able to help you some! This is what I’ve learned since I started using coupons over a year ago. Just don’t give up because it is possible and you can do it!! 🙂
Oh and I only buy 2 Sunday papers. I use mostly printed coupons so I was starting to feel like I was wasting money buying 5 or more papers a week. And another site I suggest, along with this one, is Passionate Penny Pincher. Also, if there is something you need and you don’t have a coupon for it then search the internet and see if you can find one. Type “coupon database” in your search bar and there are quite a few blogs that have a database you can use to search for a specific coupon if there is one available!
Instead of saying “buy as many of that item as you can” I should’ve said buy as many of that item as your family will NEED. Sorry!
Practice! And definitely find a local coupon diva who can show you the ropes. It is especially hard to coupon for meat and produce. That is where pricematching helps a lot. Around me (Fort Worth) hispanic groceries and Aldi are fantastic for pricematching. Also, I found a local store that is considered a salvage grocery. They buy stock that is near expiration, overstocked, or from places that go out of business. I got an $85 beef tenderloin for $32! If you can find a place like that near you, it will save you time trying to save money on items that rarely have coupons.
I get where your coming from, I started couponing about 3 years ago and didn’t know where to start. Both the comments above are full of great advice. I have a family of 5, and here are a few things that I do:
1- Take inventory of what you have. You need to know this so you don’t over buy on items you don’t need. Plus this helps with the next step.
2- Make a plan. I have a menu plan for a month at a time. I first started with a week then 2, then a month. I don’t always have what’s listed on that day, but I know I have the ingredients needed to make it. Also plan your HBA needs. If you know your running out of lotion or tooth paste then keep an eye out for sales and match up your coupons with them. When I shop with a coupon I usually try to have at least 4 of the same coupon, this way I’m stocking up for the next 3 months or so.
3- Organize your coupons in a way that works for you. I use a hybrid of the clipless and the binder method. Since I plan my trips out a head of time I usually have them all together before I head out. The binder just helps me with some of those clearance items that I might be looking out for.
4- Don’t buy what you won’t use. This I learned the hard way. If you get something for free and you’ll donate it then I think it’s great. But if you or your family doesn’t like it don’t buy it. You’ll just end up throwing it away.
5-Set a budget and stick to it. By planning your meals and your shopping trips you’ll be better able to stick to a budget. This will be your number one money saver. Be realistic about your budget, and stick to it. Write it down if you need to. I use a free excel program that lets me keep track of my grocery budget, coupons used and any rebates I’m getting back.
6- As for which store to shop at, that’s totally up to you. I shop between Walmart and Smith’s (Krogers). On tuesdays where I live Walmart doubles coupons up to $1. This is a good way to get some items for free. I like Krogers because my son works there so I get a 10% discount right off the top.
7- As for which blogs to follow, well that’s up to you also. I used to follow ten different blogs, but I have since dropped it down to 3 deal sites. You can overwhelmed with all the deals going on out there. I found I was wasting a lot of time online just trying to find deals. I found this site about 3 months ago and I have to say it’s been really good. I check it a couple times a day and it’s really helped me become a better walmart shopper.
Good Luck, I hope this advice helps.
I forgot to explain the no binder method is to combine several newspaper inserts to one. So when you clip you are only doing it once. Also I file them in a drawer in hanging folders by date which is on the side of the insert. I keep all from the same week together in a drawer in my office. I only take the coupons I have matched up to sales for the week to the store. If I find something I had a coupon for that I didn’t bring walmart will adjust it so will target up to a week later. So I jsut keep my receipt and get the funds the next back if need be.Makes it much easier to pricematch, coupon and shop with little ones.
Make a price book.
Keep track of the prices of things your household uses regularly, note the unit price, store etc. This way when you are out & not expecting a good sale you can look at your price book to see if it really is a good price. Most things go in cycles, so try to stock up on the sale price until the next sale.
Example: My husband eats a 18oz jar of peanut butter every month. He insists on Peter Pan. Regular price is over $4 now & I refuse to pay that, but walmart regular price is $2.28. Last August our store had a great sale for $1.88 I bought as many as I could afford & also got a rain check so when I had more money I could get more.
