Couponing Basics

You've seen it before:  people strolling through the aisles with a binder full of coupons, meticulously comparing items and prices with weekly store ads.  They go through the check out line, often with numerous transactions, and somehow end their trip paying next to nothing.  "How is that possible??" you ask yourself, "and why am I not doing that too?!"

It absolutely is possible to save up to 100% on products you buy every day, and perhaps even MAKE money while you shop.  All it takes is a little studying, clipping, and planning.  If you're wondering where to begin, keep reading.

The first thing I tell people who want to get into couponing is to ask themselves:  "why do you want to do this?"  Think about your current grocery and personal care item budget and make a goal for how much you want to decrease that.  Then think about where you like that savings to go.  It's also important to think about which items you would like to coupon for:  are you couponing for basic grocery items?  Baby care?  Make up?  All of the above?  This will affect where you want to shop and which coupons you want to clip.

The next steps are to start looking at store deals and collecting coupons.  People will often do one or the other first, but I will explain the way I generally operate.

I will usually collect my coupons first.  I get most of my coupons from the local Sunday newspaper, in the form of inserts.  These are the little booklets of coupons you find along with store ads.  There are three main inserts that are distributed nationwide: SmartSource, Red Plum, and Proctor and Gamble (P&G).  The number and kind of inserts that will come in the paper vary week by week, so it is important to stay ahead of the game by checking a coupon preview website ahead of time.  I usually look at Sunday Coupon Preview on Friday evenings.  Keep in mind that coupon offers are often regional.

If you are going to collect manufacturer coupons from newspaper inserts, there are a few tricks. Buying multiple Sunday papers can be expensive, so I will often buy my papers on Saturdays (the price is lower and Saturday papers have the same inserts as Sunday's).  Make sure to check inside of your papers before you buy them to make sure the inserts you want are there.  To cut costs further, ask people you know to save coupons for you.  You can also join coupon trading groups online to get coupons you want for free.

Coupons are also available online. Coupons.com and Coupon Mom have many coupons that you can select and print.  Target also has printable store coupons on their website, which you can often combine with a manufacturer's coupon to increase savings.  Most websites will only let you print a certain coupon twice.  Make sure that you know your selected store's policy* on printed coupons before attempting to use them.

Once you have your coupons, you will want to organize them.  Some people use envelopes, shoe boxes, or small coupon organizers.  I use a binder with baseball card sleeves inside.  I place the coupons where the cards would go, and then organize the sheets by type section (frozen, drinks, cosmetics, etc.)  Use a method that works for you. And remember to clean out your binder regularly (there is nothing worse than not realizing a coupon is expired when you want to use it).

Now you can begin researching store deals.  To maximize savings, you want to find an item that is on sale that you also have a coupon for.  For example, say Raisin Bran cereal is on sale at Target for $1.99.  You find that you have a manufacturer coupon for .50 off one box, and a Target printable coupon for .50 off.  You can combine those coupons with the sale price and get the cereal for .99.  Not bad!

It is possible to get items for free or make money from them.  This takes meticulous planning and patience.  Scenarios like this do come along and if you are on the ball, you can make them happen.  For example, say Activia yogurt is on sale for $2 at Rainbow.  You have a $1 off one package coupon. Rainbow doubles coupons up to $1 on Wednesdays and Saturdays*, so if you use that coupon it will double, making your yogurt free!

It's important to remember that you do not HAVE to get every single deal or freebie you discover. Store deals and coupons come in cycles, usually 6 weeks, so if you miss a deal, it WILL come back.  Also, pay attention to when certain items go on sale.  Health food and fitness items usually go on sale in January, allergy medicine in Spring, baking items around the holidays - you get the picture.

Also, remember to start slow.  Trying to learn every store's policies and savings programs at once is overwhelming.  Instead, pick one store and start there.  Then work your way up once you have built your confidence (and your coupon collection).  And be patient:  it's impossible to think that you will get 100% savings on your first trip.  Remember, a penny saved is a penny earned.

*Please see Store Policy page for more details*