Coupon Basics

Couponing is a great way to save money, and it can be really fun!  You can make it what you want to be.  You could treat couponing as a full-time job.  You really could chase down every deal, at every store, every week.  I don't recommend that.  It can be very stressful to do it that way.  There are going to be some weeks where you just have to step back and say - I need a break.  Some weeks there are a lot of deals to get, and some weeks there may be just one or two items.  Start slowly, with just one drugstore and one grocery store.  Get to know the coupon policy for those stores, get signed up for emails and as many promotions for those stores as they offer.  Here are a few pointers to help you get started:


Newspaper Coupons

I recommend getting at least 4 newspapers delivered to your home every Sunday.  Sometimes they will offer a discount for ordering more than one.  Check with your local carrier. Clip your coupons each week, or file them by date.  To see how to set up your Coupon Binder click HERE.  (coming soon)


Creating your Stockpile

Stockpiling is essential when couponing.  You only want to stock up on an item when it's at the lowest possible price.  Create your stockpile slowly.  If you have to buy something at full price, it's ok, you just don't want to get 10 of that item to create your stockpile.  You want to get a lot of toothpaste when they hit 25 cents or less.  Now, I'm not talking 50 tubes of toothpaste here.  Let's say your family goes through 2 tubes a month, when toothpaste hits that low, low price of 25 cents or less you want to stock up for about 6 months - in your family's case that's 12 tubes. 

When you first create your stockpile you're probably going to be starting off at a higher price than what you will in the future.  Let me give you an example: So, let's say you're just starting out, you're almost out of toothpaste, and this week you can find a tube for about 50 cents, you may want to go ahead and get that tube, or maybe even two, just to hold you over.  Then, two weeks later that same toothpaste comes out to be free.  Aren't you glad you didn't buy 12 tubes at 50 cents now?  You can now get 12 tubes for free (that's if you have 12 coupons, of course). 

Want to know what price to stock up at?  Visit the stockpile price list to find out.  There's a column for 3 months, and a column for 6 months.  If you find an item priced at the 3 month stock up price, you want to get 3 months worth, because it's been known to go lower.  If you find a price at or even below the 6 month stock up price you'll want to get AT LEAST 6 months worth. 

How to use this site

I will only post the best deals of the week.  Some may be be 3 month stock up prices, and some may be 6 month stock up prices.  Visit the stockpile price list to see what price to stockpile at.  I will also post pretty good deals on everyday items like paper towels, toilet paper and diapers.  I always find that I'm never fully stocked on paper towels.  It's hard to find them at 30-40 cents a roll!!  If you want to find out everything that's on sale you need to check the website that I've linked to each store, or the store sales ad.  If you're looking at just items that you can stock up on you've come to the right place.  Check back often, because as the week goes on, printable coupons become available and more deals may pop up!

The value of couponing

You can drop your grocery bill dramatically - over time.  Couponing isn't everyone's cup of tea.  When first starting to coupon, you will probably shop just about each week at more than one store.  Once you have a good stockpile, you won't be running to the store for that random bottle of body wash that you're out of.  You now walk to your closet and grab your "already purchased at a low, low price" bottle.  In the beginning you may think, gosh, I'm running to three different stores each week, how is all this gas I'm using saving me money?!?!  It definitely saves you money, trust me.  You may go everywhere in the beginning, but just think about when you have a stockpile of toiletries and food 2-3 months down the road...You can skip a week to the store, maybe even 2 weeks!  There have been weeks when I go to get produce only.  My normal weekly grocery bill has been cut in half.  I'm still at a point where I'm creating my stockpile so I use what's leftover in my food budget to get those items for the future.  Sometimes I travel 45 minutes to get some deals.  It may sound crazy, but where I live there aren't a lot of good "couponing" grocery stores.  I've calculated my gas to be about $12 for the trip, and I usually save an average of $60-$70 or more each trip.  I carpool with other people and split the gas and it makes it even more worth the trip, and I get to hang out with some of my friends.  The effort you put into it at the beginning will start paying off in a few months.  You'll have more time to spend with your family, or doing things with friends, or just doing the things you love because you don't have to go do a "major grocery shop".  The $200 Walmart trips when you're out of absolutely everything are a thing of the past.

Meal Planning

You can save a lot of money just by planning out your weekly meals.  I always do this.  It saves me time during the week because I'm not running to the store at the last minute to get items to prepare for dinner, or even worse, come up with a fast food option.  On occassion I will post my weekly meal plan matched up with the current weeks sales and coupons.  Visit Money Saving Meals to check them out along with recipes and ideas to save you money on meals.