People are still fascinated by couponing. A lot of people that have never used coupons in their life are finding the whole process to be completely foreign to them. I wanted to expand a little more on how I coupon. Everyone is different, and I have not ‘perfected’ saving money by any means, but I try to be better at it weekly.
I start out by buying the Sunday newspapers. I get one delivered to my house and buy one more. My sister also mails me tons of coupons weekly from FL. I go through and cut out all of the coupons on items that I would use/buy, NOT being brand specific. I then briefly skim over the sale circulars circling things that I think are a good deal or that I remember we have a coupon for.
After I have skimmed by circulars, I start organizing my coupons. I put them all in piles that coordinate with the labels in my coupon binder. I then start putting the clipped coupons in the appropriate section of the binder. While doing this, I also skim through the coupons already in the binder to make sure none have expired. I always like to make sure things are up to date, there is nothing more embarrassing then going to the register and handing them 4 coupons only to find out they have expired. NOTE: this has not happened to me, thankfully.
After the binder is all set, I start making lists. I start with one store at a time, going through the entire sale circular. The most important thing to remember while couponing is that if it is not on sale and you do not have a coupon for it, don't buy it. It is always best to coordinate sale items with coupons.
So I continue to go through, making lists for all of the stores I need to go to. While doing this, I am taking out the appropriate coupons that correspond with that store and putting them in a labeled envelope. I think you get the most discount when you do different transactions, especially at stores like CVS where extra bucks print off your receipt.
This is definitely a good way to start, especially if you are a beginner. I am only buying for me and my boyfriend, so if you have a larger family, I would probably suggest getting more newspapers. More couponing tips to come!!
