Couponing 101 - Step 1

Over the las week or so, I've had 5 different people text/call/e-mail asking me about how I do my couponing.  Tim says to me "maybe you need to blog about it".  So, I decided I'm gonna start a series of blogs that will post every couple of days giving you little bits and pieces of what I know/have learned.  I don't claim to be extreme or to have all the answers, but I have gotten decently good at saving some money :-)  So if some of my tips can help, I'm happy to pass them on!

A little bit behind why I started couponing... When we moved to Arkansas a year an half ago, our financial situation didn't end up being what we thought it would be.  We discussed options of things we could do and really the quickest, easiest one that really fit our family was for me to figure out how to coupon.  Like most moms (and maybe even dads), I started out of necessity.  If I could save $20, that was a win - that was part of a credit card payment!  I quickly found that it was like a game.  Each week figuring out the sales to match with my coupons.  A race to see how much I could actually save and maybe how many things I could get free!  Because let's all admit, "free is for me".  This was my way of contributing to our family budget.

So, the first step I want to share with you is: Know where your coupons come from.  When I first started, I thought you only got coupons from a Sunday paper.  Get one paper, you get your coupons.  After talking with some friends and reading some online forums, I quickly realized you can get coupons in SO many different ways, you just have to know where to look!!

The local Sunday paper is where you're gonna get the majority of your coupons.  Some cities have more than one Sunday paper.  Know which paper has the coupons, or the best coupons (in Atlanta there are 3 papers and all 3 contain coupons.  But 1 paper contains more than the other 2!).  Get more than 1.  Get as many as you want.  I usually get 3 or 4.  Don't be afraid to look through the paper and make sure the coupons are there.

You can also get coupons from online websites.  The ones I like to use the most are www.couponmom.com, www.coupons.com, www.smartsource.com, www.redplum.com and www.grocerycouponcart.com  All of these sites have AWESOME amounts of coupons and offers to choose from.  Be aware though, some of these sites are linked together so you'll eventually reach a "print limit" on the coupons.  But on one computer, I can usually get about 4 prints of the same coupon plus what I get in the paper.

Look at using E-Coupons.  If you have a Kroger card, you can use their website and other sites with e-coupons to load straight to your card.  It saves the time/ink/paper in having to print them and they're ready to use within an hour of you loading them.

Check the websites of the stores you like to shop at.  A lot of people don't realize you can get coupons for that particular store off their website.  I just printed out $100 in coupons from Target's website.  Big coupon amounts towards toys my kids are wanting for Christmas.  And guess what - YOU CAN USE COUPONS ON BLACK FRIDAY!!  So make sure you check your websites for coupons!

So these are just some ways to get as many coupons as you can.  I recommend getting a binder, page separators with tabs to label, and a pack of baseball collector sheets to separate your coupons.  This will help you organize all the massive amounts of coupons you're about to go get!!

Let's Try This Again...

OK, Blogger, I'm gonna give you another shot.  Last time I took the time to write out a blog, you deleted everything - even my URL!  So, let's see if this time you can manage to keep everything intact!  If so, I'll blog with you later!  And, go!