Couponing Basics

I started "couponing" after I left my part time job last June . I had heard about extreme couponing and was a little curious about it all.  I found a some information on the Internet that got me started.  Here are my beginners' tips below.

1.  Buy a Sunday newspaper and/or beg your family or friends for their coupon inserts from their Sunday papers.  Sunday newspapers range from $3 to $5 here in Texas!  Some extreme couponers recommend subscribing to just the Sunday paper as it is less expensive than paying newsstand prices.  Many coupons have a limit of four-like coupons at one time, so the more coupon inserts you can get your hands, on the better!  The Sunday paper also contains sale ads that you can use to match up your coupons with sale items, called coupon stacking.  My favorite places to coupon stack are CVS and Walgreens.

2.  Clip coupons from the Internet through sites like coupons.com in addition to the Sunday paper.

3.  Only clip coupons that you know you will probably use!  If you clipped every coupon out there, then you will waste a lot of time, energy, printer ink, and paper.  I threw away tons of coupons that I never used before they expired when I was just beginning my couponing!

4.  Organize your coupons.  There are many ways to do this.  Some couponers use a binder or accordion folder.  I have mine organized in plastic zip top bags by category (dry goods, baby stuff, personal care, etc.).  The plastic bags work for me, because I can just grab a bag and go if I'm on a time crunch.

5.  Use your coupons when the items are on sale for MAXIMUM savings.