Couponing Made Easy!

First you need to decide on which stores you will target. In my area my top choices are Costco, Target, Albertson's and Fred Meyer. I have chosen Costco because of their daily prices and the others for their ease of coupon use. Some stores such as Walmart and Shopko throw a fit when it comes to Internet coupons. Keep in mind each store in different areas have different rules. When I started out I would search out a manager in each store and ask simple questions such as "Do you take Internet coupons?". Once you figure out which main stores you chose to shop at it's time for step 2.

free printable coupons

Next you will need to decide on a budget for what you plan on spending on food and household items each month. The reason for this is because you will be learning to shop in a completely different way. The majority of us go to the grocery store a couple times a month and buy what we need. When you become a Couponer the goal is to buy as many items at the lowest price possible. You watch the sales, combine the sales price with a coupon and buy the limit the store allows. So let's say you come across a deal on chicken .79/lb. Well that is definitely the cheapest I have found it lately so I would consider that a stock up price and buy as much as I can at the price. The store will limit you. As time goes on you will eventually stock up on most things you need and will not have to buy almost anything at it's regular price.

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Ok so now that you understand the general concept you need to know how to get started. I literally spent 10 hours one day reading page after page trying to understand. In simple uncomplicated terms you need coupons! So where do you find them? The best place is in the Sunday paper. The more Sunday papers you buy the more coupons you get so if you get really into it, you may consider more than one subscription to the Sunday paper. Next there are endless coupon websites. Coupons from the internet can be printed up to two times per month. Not all store accept Internet coupons so make sure you check with the management before you try and shop.

Ok so now you have a pile of coupons. And I mean a BIG pile. What do you do with them? Find a way to organize them. I use a binder filled with page protectors. I made different categories such as Meat, Dairy, Household, and so on. Then I put the coupons in order based on what they are for. I have been told that baseball card holders work great I just haven't been able to bring myself to spend the money on them yet. I like to pull out the coupons I plan on using and put them into envelopes marked with the stores name on them. I do this because if you have ever been shopping with little kids you know how stressful that can be. This way it's simple, I am organized and I don't have to have a ton of coupons to sort through. I do however, bring my notebook in with me because it's inevitable that I will forget a coupon or find something that I really would like my coupons for.

So now you have your coupons and have them organized. Where do you go from there? I start by looking at the weekly ad's out of the Sunday paper for the store's that I have decided to shop at. I compare prices on items between them and then see if there is anything on sale I can combine with a coupon. Even better when you can find a store coupon and can add a manufacturer coupon with it. You can use those together but you can not use two manufacturer coupons together. So this is where I got confused. REALLY confused. How do I know what is a good price?

That is completely subjective to where you live and what you are shopping for. I have noticed a good price on Milk in Idaho (where I live) is 1.53 a gallon. I have relatives in New Orleans that tell me Milk is 3 times that price. I have tried to use other websites to find these deals for me but there is nothing worse than expecting something at a certain price and then standing in the aisle at the grocery store realizing they had it wrong!!! UUGGHH! My best deals came from me and you will get faster at doing this. Seriously though, only concentrate on a few stores or you will lose your mind!

Start a list. List down your main staples that you will be buying month after month. Things like cheese, milk, soup, and vegetables. Each time you go to the store write down the normal price you see it at and the sale price when they are on sale. I have a list for each store showing the best store to buy certain items at. Like Costco here in Idaho has great deals on things like flour and eggs. Eventually you will narrow it down and have a decent idea what a good price and what a REALLY good price is.

Ok first of all. take a deep breath! It is confusing and can seem overwhelming. I felt completely lost at first and was nervous the first time I went to the store. The thing to remember is before this you weren't saving any money on coupons right? So anything that you save now is better than before, right? Right!

You will make mistakes. You will go to the store expecting to combine a store coupon and manufacturer coupon just to discover that they are not the same item and can not be used together. Or that something you thought was on sale was actually on sale last week.