Calculating unit prices will help you compare things especially at places that have large sizes. Peanut butter is one of those things that the smaller jars are often a better unit price than the larger ones so double check.
I’ve found I coupon a little differently than most so maybe my odd ball take can give you some new ideas.
Build up your coupon base, it will take a little time. Get the Sunday papers, swap and print off coupons from coupons.com – only for what you normally buy.
When I first started couponing I was overwhelmed with all the blogs and FB pages – trying to match all the coupons and stack and get stuff for free (that I didn’t need) like they were talking about. I discovered I would rather spend that time with my family than hours pouring over web pages, your time is worth much more to your family! I also don’t put much in a stock pile, that’s money sitting on a shelf because I saved .50 on a box of granola bars ($20 worth of granola bars to save $5 when $5 worth of granola bars will get me through to the next sale and I’m not sacrificing the space or the effort)
Write up your grocery list and go to couponmom.com or allyou.com and look up your items in the coupon data base. It’s a fast way to find coupons for what you’re shopping for.
Make the most of your coupons by shopping where they get doubled.
Know the normal cost of what you buy to know when a sale is a good deal -this saves me the most time – I can scan the ads quickly.
I keep my coupons in an index file.
Finding the way that works best for you does take some time. And everyone thinks that their way is the “right way”. I found that the whole coupon binder/baseball card clipping every coupon was too time consuming for me. I’m sure you don’t have a lot of free time either. Couponing was very stressful for me in the beginning also. It always seemed like I had a “stocked” pantry but it was full of stuff that I could never really make a full meal with. I finally sat my family down at dinner one night and asked them to each name 5 of their favorite dinners. Surprise to me, it was a lot of easy stuff like Mac and cheese and chicken sandwiches. To make healthier I make sure we gave a vegi/salad and fresh fruit with each meal that I price matched at Walmart with the aldi ad.Next I made a list of all the ingredients I needed to make those meals. I started a price book so I knew what really was a great price. I would write down the average price at Walmart then while going thru the ads I would know if it was really a sale price or not. Next is the menu. I try and do mine a week ahead so that I always have two weeks at least of menu meals in the house. I used the meals my family likes and whatever was on sale for that week. I use the coupon database on Iheart the mart to match my coupons, and head to the store. If something was a great price I would buy two of the item and go ahead and make an extra meal to put into the freezer. So I guess from my rambling is… Plan, don’t buy stuff just because it is a great price and don’t let it overwhelm you. I also enjoy the blog money saving mom. She shares a lot about menu planning and freezer cooking. Which I find more useful than spending hours clipping coupons I’m not gonna use. One more thing… I only clip coupons that are on my families favorite meals ingredient list. I put them in pencil pouches marked with the date they came in paper. I keep the pouches in a binder. I hope some of this helps and good luck to you.
There are a lot of great coupon sites on the web. I would find one or two that you like and keep to that. Maybe review once a quarter to see if there is one you like better. Trying to do it all is too much for anyone. Getting to be part of a coupon train might be of help too. Here are a few things I do in addition to couponing. I save money by making my own laundry detergent. That stuff is expensive, even with a coupon. There are lots of recipes out there, I prefer the powder to the liquid. I also save on my fabric softener by using the Duggar family method of mixing 1 part softener to 2 parts water. I keep this in a container and then cut a sponge in 1/2, saturate the sponge, squeeze it out and use as a fabric softener sheet. This saves a ton of money. I also cook from scratch and use my crock pot for everything from homemade granola, to baked potatoes.
