Couponing!

A lot of people have asked me to explain what I do to be successful at couponing.  First of all let me say a few things. I am no means a pro at this like some others. (If you have seen the show Extreme Couponing, you know what I mean.)  As most of you know, I do not have a lot of extra time so I try to make my couponing experience as hassle free as can be.  I also do not have a stockpile room or a pantry to say the least so we only buy what we need.  (Hopefully, one day I will have a pantry and maybe a freezer!) I only coupon in order to save money for something else down the road.  Plus it feels great to know you did it!  So here are things I did to get started: (I'll write more later about more things you can do.  Let's just get started.)

1)  Coupon Organizer - I guess you could say I am an organizing freak so it was vital that I have something to store my coupons before I get them.  I bought an organizer from a dollar store that works well for me and that will fit right into my purse.  I know my sister-in-law uses a big photo album so she can see all her coupons.  It is really whatever works for you.  I like easy access and the fact the coupons are organized.  My grocery coupons are organized into sections - New (for any coupons I have not had time to file), About to Expire (for those coupons that I see are about to expire but I don't want to use at that current time), Breakfast, Cooking, Snacks, Condiments, Fridge, Freezer, Bathroom, Cleaning, Around the House, Outdoors.  I, also, keep a small pair of scissors in this one so I always have some.

Recently, I have outgrown my coupon organizer due to other store coupons.  I bought a new coupon organizer (almost the same as the other).  In this organizer, I am keeping other store coupons.  I did have all my coupons and store rewards cards all in my first coupon organizer.  Here are the sections for that organizer - Kroger, Walgreens, Discount Stores, Local Diners, Fast Food, Restaurants, Local Stores, Clothing Stores, Houseware Stores, Hobby Stores, Other.  I am keeping any coupons, gift cards, and reward cards in here.

2) Finding the Coupons - Once you have a place for your coupons, it is time to start couponing.  Newspapers are a great place to find coupons.  I have a weekly subscription to the States Graphic where you can sometimes find coupons.  I,also, buy the Commercial Appeal every Sunday.  I take the coupons out and then give it to my dad to read.  (I only buy one, because that is efficient for the amount of coupons for Kevin and I, but I know some places say buy more than one.  I just don't see the need in this unless you have a huge family.)

There are many coupons blogs, websites, etc out there.  You have to find the one you like the most if you want to follow one.  (I would highly recommend having a separate e-mail account if you follow some.)  However, I do well not actually following one.  Here is where I find my coupons.  First of all I joined a point community called Mypoints.  Go here http://www.mypoints.com/.  Here you receive points for printing coupons which can be used for future gift cards. (I'll make another post soon about shopping online. :))  On Mypoints, I go to the post Deals - Grocery Coupons.  Here they have coupons from the sites coupons.com, smartsource.com, and cellfire.com.  Instead of going to each of these sites, I can just go to Mypoints, log on to my account, and get all my coupons here.  If you don't want to sign up for Mypoints, definitely go to these websites.  Cellfire loads coupons to your Kroger card which is becoming more popular. 

Another site that I sometimes check is Redplum.  http://www.redplum.com/  I have found that coupons overlap from one site to another so make sure you aren't printing the same ones over and over.  If you do to choose to go to Kroger (check previous post), make sure to go to kroger.com, register your Kroger card, and upload online coupons from their site as well. 

If you set up another e-mail, a great e-mail I get frequently is Free Coupon Alerts.  This e-mail keeps me up-to-date with new coupons that have come out.  You can sign up for it at http://www.freecouponalerts.com/. 

3) Understanding Coupons - Most coupons you print online especially from any of the online coupon databases expire within a month from printing.  At the end of the month, coupon databases typically change coupons up so I try to print what I need before the 1st of each month.  Most stores accept coupons that say Manufacturer's Coupon. Some stores double coupons all the time, some at certain times, and some not at all, make sure you know so you can save the most (I'll try to write more later about this.)  Make sure to give your coupons to the cashier before checking out.  There are many ways to find coupons, you just have to have the time. 

I hope this gets you started.  I have some more helpful insights into couponing if you would like to hear, but I really need to get back to Spring Cleaning (another goal of mine for being 25).  Remember my couponing experience all started with a goal.  It is where you take your goal in order to be successful. 

Elizabeth