Coupon Hints Tips and Tricks!

Coupon Hints Tips and Tricks to help you start saving money!

Here are just a few basic tips and pointers to get started in the coupon-ing world! If you're new to couponing it can get overwhelming very quickly BUT just take a deep breath and take it step by step and you will be just fine! Even if you are only using 2 coupons on your shopping trips, this is a GREAT start and better than using NONE!

Couponing is a learning and growing process, nobody's perfect, and nobody gets EVERY deal EVERY time! AND THAT'S OKAY! The goal is to save money and try to get the most bang for our buck! When I started I got very overwhelmed very quickly because I tried to get every coupon for every deal and hated when I couldn't find a coupon for something! I tried to collect and clip every coupon I could find, which as you can imagine, made for a huge pile of clutter and not much organization :)

Couponing takes time, patience and practice, but once you've got the hang of it it's like riding a bike! It is WELL worth the process of learning how to do it and doing it as efficiently and effectively as possible! You will LOVE it and it will become an addiction! I now HATE when I pay full price for an item! (Which is PERFECTLY OKAY, because we do not have to get EVERY deal and EVERY coupon ;) ) So hopefully this compilation of tips and tricks can help you get started and get the best deals you can for you and your family!

Here are a few tips I found when I first started using coupons:

*Don't feel like you have to clip, collect or save EVERY coupon. There are a ton of coupons out there and available and you will find yourself soon buried in a mountain of coupons!

*When you choose a coupon use these guidelines to determine whether you should save it: Does my family use this product, or will we use this product? Can I donate this product or give it to family/friends?

*Do NOT feel you have to use every single coupon you clip right away, the way you will get the most bang for your buck is to hold onto that coupon and use it when a product is on sale, this is when you will get a great deal. 

*Stack Coupons! Most stores allow you to use ONE Manufacturer and ONE store coupon PER item! (The coupons will state "manufacturer" , "Target", "Walmart" etc.) **My FAVORITE way to buy diapers is to STACK  a $3/1 Huggies Manufacturer coupon with a $3/1 Huggies Target Coupon (both of these coupons are normally printables, sometimes mailers) with the $8.99 Jumbo pack of Huggies at Target....making the price $2.99 PER PACKAGE!**

*Always read terms of coupon, size restrictions etc. This will save you a LOT of hassle at checkout if your coupon doesn't go through and you realize that you bought the wrong size, or items as per the coupon :)

*When a coupon states "Only one coupon per purchase" this ONLY means ONE coupon per ONE item you are purchasing, it does NOT mean that you cannot use any other coupons in that transaction OR that you cannot buy TWO of the SAME item and use ONE coupon per each item! THAT IS OKAY! You just cannot have ONE item and try to use TWO manufacturer coupons on that ONE item! EACH item is a SEPARATE purchase :) You are making one big transaction out of all those purchases.

 

*Stockpile! Even better is to wait for that sale and if you have more than one of the same coupon start creating a stockpile of items you use, will use, and will need to buy in the future. You will be less likely to buy that item at full price when you run out if you have a stockpile! If you have 2 coupons for that item great, if you have 8 or 10 even better! Once you are able to grow a nice sized stockpile you will notice that you are only needing to spend money on perishable items each week (ie. milk, fruits, veggies, meat (which can also be purchased on sale and frozen ;)), cheese, bread, etc.) Great things to stockpile are canned goods, cleaning products, toothpaste, paper goods… and pretty much anything with a long expiration date.

*When using a coupon most times its best to buy the smallest product the coupon allows (there is sometimes a size restriction printed on the coupon). ***Example you can get a Jumbo package of Huggies diapers for $8.99 or a Box of diapers for $18.97, if you have a $3/1 Huggies coupon and use it on the $8.99 package you will walk away paying $5.99 for a pkg! with the box of diapers you will pay $15.97 per box.....NOW if you look at the pkg size and compare it to the box, 2 packages have MORE diapers than ONE box and you could still pay LESS for 2 pkgs after coupons than you would for one box after coupons!***

*A LOT of times the smallest size product can end up being FREE or pretty darn close to! AND if you have multiple coupons that will mean multiple items for FREE! Possibly equaling the size of the larger item but you just spent a LOT less!  I always do this with travel/trial size products. As long as the coupon doesn’t exclude travel size, then you can use the coupon. My kids LOVE these smaller items!

*Don't be brand loyal! Its fun to try new products that you may have avoided due to price but getting them for a GREAT price (meaning less than what you would pay for the brands you do use ;) ) is a great time to try something new!

*Buy at least a few Sunday papers or use a different way of obtaining more than one weekly coupon insert. This will be a GREAT way to stat building up your coupon collection AND being able to stock up on an item when its at a GREAT price!

*ALWAYS check the product packaging, boxes inside and out before tossing them! A lot of times there are coupns printed inside the boxes to cut out, or other promotions, rebates etc :)

*Find a way to ORGANIZE those coupons! This is KEY in the success of your couponing adventure, if you don't know how to quickly find a certain coupon odds are most will go unused and expire and then you will have a big pile of unused expired coupons ;) There are several ways to go about organizing your coupons and I suggest you find the best way that works for YOU! I personally use the "no-clip" method. I have 3 ring binder with plastic sleeves inside organized into 4 sections (Red Plum, Smart Source, P & G, Misc). When I receive my coupon inserts I write the DATE of the insert on the front and file them away into the binder, you will notice that when doing your ad matchups next to the coupon it will list the SOURCE of the coupon and the DATE in which to find it (ie. 8/29 RP = August 29 Red Plum insert) so I know to go and pull out that insert and clip THAT coupon! This is a HUGE time saver for me! My 4th category, Misc., allows me to file away coupons I get in the email, or Internet printables :) ALSO when I go to make my shopping lists I pull out a whit envelope, sit down on my computer, write the name of the store on the top of the envelope and as I go through the Ad matchup I make my list ON my envelope with the coupon and source written next to it, then I go to my binder clip the coupons I need and place them IN my envelope and I am ready to shop! Takes me less than 30 minutes! 

*Read through the store's coupon policy and if possible keep it printed and with your coupons each and every time you go, because yes, you will get those checkers that don't understand how coupons work and will give you a hassle leaving a bitter taste for couponing behind! Most stores have these posted on their websites. I will try to compile a list of links to some of the more common stores.

I realize this may be a lot if you are new to using coupons, but I promise it is much easier than it looks! Once you've read through and have a good understanding of some of the key concepts you will be just fine! AND like I stated above, you don't have to get every deal and use every coupon! Even if you are only using 1 or 2 coupons each shopping trip you are STILL saving money and that is a FANTASTIC start!