Don't throw coupons away. I TOTALLY made this mistake. Throw them away after they expire. I have more than once regretted not having a coupon that I thought I would never use.

Don't print out a ton of coupons. My husband about lost his mind the first month I started couponing. I printed out a coupons for everything. Print out the ones you will use. They will be on-line for you to print later and if they aren't you will at least know what to watch for next time they come up. Internet Coupons are great but just don't go hog wild like I did and waste a ton of ink.

Remember to have fun. It's almost like a game seeing what you can get the best price on. It is a thrill knowing you are purchasing items for a significantly lower price than the shelf price. I love it

Couponing Made Easy!

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Extreme Couponing Tips and Tricks

One of the most common ways to save money on your grocery bill every month is by using manufacturer's coupons collected from the Sunday newspaper. People are saving hundreds of dollars a month by simply taking the time to collect and cut these coupons out. It can be time consuming but doesn't have to be and the rewards are more money in your bank account while still creating healthy and great tasting meals for your family.

printable coupons

Extreme couponing is a full time job. People spend many hours a day searching for and collecting coupons from many different sources. Dumpster diving, asking friends and family, writing companies and searching the internet for printable coupons are the daily activities of an extreme couponer. These are the people that will save thousands of dollars a month but unfortunately for those of us that work full time with families there usually isn't enough time in the day to perform these extensive tasks

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Luckily there are coupon cutters that will do the work for you for a small fee. These individuals collect coupons from many different sources and offer them for you to purchase for a handling fee. It is illegal to sell coupons so you have to remember, they are not selling the coupons to you. You are paying them a small fee for the time that it takes for them to put your coupons together and send them to you. These services are extremely valuable if you would like to become an extreme couponer but don't have the time to collect the coupons that you want. Handling fees vary but can be as low as 6% of the coupon's face value.

Matching up the coupons for the best deals is another time consuming task for the extreme couponer. The easiest and fastest way to do this is to take 15 minutes to examine a sale ad when it arrives and circle the deals that you are interested in. Match up the coupons with the deals for each store that you plan to visit. Write on the ad how many coupons you have, the value and the final price of the item. This will help you determine the savings you will receive as well as know how many of that particular item you need to put into your cart. It will also help you determine the amount that your bill will come to so you know how much cash you need to have on hand for your trip.

When you do your shopping you will want to have your store ad, your coupons and a list of everything that you intend to purchase that day that isn't on sale. This will help keep you focused in the store and cut down on impulse purchases that can easily lure you in. If you don't have a coupon for it and it isn't on your list, don't buy it. Stick to that one rule and it will help you immensely in the long run.

Following these few simple tips will help you get the most out of your couponing experience and put you on the right track for your successful savings in the couponing world.

Extreme Couponing Tips and Tricks

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Coupons: How To Get Serious About Couponing!

One of the most common things I hear others say about coupons is that they clip them but never remember to bring them to the grocery store. Others tell me about their desire to use coupons but wonder if it is really worth the time and effort to clip them. The short answer to that last belief is always the same - Yes! However, moving ourselves from forgetting to remembering and no desire to cultivating a desire to regularly invest time in clipping coupons, requires a more organized approach to the whole idea of couponing.

free printable coupons

So how does a person wanting to get serious about couponing go from clipping to using? How can you break the endless cycle of coupon forgetfulness and neglect? Try these suggestions:

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Choose the right organizer for you. There are many options here from the accordion file, large binders with plastic dividers, or a smaller purse size organizer with pre-printed sections. Some organizers are just for grocery coupons. Others have compartments for grocery coupons, rebates, household services, restaurants, sections for coupons that are expiring, etc. and are more of a system than just a simple organizer. Choose the best option for you because if you're excited about your organizer, you'll be excited about using it to file your coupons. Change the way you think about coupons. Stop thinking of coupons as a temporary survival technique for the current economy. Money needs to be saved regardless of the state of the economy. View your coupons as money saving companions and you will spend the time necessary to clip and organize them and will rarely leave home without them. Add coupon clipping to your Sunday to-do list as a regular task. Include enough time to review, clip, sort, and file the coupons. If you use printable coupons, add extra time to review your favorite site and have them printed and ready to clip along with the coupons from the Sunday paper. Get your kids involved and make it a game to sort and organize the coupons you plan to use. Keep your coupon organizer handy as you're clipping and file them away immediately. That way there is no chance of leaving them on the counter at your next shopping trip. Having the organizer close will also make it easier to sort and toss expired coupons so there are no surprises during your shopping trip. After filing the coupons, take an extra minute and put the organizer in your car or if you are using a smaller organizer, go ahead and put it in your purse. That way, when you're at the grocery store and realize you have forgotten your coupons, the parking lot is as far as you have to go for savings.

