How to Start Couponing, The Right Way

I have found that whenever I tell people that I am an extreme couponer, people get so excited to meet a real live one in person that they start jumping up and down and asking for my autograph. The next thing that people say is that they have always wanted to know how to get their groceries for free, and how to amass a stockpile like they have seen on TV. Anyone can do this, including you, if you simply follow a few basic steps.

1. Decide that you want to start saving money on your groceries.
You will be shopping differently than you have probably ever shopped before, basing your shopping on what is on sale, not based on what you will be using. For example, before I started couponing, I would write my shopping list for deodorant (because I ran out two days ago and have been so busy that I have not had time to pick any up), chicken (for the BBQ tonight), and dish detergent (because the sink cannot hold anymore dishes, and you have resorted to using empty ice cream cartons to have your cereal in the morning). I would then do the smart thing, and either check the store ads for a sale (and pay about 80% retail on everything), or I would just go to Walmart or Target, and get everything there (and pay about 80% retail on everything). Rinse and repeat. By shopping like this, I was prone to impulse buys, always running to the store to get the handful of ingredients that I needed, and paying way to much money every day. When I decided to start saving money on my groceries, it meant that I needed to see what was on sale, before writing my list. For example, since ground beef is on sale, we are bringing hamburgers to the BBQ, and we are making chili (yum!). If deodorant is on sale (the price that I am willing to pay for deodorant is tax only, but more on that later), then I will buy enough to last me 3-6 months, depending on the price, so that I will have deodorant to last through the times that it is not on sale. This is the best method for developing a stockpile.

Our laundry stockpile

2. Get coupons!

Coupons are absolutely everywhere, when you start to look for them. There are little machines in stores that dispense the coupons, coupons are attached to products themselves, coupons can be printed from online, and the biggest source of coupons is the Sunday newspaper. You will need a subscription to the Sunday newspaper. All newspapers offer a Sunday only delivery option, and I would recommend getting one for .75 or less. Also, make sure to get the largest newspaper company in the area, as that one will have the most coupons, and all of the weekly inserts. I get the LA Times. I would recommend buying one from a store or a machine first to make sure that this newspaper gets all of the coupons that you are looking for, before signing up for a subscription. You will need to save the coupons until you are ready to use them, which is usually a couple of weeks, and there are many methods to use to keep them organized (most commonly filing, binder clipped, and binder nonclipped). I would recommend that you start with two newspapers, and if you find that your family goes through the products quickly, I would order a newspaper for the total number of people in your family (i.e. family of four gets four newspapers). I personally get 10-20 copies of the paper every week, but that is between my own papers, and friends/family/coworkers save their coupons for me as well.

What getting "too many" coupon inserts looks like

3. Sales run in cycles.
Do not worry about missing a sale, because the same deals WILL come around again. Do not feel pressured to get every deal so that you do not miss something. That being said, you should also make sure not to buy a product just because a coupon is expiring, even though it is not at a good price point (good purchase price) for your family. The best way to be successful with couponing is to wait for the "perfect storm", which will usually include a sale price, matched with a manufacturer's coupon, matched with a store coupon (yes, most stores will let you use these together!). Over time, you will learn what to buy when, and at what price. By building a stockpile over time, you will have enough products to last you until another perfect storm deal occurs on an item, so that you will be able to pay the lowest possible price, and cut your budget down by hundreds of dollars a month. Realistically, most people will be able to save 70% on all of their household purchases, but the extent of your savings is up to you!

Summertime is the perfect time to stock-up on all of the sausage for our family for the year. With all of the items in this photo, the store ended up paying me $12.41 to purchase all of these groceries!

Once you decide to start saving money, the rest is simply a learning process, and takes patience. I can help you learn how to make the most of your time and money, and how to avoid many of the pitfalls that I hit when I began couponing. In the next several couponing posts, I will also show you how to save hundreds of dollars every month, and how to have more than enough so that you can help people around you. What could your family do with an extra $400 in their pockets every month? How long do you want to wait to get started?