I have always been a couponer. Maybe you have been too. Or maybe your curiosity has been recently piqued by the couponing show on cable tv. Maybe you are just interested in saving a few dollars at the grocery store or maybe you're like me and never want to pay full price for anything...ever.
Wherever you are in your couponing journey, I'd like come along side you and offer you a few of the hints and tricks I've picked up over the past twenty plus years. Alot of them will be things you already know. You may even know more than I do. But maybe some of them will give you that little boost you need to get going, get going again or get going stronger than ever before.
So let's start at the beginning...How do I start?
Q.) Do you know how to eat an elephant?
A.) One bite at a time.
It's kind of the same with couponing. Starting seems so hard that some people just decide not to try. But starting is simple really. The Sunday paper is the first place to go. Don't clip according to this week's shopping list. Clip with an open mind. If it's something you might use if the price were right, clip it. The successful couponer has to be willing to wait on the deal to come to her sometimes. And if you end up never using a particular coupon you've clipped, what are you out except the six seconds it cost you to clip it?
Set aside a time to clip your coupons every week. This is a fifteen to thirty minute task that will save you stress later. If your coupons aren't clipped when you're ready to go to the store, you won't take them with you. And if you let your coupons pile up for a few weeks, you'll be overwhelmed by the size of the job and give up.
After you've clipped your coupons from the paper, having a place to organize and store them is vital because if you can't find the coupon you want when you need it, you'll feel frustrated and irritated and once again, you'll give up. Whether you want to use a simple envelope in the beginning or a plastic coupon organizer or dive right in with a binder (I'll share how to set up a binder later), you need someplace and some method to keep track of what coupons you have. Just pick something and start. You can tweak or change the way you store and transport your coupons later, if needed.
Once you have your coupons clipped and organized, you're ready to shop. At first, you may only have one or two coupons you can use on any given shopping trip. That's great!! 50¢ in your pocket is still better than that same 50¢ being in the register at some store. With time, you'll learn how to grow your coupon stash and, in turn, increase your savings.
So what are you waiting for? Grab those scissors and start clippin'!!