Couponing does take time but it is well worth the effort. Try the above five suggestions to change your approach to handling your coupons and see if it makes the process easier to manage. Once you start tracking your savings after each shopping trip, you will see that it really does pay to get serious about couponing!

Coupons: How To Get Serious About Couponing!

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Women and Retirement: Creative Couponing

You have probably seen the stories on the news (especially the morning talk shows) about people who save hundreds of dollars on every shop by using coupons. You may say "that could never be me; I don't have time to clip and organize coupons!" Believe it or not, couponing is really not difficult but it does take a little patience, organization and planning.

free printable coupons

The first and most obvious place that people find coupons is in the Sunday paper. I usually buy a Sunday paper and share it with my Mother. This arrangement works well for us because I clip the coupons that we both can use and she enjoys reading it. I know not to buy the paper on the Sunday before a holiday, though, because for some unknown reason, there are no coupons in those editions. I use these coupons at discount stores, the grocery store, and at drug stores. Many drug store chains will allow you to use a manufacturer's coupon along with their store coupon on one single item. For example, today I bought three packages of chips at a drug store and the price is 3 for .00. The store coupon was.99 and I had an additional.50 coupon which brought the price down to 2.50. I also got a reward coupon worth .50 bringing the final price down to 3 bags of chips for 1.00. A nice savings that enabled me to justify buying Girl Scout cookies on the way out of the store (I figure if those darling girls and their parents can stand out in the freezing cold, the least I can do is buy a box). Some really frugal folks skip the step of buying a newspaper and they get their coupons from recycling bins. Talk about creative couponing!

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Many people I know also get coupons online. Most major retailers LOVE for you to print their coupons and use them in their store. It confirms that you are shopping only with them and are also using their website. Before you next shopping trip, go to the store's website and looks for ads and coupons or online coupons. You will need a printer to print them (many are now moving to an online format that will enable you to have coupons emailed to you on your iPhone). You can also sign up for coupons to be delivered to your email box for local services, restaurants, and other items. You can try to places in your area and save lots of money. In fact, many of them give additional discounts if you "like" them on Facebook.

A final way that many people get their coupons is through online auctions. If you have a particular coupon that is of interest, you can order a lot of them for a small price. For example, a friend of mine eats protein bar most mornings for breakfast that costs .00 a piece (which is out of my price range comfort so I don't eat them). She bought a lot of 40 coupons for .00 on an auction site. She will save ( minus .00) for something that she loves and uses (which is the secret to effective couponing).

So, if you want to save money today and in the future (more for a secure retirement!), start couponing today. Be sure not to fall into the trap of buying stuff that you won't use because even with a coupon, you are spending money on stuff you don't need. Also, make sure to buy the item listed on the coupon to make sure that you get the discount (match the photo on the coupon to the item).

So, if you do couponing right, it can be fun and addicting. With a little practice, patience, and organization, you can also be a creative couponer!