READ! Google and read about how to coupon. Couponing 101, Wal-mart 101, CVS 101, Walgreen 101. Look at “You Tube” and search about couponing. Take the time to read and look at the videos. Don’t stop, keep going. Look at websites just like “I Heart The Mart”. Because I don’t have a lot of time, I had to limit myself to purchasing from one main store, but I still end up going to other stores when they have something I am interested in. Over a 1 year period I finally got stocked up enough to be more relaxed on my couponing. You WILL MAKE MISTAKES and if you don’t understand, get on these websites and ask for help. They helped me. Sometimes a store won’t accept a coupon and sometimes stores don’t treat people that coupon very nice. What is most important…. don’t stop. Keep going. It will pay off. Some websites offer couponing classes. Even the Vo-Tech did a couponing class. Find a class. Talk to the teacher. Ask if there are any couponing groups you can join to help you learn and get started. This website told me that Wal-Mart was going to put there Christmas items on sale for 75% off. My store in Lawton, OK sometimes does there sales a week or two weeks after the notice comes out. Just this morning, Wal-mart did the 75% off. WOW! I had the ziplock bag coupons in my hand and I found 28 boxes that were Christmas Ziplock bags. I only paid $.25 per box (20 bags in a box and the freezer bags have 15 in a box). SUPER BUY and it was all thanks to “I HEART THE MART”. Many times you won’t find the items they talk about or the price at your store is different. Don’t give up. Keep looking and be ready with your coupons to buy just in case you find the sale and if you persist I know you will benefit. What state and town do you live in?
each of these people have given you some good advice, it is true, start small and slow unless you have help. learn your stores policies and watch their sales (and watch the blogs) to make the most of your sales, in ad and store coupons and catalinas, and then your manufacturer’s coupons. just because you have a coupon does not mean you have to use it. some i keep just in case i find a good deal on clearance; compare store brands versus name brands, etc. there are so many small things you can do to start out to save. and like someone said on here, find a local couponer if possible and they can help you start out. i asked a wonderful lady in walgreens once and we talked for almost an hour, she wrote down so many helpful websites, tips, etc. that was over a year ago and i have finally got it down. any good couponer is willing to talk. and my last piece of advice is just because something is “free” doesn’t mean you have to rush out and get it. unless you are planning to donate, having say for example a weight loss supplement sit on your shelf and expire, doesn’t appeal to me. thanks to paul for letting us all “sit in” on this one.
It took me about a year to get it “right”
Just a few things:
When you’re starting out, take one store at a time. Get to know the policies, prices, layout, etc. Then branch out.
Think of “failures” as tuition for couponing 101. Everytime I make a mistake, I say, “well, I know how to do THAT better now.”
I limit my coupon prep to one hour a week for all the stores I plan to go to, unless it’s black friday (so, putting my shopping trips together, and clipping–I use the method where you keep the inserts together in page protectors instead of clipping them all out). If I take longer than that, I know that it will be a really long shopping trip. I count on each shopping trip taking me about an hour, but if it takes too long at the register, it may go a little longer.
Let some deals go. This was the best advice I ever got. The deals circulate. It’s usually not going to be a big deal if you miss a week here and there.
Have a system in place for storage. You’ll get a stockpile. Prepare for it. My method is to used plastic containers in a closet. Most of them are shoe box sized. If or just a little larger for items like shampoo. When the container is full, I either donate/invite a friend over to help me purge, or I just stop buying those items. (My toothbrush one is ALWAYS too full–and that’s with a family of 6–and I only get one paper).
oh, and on the blogs, scan/use the comment section! There’s usually people there who will help/have great tips.
These things are really good, but alot of Sundays I can’t find one single food coupon in the papers. So this is what I do. I started making my own laundry soap about 2 yrs ago and I am still using the same ingredients that I started with. So I spent $10 for my ingredients and 2 yrs later I haven’t spent any thing else. I also made my own fabric softner. We are a farm family and get pretty dirty so it works great. There is reciepes for just about everything from soap to shampoo and it never hurts to try them, you end up saving so much. Also I found the best way to shop without coupons or with coupons is add matching. I look on the online grocery adds and pick out what I’m going to buy that week. If you look thru 5 or 6 store adds most of the time just about everything you buy will be on sale. After a while you will get to know when stuff goes on sale and you can stock enough of those items until they so on sale again.
*Don’t watch Extreme Couponing and think you can shop like that ALL the time. *Do you have a friend or relative that you can coupon with (trade deal ideas, etc.)? *I like ali’s advice- take one store at a time (don’t start with Walgreens– too complicated!). *Collect coupon inserts from neighbors and recycling.
