So you want to start couponing but don't know where to start? Or maybe you have doubts?
Where do I get coupons?
From the newspaper, from the internet, from coupon booklets/tear pads in the store, from magazines, from clipping services. Most high value coupons will be found in the newspaper -in either Red Plum, Smart Source, or PG Brand Saver. For those of you at OLHC, the next time you're there look at the table full of booklets and flyers. I got my newspaper subscription from a flyer there; it was a deal with the OC Register and our school, PPA. Pay $1 and get a year's worth of the Sunday paper. You can't find a better deal than that anywhere especially considering that YOU CANT EVEN BUY A SUNDAY PAPER FOR $1. Not to mention, the school gets a donation for every subscription fulfilled.
The second most common way of getting coupons is through the internet. Most coupon websites allow two printings of a single coupon (each one with a different ID number) per IP address. This means that people with more than one computer at home can print more than 2 coupons per deal. Always make sure to print coupons in color because many of them will have a little colored dot that needs to be in color in order for it to be considered valid. Another tip: make sure to use all of the paper. Most coupons will take up maybe 1/4th of the space on the page. We're trying to save money here, remember? So don't be afraid to feed that half sheet of paper back through the printer in order to get the most bang for your sheet of paper!
If all else fails, you can get coupons in the mail, in booklets in the store, or in samples that you receive.
How do I find good deals without spending hours looking?
The internet! I would recommend checking a couple websites daily. My top three couponing websites are the following: thekrazycouponlady.com, hip2save.com, and freestufffinder.com.
These are three websites that I feel show a relatively accurate view of the couponing scene. They are updated daily with the best deals of the week so you can go through and pick which ones best pertain to you and your lifestyle. When you click on a particular deal, it shows you the coupons necessary for the deal and where to find them (either a link or a reference to a newspaper insert)- no need for searching through all your coupon inserts! Not sure how a particular deal is working out? All of the aforementioned sites have forums with plenty of feedback from other users so you can see what others have experienced before ever stepping foot in the store.
Why bother using coupons? Most of the ones I see don't even look like they're worth the effort.
Every little bit counts. That's why you stack coupons and get products for cheap/free, silly! You might only have a $1 off manufacturer's coupon that you just printed off of couponnetwork.com. But when you stack that coupon with a $2 off store coupon along with that 30% off CVS store coupon you just received in your email, you're looking at substantial savings.
For those of you who have contacts, you know how expensive contact solution can be. I am lazy and run out of that stuff so fast that I only buy the two packs. The price for a two pk of Opti-free Replenish costs about $20 (pretty average for a two pk of solution) but that week, it was on sale for 14.68. I combined the sale price with a 5 ECB I had and ended up paying less than half price on something I used every day without even using a coupon, just store rewards!
I don't need 24 bottles of ketchup -those crazy couponers! Who needs 24 bottles of ketchup?
I will agree with you on this one haha. Not everyone is stockpiling to feed a family of eight or just eats hamburgers every day and is in desperate need of condiments. That is just on the TV shows. And this goes back to THE GOLDEN RULE OF COUPONING: never buy what you don't need or can't use. Spending 79 cents on some great deal that will be useless to you, is a waste of 79 cents no matter which way you look at it. Spend wisely and you'll have more money to spend on things you really want.
I just missed a great deal on some 99 cent deodorant! What a bummer. It's the end of the world./ I just got a great deal on some 99 cent deodorant and bought out the entire store!
These are both incorrect ways of thinking; neither is better than the other. Stores cycle through their various weekly sales. You can expect to see that same kind of product on sale for about that same price approximately 3 months from now with the exception of seasonal sales. So don't sweat it! (Literally, haha) Just wait around until next time to take advantage of those deals. And directed towards the second comment, don't ever impulsively overbuy because something looks like a good deal. When you first start couponing, every deal sounds like the best thing on earth; you'll learn what a stick of deodorant should cost, not through the eyes of a general consumer but through the eyes of a couponer. Also, it's considered bad etiquette to partake in "shelf-clearing." If you just happened to grab that last one, that's okay; however, taking all 42 sticks of deodorant while leaving none for other shoppers is a discourtesy to your fellow shoppers and people like that give couponers a bad name.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out?
My best advice would be to treat this as a learning experience. You will make mistakes along the way. Maybe your coupon will beep at the register and doesn't go through. Or maybe you didn't read the fine print and bought one item too many. Or maybe you'll get confused with how to use store rewards and let them expire. You just have to take it as part of the price of learning how to save money this way. Smile and enjoy yourself a little bit. Couponing is supposed to help improve your quality of life -not hurt it.
To end, I just wanted to leave you with what inspired me to start couponing. I was at my job one day when a lady came up to the front desk. She'd been sitting at her table looking through newspaper inserts and cutting coupons for the last couple hours. She smiled at us and asked if we wanted some stuff. We thanked her and accepted the plastic bag, only to find that it was filled with all these brand new products- coffee, toothpaste, cough drops. I'd never seen anyone just give stuff away like that before to total strangers for no apparent reason. I wanted to be secure like that -to be able to feel secure enough in myself to give unselfishly. And so here I am blogging about my efforts over a year later! :)
Now here is a goat sticker to brighten up your day.
