So You Think You Can Coupon- Getting Started

I love couponing. I really, really do. I love hunting down coupons, clipping them, organizing them, poring over ads and websites and planning out shopping trips. I love sharing coupons, talking to other couponers and helping people get started. I get a rush as the register spews out a receipt a mile long detailing all my savings. It is a hobby. For me, this is the secret to getting the best results when you coupon. If you have no interest in it, if after a few minutes of coupon clipping you are over it, or you hate to shop, couponing is not going to work for you. That is the best tip I can give someone. Now the rest of this will be geared towards those who have either been bitten by the couponing bug, or hope to be.

Having a sense of organization goes a long way in mitigating the intimidation some people have with couponing. So here are the steps I use to get started.

1. Find coupons. You need coupons to coupon, right? So get hunting. There are the coupon inserts in the weekend paper, coupons online, in junk mail, in magazines, in store circulars, etc. Other places to look- on products you already buy (these are called peelies), on store shelves (often called blinkies), on store receipts and from product websites. Most products have their own websites, go to the site, drop them a line about how you like their product. Sometimes they will send coupons as a thank you. You can also purchase coupons from coupon clipping sites or off of eBay. Since access to a variety of coupons is pretty limited here in Elko, I find that buying a couple sets of coupons off of eBay (I try not to spend more than $1.50 per 100 coupons) works well. I remove the ones I can use combine the balance and resell them or use them for swapping. Some people like to do coupon trains (a group of people get together and pass coupons amongst themselves), but I haven't had much luck with doing this. Something I have not used yet is internet coupons loaded straight onto a particular grocery store's shopping card. If you are going to use this you might want to keep a notebook where you can track what has been loaded onto the card, the coupon's value and expiration date.

2. Clip and Sort. Once you have a good stash of coupons start clipping and sorting. It helps to have a coupon organizer, but you don't need one. I use a little coupon accordian folder that I found at the dollar store that fits well in my purse. Some people use binders, but I am not willing to spend the money to start one. Decide how you want your coupons organized. I use catagories (beauty and health, meat, baking, dairy, etc) but some people like to organize by their favorite store's layout. Make sure you clip carefully. For a coupon to be valid it needs to have an expiration date and barcode. If you snip them off, the coupon might not be accepted.

3. Do your homework. Most stores have coupon policies, especially when it comes to coupons printed off the internet. Wal-Mart for example, will only allow two internet produced coupons per checkout and 80 regular type coupons. Most stores have their coupon policies online. It doesn't hurt to print out your store's policy and tuck it in with your coupons. This will save you from having to argue with uninformed sales clerks.

Useful websites to get you started-

http://www.afullcup.com/
http://www.hip2save.com/
http://www.retailmenot.com/

Coupon websites

http://www.pg.com/- Proctor and Gamble
http://www.redplum.com/- Red Plum coupons

Some of my favorite stores

http://www.cvs.com/
http://www.iheartcvs.com/
http://www.smiths.com/


Coming soon- planning your shopping trip... any questions or comments are appreciated, feel free to contribute your favorite websites or company mailers