Hey everyone, just wanted to list a few "tips" to get you started!
* Take a little time to get to know the coupon policy at the stores you shop at, when I started, I found coupon policies online for K-Mart and Wal-Mart, and called Dan's and asked questions! Please remember that when you are out shopping, every transaction is not going to go smoothly, they might have to get the manager over there, and the manager might decide to not accept the coupon, that's how it goes, just remember your manners and be respectful. I do not want cashiers to start rolling their eyes when they see a couponer in their line, so don't give everyone a bad rap by being rude! Know the coupon policies where you shop and be prepared to deal with the little inconveniences in the check out line!
* Google "couponing blogs" and find a few that you like and use them as a resource! I follow http://www.hip2save.com/ and www.iheartthemart.com and then there are a few others that I like so I read them every couple of days.
*Make sure to create a special e-mail just for your new hobby (or use an old one) because you will use it to sign up for special offers by e-mail and you will inevitably be getting spam and junk mail! I use the first hotmail acct I ever started and the SAME password for all the stuff I sign up for just to simplify things.
*I use coupons.com, smartsource.com, and redplum.com along with the coupon blogs above to find on-line coupons. Now, there usually aren't the inserts in the Dickinson Press, they are in the Tribune, so if you know someone who gets the Trib, have them save the inserts for you, or buy a Sunday paper! I have someone who saves them for me, so, instead of buying a $2 paper, I look at the coupons I want more of, and use a coupon clipping service. I use www.couponsthingsbydede.com. What a clipping service is, is a place where you can order multiple coupons for a fee. They can't charge you for the coupons, so you will see a handling fee, and then of course, a shipping charge. I usually spend .08-.10 on a coupon. I spend about $3-$5 a week on coupons (that includes shipping). I order coupons on Tuesday, so normally I know the sales for the week and can get the coupons by Friday when I shop!
*Take a little time learning about "stockpiling" which basically means when things are on sale, you buy enough of that item to last you until the next sale cycle so you never have to pay full price for groceries/toiletries! Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a bit of a stockpiler, so the only thing new to me is to be pairing coupons with sales, and getting an even better price! The other thing about stockpiling is you need to be organized! If you don't know what you have, you end up wasting and that defeats the purpose! I am lucky enough to have a large pantry, a nice chest freezer (man I just cracked up at "I have a nice chest..." LOL) and few closets in my bathrooms where I can store other necessities! I think the key is to keep like items together and know what you will be using, no one needs 150yr supply of deoderant, no matter how cheap it was! Now, this doesn't have to be fancy, maybe a shelf in the basement or shoe-box under the sink, the very important thing is to KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE.
*Have a BUDGET! This is so important, and I have always "thought" that, but am very guilty of thinking it doesn't apply to me! However, I am on the right track now and have very good budget and follow it and LOVE to see my savings! It makes no difference if your grocery budget is $30 dollars a week or $300 dollars a week, the important thing is to stick to it! There are tons of ways to budget, I just sit down with a notebook and pencil and calculator and start figuring. I add up all my monthly bills (these are just the "fixed" bills I get every month like utilities), then figure where to spend whats left (this is the part where you are really creating a budget, deciding what to spend on food, gas, entertainment, those types of things you can control and cut back). I think that NO MATTER what, you need to have some savings, even if it's $10 bucks a month, in a few months that could buy your groceries for a week, and sometimes, all you need is a seed to make you want to see your savings build up. Soon you will be putting $10 away here and $5 there and you will be shocked how it adds up! Another thing you might find useful when you are looking at your monthly bills is simply the idea of taking bills that you pay monthly and writing down the balance, working the debts from smallest to largest putting anything "extra" you have at the end of the month toward them one at a time, each time you pay something off it will free up that much more each month to put towards the next, and so on, until soon you will be left with things like you mortgage payment and maybe your vehicle payment.OK, that was a pretty detailed bugeting tip, but you get my point!
*Have a plan when you shop, take a few minutes to look at the sale fliers, and do some coupon matchups, have a list and stick to it! Pick a day to shop so you don't find yourself constantly at the store, I go once a week that way I can hit the sales and get the fresh food I need!
*Keep your coupons organized, there are a TON of different methods, you can google "coupon organization" and watch you tube videos, or just read, you can make an investment in a custom made binder, or you can use envelopes and a shoe box, it doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you have a system that works for you!
*You aren't going to, nor do you need to, get every deal! There are TONS of deals, 90% of them won't be useful to you, don't find yourself wasting time signing up for freebies you won't use, clipping coupons for things your family doesn't need, those types of things with BOG you down and you will be burnt out before you know it! I treat this like a hobby, and just like any other hobby, in the beginning, you will spend more time reading blogs, learning the lingo, all that stuff, but once you are in a groove, you won't spend much more than 15 minutes a day, if even, couponing!
*and most importantly BE REALISTIC! You are not going to feed your family of 5 for $6 a month, that's not what it's about, it is about doing the best with what you have! You may find in the beginning that you are actually spending a little more than normal cause you are still shopping and trying to coupon to build your stock pile, but soon, you will find yourself, only buying your coupon items and being able to "shop from your stock pile at home" instead of running out to the store for every little thing.
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