You want to learn how to start couponing. Great! Soon you will be saving money on groceries, toiletries, and even clothes, toys, and gifts. Start slow and it’s okay to make mistakes. It is a learning experience, and soon you will be a couponing expert.
Here are the basic steps to learn couponing:
1. Start Collecting Coupons
- Coupons are everywhere once you start looking: in newspapers, printable, in stores, loadable to your shopper card, and by mail.
2. Organize Your Coupons
- Organizing your paper coupons lets you find them when it’s time to shop. Get a small $1 organizer at the dollar store, use file folders to store your newspaper inserts, or find coupon systems at Amazon or an office supply store.
3. Pick One Store to Start
- Learn the couponing rules for your favorite store. Later, you can learn couponing rules for other stores. Remember that a few stores don’t take coupons at all.
4. Maximize your Savings
- Use coupons when items are on sale. Coupons + sale = best deal
- Check your store’s weekly ads to learn what is on sale.
- Do an internet search for “coupon matchup” and your favorite store’s name (like “Walmart coupon matchups”) to find bloggers who list weekly sale-and-coupon matchups.
- Use coupons on the smallest size package allowed by the coupon fine print.
- Go to the store with a list, to keep yourself focused on the best deals.
5. Start a Stockpile
- Couponing changes your mindset from “buy what I need today” to “buy what is a good deal today”. Find a place in your home to store the items you buy cheap, and they will be there when you need them.
