Are you a Coupon Beginner?

So I want to save but where do I start?

So you have decided you want to stop paying full price!  Congratulations and welcome to the start of your journey to savings! This article is a beginner's guide to couponing.  While it can be a lot of information at times, please know I am here to help in whatever way I can!  Of course if you have more questions that just aren't answered here please feel free to either use the Contact page to directly email me or post in the comments below!  

Throw everything you know about grocery shopping out the window!
  • No more running to the store at 3:00pm everyday to buy what you need for dinner.
  • No more making one list every week to buy the five meals you are going to cook- regardless of the price.
  • No more HUGE monthly shopping trip where you spend who knows how much…
  • No more running to the store because you are out of toothpaste and Q-tips
Say Goodbye to those days! Here’s what you need to know…
  • You will have a Year Supply of Toothpaste, Soap, Razors, and Lysol Wipes (among other things) before you can blink!!  **And if you don't want a supply this large, think about donating them to your local food shelf or community cause, giving is sometimes better than recieving!**
  • Before you know it you will be saving between 50-90% at the grocery store!
  • It’s all about shopping with coupons while a product is on sale- and STOCKING UP so you don’t have to buy something when it’s not cheap or free.

Let's Start!

  1. Where do I find these Coupons?
 The first step is starting to build your coupon collection.  There are two main categories of coupons and you need them both!  First, you have your traditional coupons found in the Sunday newspaper and second, you have the new digital and printable coupons!

The first step will be finding a your Newspaper Subscription.  In Minnesota you can get the Startribune Express if your within the area which is FREE.  This  service delivers only the "inserts" of your Sunday paper.  Call to see if they service your area! ( Please note if already a subscriber you cannot recieve this service).

Inside each Sunday paper are “Coupon Inserts” called Smart Source (SS), Red Plum (RP) or Proctor & Gamble (PG). The first step to finding a subscription is to call your local paper’s circulation department.  You’ll need to ask them these important questions:
  1. What coupon inserts does your paper carry?  (out of 3:  Smart Source, Red Plum and Proctor & Gamble)
  2. Do you offer a Sunday-Only or Weekend Only subscription?
  3. Do you offer any discount if I order multiple copies of your Sunday paper?
As a general rule, we say that if you can get a Sunday only or weekend-only subscription for under $2 per week per paper or less, it’s a pretty good deal!  If you are wanting to build your "stockpile" and have mulitple coupon's you are highly recommended to purchase mulitple copies of the Sunday paper. Sure its out of pocket expense, however its minor compared to the savings you will get from your shopping and clipping!  Within my household I do not see it viable to purchase multiple copies and instead I have 2 services I use where I order specific coupons for a certain deal that I just can't pass up!  I will spend anywhere between 4-9.00 for around 100 coupons delivered right to my door and its legitimate! ( More on that topic in another page!)

Want newspaper coupon inserts but don’t want to pay?  You’ve got some options which include asking, friends, neighbors or co-workers to save their coupons for you.  You can also talk to local business owners or convenient stores and ask if you can have their unsold papers at the end of the week.  Another thing you can do if you are not minding the "extreme" is to dumpster dive in the recycle bins! Some local recyling areas will let you scour the paper bins, just please be mindful and obey your local laws!

  If you’re hesitant about the cost of a subscription, start with printable coupons for a week or two.  They’re free and easy and the only down side is that you can’t always get more because of print limits!  Once you’ve seen the success and potential just from using printable coupons, imagine how much better it will be once you have newspaper coupons as well!

The second step will be learning how to Print coupons from home!

Printing coupons is safe, free and easy!  The first time you print from any source, you’ll be required to download quick and safe printing software so that you can print securely from home.  After the software is installed, printing coupons will just be a click away!

Here are the sites I use for printing online coupons:
Reminder, you will always recieve 2 of each coupon you print, you just have to hit the "back" button in your browser tab and "refresh" when prompted!
Remember, it is illegal to photocopy coupons! :) 



2. How and when to use your coupons!

One question that I get ALL THE TIME goes something like this:

“I always try to clip the coupons from my (one) Sunday paper- and then I go do my regular shopping and it’s cheaper to just buy the generic of the coupon that I have!”

I used to think the same thing. Every other week, I would remember to clip my coupons and then I would take them to the store, hunt down the right product and size, and then do some math in my head and decide it’s cheaper to buy the Walmart Generic. So I would grab the Generic and Toss the Coupon. . . so sad.

So, How and When DO you use coupons to get these deals?
  • The Big “Secret” is MATCHING COUPONS WITH AWESOME SALES and PROMOS!
    For example- If you go to Walmart to use your $1 off 5 Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Coupons, it will end up being cheaper to just buy generic.
    BUT, if you use the coupon when the name brand are at a rock bottom price- or if you match it with a promotion at your corner grocery store – Viola! Cheap Soup!
  • Stacking Coupons, my favorite coupon secret!
    Stacking simply means using 1 Manufacturer Coupon and 1 Store Coupon on 1 Item!!
    Target, Cub Foods, Rainbow and Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS all have store coupons and allow them to be stacked with a manufacturer coupon! (You can never use 2 manufacturer coupon on 1 item… but most stores allow you to use 1 store and 1 manufacturer coupon on the same item)
  • Double Coupons  Some stores in some regions double coupons up to a certain value.  This means that one $0.50 off coupon will become $1.00 off, etc. Currently in Minnesota we have only 1 grocery store that will double your coupons and on certain days of the week: 
    • Rainbow Foods: On Wednesday's and Saturdays they double up to 5 mfgr coupons with a 25.00 purchase ( must equal 25.00 prior to coupons) with some Saturday's running the doubling of up to 10 mfgr coupons!  There will be a post each week of the best deals found from the ads.
    • Kmart:  Occasionally Kmart will double coupons.  They may or may not advertise the doubling publicly, but we’ll always let you know of the specifics when this happens!
    • Remember, when a store doubles a coupon, they will match the price of your coupon- for example if you have a coupon for $1 off- they will take another $1 off!  Restrictions usually apply, as to how many coupons you can double, etc.
Also, it will take a little while for you newbies to figure out when something is a good deal. When I first started couponing, I found toothpaste for $1/tube and I thought I scored- so of course, I bought like 20 of them. Then as time went on, I realized that you can get free toothpaste all the time! So, be willing to overpay ($1 for toothpaste is really cheap for all our non-couponing friends- so don’t feel too bad!) and if it  helps, start making a list of things you will never pay for again!

To start your journey you will find it easier to follow the posted sales price along with what coupon is matched.  This not only save's you time from having to hunt the ad and match your coupons, but gives all the starting couponers out there a chance to get used to how to smartly save!  Hopefully this starter guide gives you the guidelines to getting started! 
Please see my other posts on how to organize your coupons and coupon "lingo"!

Happy Savings!




















Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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I love the kids clothes from this site!

Other great Coupon/Savings Sites!

 Couponing For 4

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