Women and Retirement: Creative Couponing

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Extreme Couponing Without The "Extreme"

You may have seen shows about "extreme couponing" - using coupons to buy hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for just pennies on the dollars - on TV, but maybe you think you don't have the hours and hours required to research store sales, and look through paper coupons and online coupons to see what's available. Good news - you don't have to spend hours to save money with coupons! Read on to learn how to coupon and save thousands of dollars per year, without "extreme couponing."

printable coupons

Learning to Coupon: Sales Cycles

PRINTABLE COUPONS

You may have heard the "extreme coupon" folks discuss store sales cycles. First, most grocery stores follow a twelve-week sales cycle. During the cycle nearly every grocery store item will reach a high price and a low price. It's essential to buy the items you use while they are at their rock bottom low price, and stock up for the next twelve weeks until they reach their low price again. This way you avoid ever paying the highest price for your pantry essentials, and can get brand name products for much cheaper than the store brand. Unlike the "extreme couponers," you don't have to buy 100 boxes of cereal, but stocking up on six boxes of cereal at a time could save you an extreme amount of money in the long run

Combining Sales and Coupons

Using paper, direct to store card or printable coupons alone, you will always save you some money, but couponing, even extreme couponing can only save you so much. You can save even more money when you combine your coupons with other sales. Once the items you like have reached their rock-bottom low price you can save a bundle using your coupons at the same time. Think about it - would you rather save $.50 off a .00 box of cereal or save $.50 off a .00 box of the same cereal? It's a no-brainer, right?

Organizing Your Grocery Coupons

Walking around the grocery store holding a stack of coupons can be confusing, takes a lot more time than it should, and often you miss a lot of bargains due to lack of organization. One tip for organizing your grocery coupons is to use a binder or accordion file to organize every single coupon you receive in the Sunday newspaper each week (even if you think the store brand will be cheaper). If you don't want to cut out each one, just keep them uncut within their inserts and file them by date. Grocery coupon listing websites will tell you which coupons to use each week as well as which insert you can find them in. This makes it quick and easy to maximize your extreme couponing savings at the supermarket!

Everyone has their own version of extreme. If you have never used coupons before, extreme couponing may be saving just a week on groceries. But with the help of a grocery coupon listing website, even coupon "newbies" can save hundreds of dollars on their groceries every month. These websites make it easy to use coupons by doing all the work for you. They tell you when each product has reached its low point in the sales cycle, which coupons to use with each sale, and much more. You're friends will be shocked and amazed at how much money you save on your groceries using your newly learned extreme couponing techniques!

Extreme Couponing Without The "Extreme"

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Using Printable Coupons Makes the Couponing System Easy

The birth of online printable coupons has changed the entire couponing system for the price conscious consumer, as well as the not so price-conscious individual. Ever since their existence, more and more people are finding the use of coupons to be highly beneficial.

best buy printable coupons

Typically, coupons are obtained through newspapers and magazines. Therefore, in order to use them, you first have to look for them in these sources which can be very time-consuming. A majority of the time, after all their effort is put into looking for coupons, people end up finding only a few more since coupons in newspapers tend to most often be for products that we do not need or want to buy.

PRINTABLE COUPONS

The next step is to cut your tickets out carefully, making sure not to cut the coupon code out; otherwise it may not be honored and is pretty much useless. Next, you need to organize them accordingly, so they are easier to use. You don't have to organize your coupons, however, this often results in the loss of your coupon, or it ends up expiring without you noticing.

Many people are finding this process irritating especially if they do not have all the time to do go through the entire process, which is why so many people do not bother to use coupons anymore.

However, since printable coupons were made available, the traditional ticket process is becoming eliminated. Now, people can easily browse through online coupon websites where they are offered a wide variety of coupons. Visitors of these sites can actually choose a specific product or brand where they want to get their coupons.

Many people are finding the use of printable coupons to be very easy since all they need to do is search for the coupon they want and then print it. In addition, they are also able to compare different types and offers of coupons so they can pick the one that would give them the most savings.

However, because these printable coupons are found over the internet, consumers should be very careful during their coupon selection since there is a chance to select a fraudulent one. You must be aware that not all stores accept the use of tickets that are obtained from the internet due to fraudulent incidents in the past. For this reason, consumers are advised to first check whether the store they shop at honor printed coupons.

Using Printable Coupons Makes the Couponing System Easy

PRINTABLE COUPONS