Trying to navigate the world of couponing is giving me a headache....I mean I try and use a coupon when I notice them and will buy things on sale but I had literally no clue how people could not be lying when they say they buy $2000 worth of shopping for like $10 or less.....Really??????
So I have made it my mission to try and figure out the whole couponing thing and have scoured websites and talked to people who do it and signed up for a bunch of stuff (hope my spam filter doesn't mind the extra workload) and here is my simplified step by step guide for anyone else trying to figure it out....
1. Expectations......this is actually a process of gathering a stockpile which will eventually mean you really only have to be buying your perishables on a regular basis and can wait for the lowest possible price for everything else....but it takes a bit of time and effort before you get to this point.....
2. Figure out sources of coupons......sunday paper inserts, in store coupons, online coupons etc
shortcuts, cellfire, zavers and P&Gesavers load right onto your card
smartsource, redplum, coupons, boodle, couponbug, valpak, PGeveryday print from your computer (only 2 per computer and do not copy them!!)
Most brands have coupons right on their websites too
3. Figure out how you're going to organize your coupons......files, bins, binders etc...personal preference on this one....there are tons of opinions....I say try one and see how it works out for you...
4. Focus on 2 or 3 stores to begin with - seriously makes it more manageable......Fry's is a great one. Accepts competitors coupons, will double and sometimes triple manufacturers coupons....Safeway does great promotions too and often will double coupons (but not always - you have to check).....Walmart will match any competitors price and deal too.....and then if you can venture into the drug store thing, CVS is not a bad one to start with....the Extra care points work pretty good.
5. Look around the coupon matching/database websites....there are free ones (but you need to find one in your area - some deals are location specific) or you can pay for ones like couponsense....they do save you time in searching through ads for the deals but may or may not be worth the money to you.
6. Start matching the deals of the week with the coupons you have - 50% sale price is ok. Aim for 65-75% after coupon to be a great deal....obviously sometimes you'll get for far less and even Free but especially when you're first starting it's not very practical to expect 90% savings on everything.....
7. Consider making a separate "stockpile" shopping trip...make a list according to the killer deals only rather than the things you actually need to survive the week/month....it helps to be focused and is encouraging to see the savings you are making...
8. Make sure you have a system to organize and rotate your stockpile so things don't go to waste!!
Yeah so now I feel like a little bit of a coupon nerd but I figure if other people are paying pennies for hundreds of dollars worth of shopping what kind of crazy is it to be paying the hundreds of dollars???
The adventure begins....
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