I attended a coupon class when I first started out and it helped me understand alot of things when it came to couponing. I use a coupon binder and a great divider system from the website “a penny pinching diva”. You can download free shopping lists and a binder oraganizer and page dividers. Baseball card holders can be found at the dollar store or even Walmart! At first, I only cut out coupons for products that I use, regardless of the brand. I started out by only concetrating on one store. . At the time, it was Farm Fresh. I learned when the ads came out on Wednesday and when coupons would double at the store to make the most out of my savings. I also looked at a coupon matchup site such as “A frugal chick” to see what matchups they had found before i hit the store. I would circle what i wanted in the ad and i would check my binder to see if i had a coupon for it. If i had a coupon for it, I would put a star on the item in the ad, so I knew to pull my coupon when i saw the item at the store. Eventually, as you start to see more and more ads and see how cheap that you can buy certain things, then you will know when it is a good buy. You will eventually set guidelines for yourself on what you will spend for an item. My husband jokes me that before couponing i would pay full price for toothpaste(Crest or Colgate) and now I absolutely refuse to pay for it, becasue I know every other week I can usually get it free. Last week, with my coupon I get get Crest toothpaste for 25 cents and I just couldnt bring myself to do! I know it sounds silly now, but it will happen to you too. Coupons can be overwhelming at times, but so is soending unneccessary money on groceries. Hope this helps.
I recomed using under the bed storage for those who do not have alot of storage. I also agree not to watch extreme couponing and think you can do it after the first time. It is difficult and time consuming. I personally do not spend alot of time couponing and I get more than I need for my family of 4. just a few hours a week while watching tv is adequate. Choose a method of storage that works for you. I started with a small 3 ring binder with baseball card sleeves and worked my way up and added things that are helpful to me. I AM ANXIOUS TO GET DONE WITH MY 2 MONT SPENDING FAST TO BY THE BINDER PAUL DESIGNED!!!!! IT LOOKS AWESOME. Choose methods that work best for you.
The key is to keep it simple silly KISS ! don’t let couponing drive you crazy.
don’t cut the coupons till you are going to use them. keepp them organized by dates . Read bl;ogs like I heart The Mart they do all the had work. make your lists then go shopping and try not to buy anything without a coupon. Make sure you know what competior coupons you store take. For example I live in Lakeland Fl and publix takes Save-alot coupons and every month savealot has 5.00 off 25.00 . so I have facebook acct I print one ,my husband gets one, I get at least 6 for the month right offthe bat without any other coupons I save 30.00 off 150.00 .. If you want e-mail me back and I will help you.best of luck Kathy
Start by checking coupon match-up blogs every week. Only buy what you use or will use. When something is at a rock-bottom price then stock up enough that you will use before it expires. Example: I waited and bought cans of green beans when they got down to $.28 cents. I then bought enough to last me until next year. #2: Laundry soap…I like making my own the best. It works quite well and is the cheapest. So if I buy any then it has to be cheaper than the cost of making it myself. #3 Don’t try to emulate extreme couponers as on tv, it is not real.
My best advice is to use coupons only on items your family needs and to take it slow when trying to begin your stockpile. It took me 6 months to have a decent stockpile. Stick to your weekly or monthly grocery budget, but spend $10 of that money to start your stockpile. When shoppjng at the drugstores, don’t get sucked into buying everything just because it comes with a reward. Only by items your family uses on a regular basis. With any rewards you get, use those toward the purchase of toilet paper, diapers. Etc. that cost you more money out of pocket. Once you have acquired your stockpile, you will be able to shop for sale items only (that can be combined with coupons). You will still have to buy fresh dairy, meats & produce, so figure that into your budget when you are making your grocery list. Wish you the very best! Don’t get discouraged. You CAN do this. Don’t try to hit every deal or you will go broke and won’t reap the benefits of couponing.
