Coupon Clipping 101

We all know that coupons are a great way to save money. But do you know the right was to utilize these moneysaving miracles to your best advantage?

Why Use Coupons?

Let’s face it – unless you are independently wealthy or your hubby is bringing in several hundred thousand dollars a year, you are probably living on a budget, especially if you are a stay at home mom. Anytime you can save a couple bucks is usually a welcome one. Some people (myself included) think that coupons are issued just help us save money. This is not at all the case, but rather a bonus bi-product of humongous marketing plan for national brand products. The real reason the Sunday paper, our mailboxes and now our inboxes and web browsers are stuffed with coupons is to get you to try something new. The key is to use coupons to your advantage – so you can both try something new and save a buck or two.

Don’t Make This Common Mistake

One of the biggest “coupon-clipping faux pas” is to buy something you do not really need just because you have a coupon. If you have no use for it, would not otherwise purchase the product and/or  already have a sufficient supply, toss the coupon!

Making the Most of Coupons

Check with your regular grocery store about their coupon redemption policy. For example, Costco Wharehouse does not accept manufacture’s coupons, but only their own in house versions. Find out about special double coupon days, and using coupons in conjunction with their store sale prices. Then when you get the weekly specials insert in the mailbox or newspaper sit down with your coupons and figure out what super deals are available. If you play your cards right you can get items for shear pennies – and I have even ended up “getting paid” for buy an item after all the discounts. Always read the fine print on coupons. They often list very specific items for which the coupon is valid – like only the new sugar-free version, or you have to buy 2 to get the deal. And please do a little math for heaven’s sake. If the price after coupon and sale is not equal to or less than the price of the brand you usually get or generic it is not really worth it.
You may consider signing up for one of the many online free coupon websites – Eversave,  or Smartsource. They often have coupons for hundreds of name brand items at your fingertips. They also usually allow you to set up some criteria to insure that you only get coupons for products you will actually use. A word of caution though, these sites often sell their email lists and suddenly your inbox is jammed with ridiculous amount of junk mail for services and products you have no interest in whatsoever. There are also many blogs out there that focus on letting you know when an awesome coupon is available. You can also go directly to the companies that manufacture the products that you use most. For example Betty Crocker has an email sign up that comes with weekly coupons, as well as Kraft Foods.
Another great way to save when stores have sales is to plan your grocery list based on what is on sale. Take a look at the grocery store sale circular you get in the mail before you plan out your week’s meals.

You also want to keep your coupons well organized. You should sort them by section in teh grocery store. You should also set up a time each month to go through and toss the expired ones as well as get out hte ones that will soon expire. Here is a super cute coupon organizer – just because you are saving a buck doesn’t mean you can’t be chic!