So I am a couponer, it is my main hobby at the moment and my guilty pleasure. It has also really helped us financially. It's a little tricky to figure out at first, but when you get the hang of it, its fun and easy. It is as time consuming as you want it to be and if you get sick of it, you can just take a break and then jump in again whenever you feel like it. So here it is step by step:
1. Subscribe to the Sunday paper.
I order three copies of the Sunday-only paper. It depends on the sale they are running, but I usually paper about $1.25 a copy. Sometimes a $1.00 a copy. You can also find copies of the Sunday paper at Wal-Mart and the various Dollar stores but they are spotty. If you know someone that subscribes to the Sunday paper ask them to hold the coupons for you. You will need a minimum of three copies each week to start seriously couponing. You will spend about $20.00 a month on papers, but its well worth it.
2. Save the coupons and start a filing system.
Here is where you can be as creative or simple as you would like. There are many different schools of thought when it comes to filing your q's. I started out by writing the date on the outside of the insert wih a sharpie and filing them by date in a big plastic filing bin with hanging folders. I could then look up the coupons I needed by date and clip only what I needed. The downside here is that when you are out and spot a great deal on something that's not on your list, you don't have your q's. I now have a GIANT binder and I staple all my inserts together, cut them, sort them, and file them. It takes time but I am ready to do battle at a moments notice. If I receive extras of an insert from someone or someplace, I file these in the above mentioned bin.
3. Learn the lingo and the good websites.
Here is where the beauty of the intenet comes into play. I check the following couponing sites every day/week for the matchups: hip2save.com, thekrazycouponlady.com (go to blog, top right tab), couponingtodisney.com, katycouponers.blogspot.com, and sometimes totallytarget.com or freebieshark.com The main two I use are hip2save and krazycouponlady. Get familiar with these sites and look up their abbreviations and what they mean. For example, in the couponing world, SS stands for Smart Source, RP is for Red Plum and P&G is for Proctor and Gamble. These are the 3 main coupon inserts in the Sunday paper. Also, IP stands for internet printable. I print a lot of coupons off of the internet. A q stands for coupon.
I started out with CVS and Wal-Greens. I now also coupon at Target, HEB, and Kroger. Learn their couponing policy and start with your match-ups at these stores. The beauty of Hip2save is that she matches everything up for you and you can edit the list and print only what interests you and it tells you exactly what coupons you need and where to find them. For example, 3/25RP stands for March 25th Red Plum insert. I will say we live in area where everything is marked up higher than what hip2save says the price will be, but you will still save a ton of money using the q's she suggests. So don't be bummed if you go to the store with your hip2save print out expecting to pay .25cents for lotion and at our Target you end up paying .85 cents. That's what happens when you live in the big city.....sigh.
5. Start small and don't give up.
It takes a year of continously couponing to really get the hang of it and to cycle through one whole season of sales. Don't give up if at first you have a few snaffus or beeps at the register or an angry cashier of customer behind you. Just stay calm and polite. Try to go at off times when you are first learning and let customers go in front of you, if you know its going to take awhile.
**Be sure to leave any questions you have for me in the comments section and I will try my best to help you.**
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