I started out with one grocey store ane one drug store. I would start with Publix and CVS if you have them in your area to me these are the best two. Learn everything you can about these two stores and then you can add stores after that. I have been doing this for about 3 years and I still find it hard. Go to coupon mom site and look at her list and only buy the things that’s at least a 50% savings. At first buy several of the things that’s on sale to last you until The next time it goes on sale. I personal do not coupon or ad match at Wal-Mart the ones in my area are not very couponer friendly. I only shop at Wal-Mart when I have to have something that’s not on sale. It takes time to build a “stock pile” and you will have to spend more up front but it will pay off later. Don’t wait until you need something to buy it get it when it’s on sale. Get a group of people up to do a coupon swap that will help you get more of the coupons you need. Puny several papers each week.
Don’t stress…it will take some time and patience. In the meantime have confidence in the fact that you have started to save money and will learn new strategies.
As a single mother with three children start with a budget. What is your weekly or monthly budget for groceries? Secondly, develop nutritional meals according to your budget and items that are on sale. Some of your best deals may not require coupons. Each week review the sales ad for the grocery stores in your area. Grocery stores usually have sales that include loss leaders. These are items that are priced low to get you in the store…like bananas .29lb, chicken .79lb, soup .49. Always check these items and stock up. In addition to couponing and shopping loss leaders, my best strategy has been shopping at Aldi. I wish I had started earlier. If you have an Aldi in your area learn their pricing and try different products. Only buy what you like and know is a good deal…also no coupons necessary. I visited a blog that gave me a head start on what was good and what to avoid. I now have a list of over 20 items that are in my opinion better that brand store items or the same.
Last but not least if you have access to planters or a backyard learn to garden. You will have more fruits and vegetables than you will know what to do with. Caution…start small it becomes addictive and some kids love dirt and bugs too. Good luck!
Just as the other comments above have said, it takes time to learn what will work for you. I personally have a binder I organize mine in. I bought a binder on clearance after the school sales and got some plastic baseball card pages at Dollar Tree 10/$1. I am subscribed to a few coupon websites to get the daily email. I also look on FaceBook or the products website for coupons as well. I also ask my mom and my friends to save coupons for me too. I stock up on items that go on sale and I have a coupon for. I have reward cards for each store I shop at, ie CVS, Walgreens, grocery store, Shell gas. Stock up things/food you know your family will use. Like deodorant, paper goods, shampoo, soap. And if you have a big freezer, buy in bulk and split it up into meal size portions. If you can, get a Sams or Costco membership, thats valuable too. But they don’t take coupons. I know the basic Sam’s Club membership is around $40 a year. They have cheaper milk, meat and fresh fruit prices in bigger sizes. I also have a separate email acct set up for coupons and daily emails.
Maybe look at a church or school for a coupon exchange. I also print the valuable coupons out on my home printer, so I don’t miss them. They don’t always come in the newspaper ones. I subscribe to All You magazine. It has lots of coupons, money saving ideas and recipes. I do My Coke Rewards also. I have gotten lots of free things and vouchers from there. I subscribe to SwagBucks website (pays you to search from their site), Viggle which is a smartphone app that you earn points for watching tv, Ibotta which is another app that you earn $ when you buy the products you pick. If I buy online, I go thru Ebates. You get a % back on all purchases.
Also, look for ways to cut your expenses. See if your employer offers discounts for services. My employer has deals with banks, cell phone plans, local day care and car repair places, rental car, OfficeMax, etc. I work at a small hospital that is not owned by a big healthcare network.
What has been the most beneficial for myself and my family has been
1. I make a bi-weekly meal menu and from that menu make a grocery needs list.
2. Check what I have on hand to mark off my list.
3. I gather all my local grocery ads, my coupons and my list and figure where I can get what I need on my list.
I am on a fixed income and quickly found out that if I have a grocery list, and stay true to the list, my grocery costs come way down! I learned that when I went to the grocery store prior to using the Menu/List method, I would come home from the store with three bags of groceries and I couldn’t make 3 meals out of the whole bunch!
I wish you well and hand in there, it will get easier!!
