Perhaps you saw someone at the grocery store save a bundle at the register using coupons and you can’t wait to get started. Or maybe your sister has been couponing for a few weeks and is bragging about how her food budget is so much easier now. Whatever your reasons, you’re ready to get started with coupons. Let’s talk about a few helpful tips that will have you saving money before you know it!

You will need:

• A wallet coupon organizer
• A pocket file or accordion file (found at any office supply store)
• Scissors
• A few online sites to get coupons from
• The Sunday edition of your local newspaper
• That’s it!

The great news about couponing now is that it is easier than ever to find coupons. It used to be that couponers would have to wait for the Sunday paper to arrive so they could clip, clip, clip out those coupons. But today couponers can visit online couponing sites to search for coupons they need and simply print them out. So your first step is to find several coupon sites online that you like to get coupons from. Keep in mind they may request you to download simple coupon printing software.

Sit down with pen and paper and write 2 lists. The first list is of items that you regularly buy at the grocery store. Put a star next to items where you especially prefer a certain brand. (Know that you might be open to trying a different brand if you’ve never tried any other brand, because you simply aren’t aware of the options.)The second list is items you like to buy but don’t get as often. Again, put a star where you prefer the brand vs. choosing an item of any brand.

Once you have your lists, decide what your next shopping trip will contain. It likely has items from your 1st list and perhaps a few from the 2nd list. Now visit the coupon sites to see if you can find coupons for them. Take a look at the Sunday paper’s inserts to see if you find coupons that are helpful too. These coupons are manufacturer’s coupons.
Now visit the website for your grocery store and take a look at the weekly circular. You’ll see that some items are on special bargain this week. See if any of these items are on your list or if you want to replace items on your list for the ones in the weekly circular. If you want items from the weekly circular, then re-visit the online coupon sites and try to find manufacturer’s coupons for them too.

Some savvy couponers will argue with what I’ve just taught you, saying that you should check the weekly circular first before doing anything. But I’ll explain why you want to organize your shopping. You know better than anyone what your family prefers to eat and what your weekly and monthly needs are. Some shoppers – yes, even couponers – can get very excited seeing the deals in the circular. They wind up saying to themselves, “Well, with the coupon, its ‘just’ $1.50.” So they buy it. This is impulse shopping and often wastes money because you buy items you do not need and sometimes things your family does not want. That’s why we recommend focusing on your family’s needs and wants first – and then look for the bargains!
Remember the old saying “practice makes perfect.” The more you continue to use your couponing habit, the better you will become. Each shopping trip teaches you new techniques. So start couponing today & you’ll save money…1, 2, 3!