Let me start off by saying that I, myself, am totally a beginning coupon-er :)
I LOVE that everyone enjoys seeing the deals that I get and asks me for tips. I hope that along the way, I can get better and we can all help each other be savvy, saving shoppers!
Where do I get my coupons?
There are a TON of ways to get coupons. I subscribe to the Sunday-only Washington Post. Truthfully, I receive my subscription for free (currently) because I had left over flying flyer miles from when I worked at UVA and had to fly a lot.
Aside from the Washington Post, there are ways to get them online. I'm partial to coupons.com because I access their site through Swagbucks. By printing my coupons.com from the Swagbucks website, I get 10 Swagbucks for every coupon I redeem. This has helped me get (so far) $85 FREE dollars worth of Amazon.com giftcards. If you are interested in signing up for Swagbucks, click HERE and you can sign up! If you have questions about Swagbucks, let me know!
Links to print coupons:
Coupons.com (without signing up for Swagbucks)
Smart Source
Mambo Sprouts (organic and green living ones!)
How do I get the best deals possible?
My suggestions for getting the best deals possible are really easy but can take a little bit more time. I like to check the weekly advertisements to see what is on sale, then match my coupons to the sale items.
Stores like Target and Rite Aid have their own coupons. For Target, it is as simple as going to THIS website and printing them but for Rite Aid, you do have to watch their videos HERE - but it is worth it because for both Target and Rite Aid, you can use one of their store coupons PLUS a manufacturer's coupon (also called 'stacking').
Yes, it does take some time, but I do NOT spend that much time with my couponing. A little planning can go along way! A few ways to save big: take a few minutes to check the sales paper to see what is one sale, plan your menu for the week - perhaps plan around what's on sale, see what coupons you have to go along with your sale items. That's it! You're bound to save money with just a few easy steps.
How do I organize my coupons?
I'm not gonna lie, I have a binder. I love my binder. It is just a regular, three-prong binder. I picked up the little plastic holders that hold baseball cards and use those to display my coupons. I use one pocket per coupon so that it is easy to see which coupons I have. They aren't organized alphabetically, but because I can see the coupon through the plastic, it is easy to see which items I have coupons for when I'm at the store.
I also have a smaller, accordion-type folder that is often called a 'coupon organizer' or even a check organizer. I do use that sometimes when I have coupons that are stackable so that I appear organized when I go to the store.
How do I hear about deals, super double coupon days, etc?
Social media is a beautiful thing. I follow all sorts of grocery stores (Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Bloom, Giant) through a variety of means: Twitter, Facebook and email listservs. I have a 'junk' email address that I use for shopping and list sign up so my 'real' email address isn't cluttered with sales and deals. Even if you don't get their emails or their hard-copy flyers, you can go to the grocery store websites and view their weekly ads. Also, you can create a shopping list so you'll know exactly what you are looking for when you go to the store!
Bonus information: Harris Teeter is having Super Double Coupon days starting tomorrow, Wed. April 27th through Tues. May 3rd! (The folks I follow on social media post this type of information every day! It's great!)
How do I get things for free?
I absolutely love getting things for free. A lot of companies use Facebook to advertise free items. Also, I follow a lot money saving blogs. I learned about these blogs from my little sister in my sorority - who also has her own savings blog now! From the blogs to other social media outlets, I've heard about many giveaways and it is always fun coming home to freebies in my mailbox!
A great site for free items is All You. You can sign up for their daily email and they will direct you to various to sites to sign up for the free item of the day, or give you instructions on how to receive the free thing.
Some of my favorite deal blogs (who you can also follow on Twitter and Facebook for some) include:
Money Saving Mom
Deal Seeking Mom
Smart Couponing
Living Rich with Coupons
A Happy Saver
A final suggestion for blogs/deal sites is to look up some in your area. For example, if I want deals specific for the Northern Virginia area, there are two blogs I go to:
Capitally Frugal
Coupon Cravings
Any final tips or suggestions?
Couponing can be fun and it can save you money but I advise you to proceed with caution. Yes, it might be awesome to get a lot of things for free or for pennies but unless you have the space and want to be prepared for the next 150 years, it's NOT necessary to be an extremely extreme couponer. Also, it is important to make sure you are using coupons for items you need or would be purchasing without the coupon. If you buy something just because you have a coupon and you don't use the item, you have lost money.
Also, from a nutritional stand point, make sure those foods you buy with coupons aren't overly processed; it can be so easy to get sucked into purchasing foods that aren't high quality because you have a coupon.
As I get better in my couponing, I'll post follow-up posts but for now: What do you think? How can we help each other become savvy, smart shoppers? Feel free to post suggestions below!
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