The Super-Duper Couponing 'Secret'

We see it all over the TV - people waltzing into their local grocery store and, in an adrenaline filled frenzy, they fill their carts with multitudes of canned goods, boxed dinners and shiny packages and - best of all - they pay little to nothing for it all. It seems like a dream scenerio or , more likely, a scripted TV show on The Learning Channel.

While it is completely possible to cut your shopping bill by half or better using coupons and other frugal living techniques, it is very unlikely that you will (or should) have your own grocery store in your spare room for pennies on the dollar.

The secret to couponing is pairing store sales with available manufacturer’s coupons. Each Sunday, you can study your favorite stores circulars and, using an online coupon database, pair the sales with available coupons. Instead of spending hours looking through circulars, however, I let other people do the leg work for me! There are a million websites out there that list all of the great deals (sorted by store), tell you exactly what coupons to use, and even have searchable databases that list every available coupon (expired and not expired)!

Hop on to Google and start searching! A good keyword search to start with is “coupon database + your zip code” or “couponing + your zip code”. There are so many choices available, have fun exploring before choosing your favorite. An example of a great couponing site is: www.pocketyourdollars.com. It has a searchable coupon database, a searchable online coupon database, and store specific shopping lists (soooo useful). Try to find one that is similar! Another resource that I just stumbled upon is "The Frugal Map" - What an awesome idea!

I get 2 Sunday papers delivered to my house (I got crazy deals on the subscriptions) and I also have friends and family that give me their inserts. If I know that there are going to be a lot of inserts, or specific coupons that I love, I will go to the gas station and buy more papers or use a clipping service (More on clipping services later).

To Clip or Not to Clip

 I save a ton of time and effort by not clipping each and every coupon, like I know many couponers do. I see these women with binders that are litterally,  5 + inches think and must weigh 10 pounds. Instead, I have a storage tub that is designed to hold file folders. Each month has its own folder and every Sunday, I write that days date on the front of each (whole) coupon insert. I then file them in sequential order - this helps when using couponing websites, as they tell you which coupons to clip by the date that they were issued.

Every Sunday I go to my favorite website, search each store, and copy and paste the items I want to buy into my computers Notepad (each store has its own saved Notepad document). Next, I simply clip only the coupons I need, and finally, I put all of the coupons and an individualized list into a separate envelop for each store.

 *I do also have a coupon binder for coupons that I clip but don't end up using or for stray coupons.

Databases  and Forums (Let’s you know what deals are coming, also great places to ask questions): 

www.pocketyourdollars.com

www.frugalgirls.com

www.afullcup.com/

www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/coupon.php

www.becentsable.net/

www.bargainbriana.com/

www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/store-deals/ (Find specific stores forums)

Tune in next Tuesday when we will talk about: Printable coupons, Clipping services, and Stockpiling!