Hey! I’m a single mom of two, and I’m always looking to save money two. At first I was having trouble with the couponing too, but I am finally starting to get where I actually save money, so it is worth it. My biggest tip is matching up with the Websites that help, and I love Paul’s wife’s blog My Litter. She matches the sale, with the coupon and ad and also links the coupon!
I’m pretty lazy about couponing. I work full-time and I do not have 6 hours a week to sit & clip coupons, etc., like they show on TV. I spend *maybe* 1 hour a week clipping & organizing my binder. I collect my inserts, cut what I will use if it is free or uber cheap, then organize them into my binder. At the same time, I go through my binder & throw away anything expired. My binder is organized into easy categories for me (this is personal preference & may take you time to figure out) – canned & dry goods, spices/seasonings, condiments, lotion & shaving, soap & body wash, feminine & oral hygiene, household cleaning, laundry & dishwashing, pet product. I also only watch a few stores for the deals – Albertsons & Tom Thumb, Target, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens. I bookmark the best “matchup” sites for those stores, and check them every morning – takes about 10 minutes total. The real key to couponing is waiting for & watching the matchups – using a .25 off coupon on a $3 item won’t do you much good, but when the $3 item goes on sale for $1.50 and your store triples the .25 coupon, then you pounce on the deal. Just remember that not every week will be $40 worth of stuff for $2 and some weeks it may be 1 or 2 freebies, or none at all. You have to be patient and you can’t expect to clip coupons your first week and go out and score $300 worth of stuff for $1.75 like on the TV show. Good luck!!
I don’t even cut them out anymore. It takes too much time. I leave them in all in the insert and cut them as I need them. This also helps me stick to my budget and my list since I don;t have my hole hoard of coupons with me in the store anymore. Only the ones I need for my list!!
If you don’t have time to clip coupons or live in a small town, at least buy things when they are on sale. The sale cycles are usually 10 to 12 weeks. I have found that the cheapest canned veggies are on sale during Nov-Dec. and I stock up for a year. NEVER PAY FULL PRICE!!
1. Blogs like this one. Not just the article in the blog but check comments, other couponers have great advice and tips. Most have buttons for other suggested sites. They have already done the match ups for you, just keep a notebook of what you should do that week.
2. Don’t try to shop every store every week to get every deal. Pick ones that have good rewards especially gas. It really can help the budget and not driving so much too.
3. Some blogs have couponing classes online but others have local hands on classes. Everyone learns differently. I have helped people get started and some can jump in with email help, others I visit with and last some I take to the store with me.
4. Make a list of what you use, ones that you are brand loyal and ones that you are flexible. Staples and toiletries are easy. Produce and meat are ones you have to use overages and store deals and mark downs. Start a stock list, keep it in your purse or on your phone so u always have it. It will take time to build your stockpile but use the coupon databases on the blogs to find a coupon for anything you need to buy before your stockpile gets ahead of your needs.
5. Buy kids clothes, shoes and gifts on the off seasons. Go now and buy a few gifts for parties your kids will be invited to so when they get invited you don’t have to run to the store and spend 20 + Christmas clearance toys are really cheap now. Dollar store cards and bags too.
6. If you buy newspapers dollar tree and others carry them on Sundays, some stores will mark them down on Wednesdays.
7. Have your kids help, cutting coupons and the math lesson go along way.
Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a deal soon you won’t be paying full price for very much of anything and wondering why you ever did. I started 2 years ago. It has taken the stress
f worrying about if we would have enough away. I have 5 kids 11 – 19, they all use to laugh now the older girls have been know to look through my coupons and web search before they head out with friend. I have so much extra stuff I have to regularly donate and have been able to help so many others. Thank GOD for coupons!!!
start small, start looking at how much you currently pay for every day items like Laundry soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and shampoo and conditioner. These items are almost always on sale. Search the web for blogs that might have info about stores in your area. becentsable.com is a older site that I use to use a lot to find deals in my area. CouponMom.com is another good one. Iheartthemart and mylitter are wonderful and very easy to understand. Just pick a few items and try to save on them. As you get a little practice and start to learn your stores you will find it easier and easier to find deals. Good luck. Feel free to ask more questions if you have them. Always happy to help others save money!