Couponing 101: “Getting Started”

*I found this image at www.lowoxalate.info*

Couponing 101: “Getting Started”

Now that you know the advantages of couponing, your couponing personality, how to read a scenario, and the different types of coupons, it is time to get into the “meat and potatoes” of couponing. Let’s Get Started.

The number one thing I hear from people when they see the deals I post is, “I just don’t know how to get started.” Getting started is a lot easier than it may seem. First you have to get over the mental “hump”. Couponing doesn’t have to be “work” – it can be fun!

In order to get over this “mental hump”, you have to just jump in and get started. This coming Sunday, pick up at least 2 (I picked up 5 for the first few months) of your local newspapers. You might even consider calling your local newspaper company and ask if they offer a discount if you sign up for home delivery for multiples months at a time.

You will find the Sunday coupons located inside of the paper along with the sales ads. Depending on the week, there might be a different number of inserts. There are many different ways of organizing your coupons. I will cover this in depth in a later article. You may choose to go home and “clip” or cut all of the coupons out and put them in a binder or you may choose to staple them all together (without cutting them out) and labeling them with the date and insert from which you got them (for example, 4/25 SS). Whatever you decide will work best for you, you should do.

The biggest mistake I personally made when getting started was printing every coupon I could and putting them in my binder. I quickly learned that this was a costly mistake. So, how do you know which coupons to print? Generally, if I have seen a coupon produce freebies in the past, I will include this information with the post. If a coupon comes up for something that your family already buys on a regular basis, I would also print those coupons. I do not recommend printing every coupon that comes available.

Which coupons do I keep from the Sunday paper? It all depends on your couponing personality. If you want to get into “advanced couponing”, I would recommend keeping every coupon. You never know what coupon will facilitate in getting something else that you actually use for free. If you are a want to be a basic couponer, I would recommend only keeping the coupons for items you actually use.

What’s next? Start couponing. Yes, it really is that simple. I would recommend starting with basic scenarios until you work up your confidence and know-how to enable you to do more advanced scenarios. I would also recommend sticking with the scenarios as they are actually posted for your first 2-3 trips. This will help you figure out the ins and outs of a scenario and how to execute one correctly. Once you feel you have mastered the basic scenario, try more advanced/multi-transaction scenarios.

The longer you shop with coupons (especially if you want to become an advanced couponer), the more you will realize your way of thinking/methods of shopping will start to change. When you walk through the store, pay attention to the prices. Look for blinkie machines, tearpads, peelies, coupon books, and miscellaneous coupons. These are great to add to your collection of coupons — ESPECIALLY if they are store coupons. The more you do this, the more you will get a feel for which coupons are more valuable than others.

Are you starting to think you don’t have the time for this? As a SAHM to two very active children (ages 2 and 4), a home-based business consultant, and an Army wife, I assure you that you do. Actually organizing the coupons is the most time-consuming. I will go over the different methods of coupon organization next week in my next article: Couponing 101: “Getting Organized”.

Share: