Coupon Basics

Let's start with coupons. These are essential if you want to save money on your shopping trips. But how do you get them? First and foremost, you must invest in the Sunday edition of your local newspaper. If you use the coupons correctly, the cost of the paper will be more than made up by the money you will save. There are three circulars to save, though they may not come out every week. Smart Source, and Red Plum are weekly circulars and will sometimes even have more than one a week. The P&G (Proctor and Gamble) circular is also a keeper. Depending on where you live, there will be store specific circulars that can come in handy every now and then, especially if you really enjoy shopping at that store.

Now that you know what to look for, here is how to make the most of these circulars. First, save the entire circular! DO NOT simply cut out the coupons you think you are most likely to use. There are websites (this will be one of them) that will tell you exactly which coupons to use when for the best value. The ultimate goal is to be able to combine these coupons with a sale for the item, so just date each circular and store it away in an organized fashion. Do what works best for you. I put mine in a three ring binder, divided by type of circular and then in chronological order. Be on the lookout for coupons everywhere you go, and don't be afraid to ask friends and family for their circulars if you know they don't use them. That way you can buy more of an item when it goes on sale to stock up, thus saving money in the long run.

Besides using the coupons from your local paper, there are plenty of websites where you can print off coupons for free! You will find a list of these sites under my "favorite websites". Coupons.com updates it's coupons every month (today is May 1st, that means check it out today!), and will allow you to print each coupon twice. Beware though, some coupons will disappear after a certain number have been printed, so act quickly for the full list of coupons.

Smart Source, Red Plum, and P&G allow you print selected coupons from their circulars online. P&G actually lets you download coupons onto your grocery store card. When you purchase the item, the coupons is automatically applied to your bill by simply scanning your card. It's super easy and convenient. Other sites do this as well. Cellfire and Shortcuts are great for this. Remember, you can print multiples of these coupons to go with the ones from the circulars for some great deals!

Finally, Coupon Mom is a site that will tell you if there is a coupons available for an item you need, and what items are on sale that correspond with certain coupons. This is helpful if you need a specific item, but I shop what's on sale, so I simply refer to those lists, which I will provide for you here. If you live in Columbus, Ohio these lists will be helpful to you, otherwise I cannot guarantee the deals for your area. If you choose to sign up for Coupon Mom (and I think it's worth it), make sure to read their ebook! Otherwise it can be pretty confusing.

So this information will get your started on your coupon savings! More info. to come.