Coupons Made Simple
Check out my newest post on coupons and saving your family money here!
Most people think of cutting coupons from the weekly paper as time consuming and a waste of time. But let me assure you, I have saved hundreds of dollars already and I have only been doing it full fledged for about 5 months. Many people also think your buying products that you don't need because you have a coupon. That is untrue. There may be times when I buy something that I wouldn't have, but it's because I am paying very little for it and I would like to try it.
Here are some of my favorite tips that I have found in using coupons.
*Towards the end/beginning of the month, I buy a couple of Sunday newspapers, because there are Proctor and Gamble Ads that come out with great coupons.
*When I find a coupon that I know will get me a great deal, I print out extra or buy extra newspapers.
*I don't cut out every single coupon from the Sunday papers. I do however go through the pamphlet and cut out the ones I know I will use. But, I save all of my pamphlets in file folders labeled in moths. I also label my Smart Source (SS) and my Red Plum (RP) with the date they arrived.
*Labeling helps me find the pamphlets easily when I find a deal online. For example, many coupon blogs will tell you that there is a sale on toothpaste at Target, then there is a manufacturer's coupon in the 10/3/10 SS along with a coupon on Target's website.
*There are times when you can use more than two coupons. A good example is with diapers. I will buy a box of diapers and a box of wipes, when they are on sale or when you can get a gift card back (Target). I will use a set of coupons like those in the photos below.
The Target coupon states that if you buy both wipes and diapers you can get money off. Then I have two coupons, one for wipes and one for diapers that gets me more money off!
*For the coupons that I cut or print out, if I am not using them immediately, I save them in a binder that I have sectioned off using the categories of baby/child, toiletries, cleaning, medication, food, household, and miscellaneous. Then within those categories, I file them down even further. For example, in food, I have sections for dairy, frozen, produce, bread, cereal, etc.
*I always like to stock up on things that I am able to find a good deal on. For example, I used two sets of a manufacturer's coupon and Target coupon. I was able to get four jars of Skippy Peanut Butter for $0.27 each.
*I also like to look for coupons where you can get the sample size for free or $.25 or less. Many manufacture coupons you can find for $1.00 off any size. (some coupons will say excludes trial size) Here are some examples of coupons that you can use on sample/travel/trial sizes.
Here are some of my favorite tips that I have found in using coupons.
*Towards the end/beginning of the month, I buy a couple of Sunday newspapers, because there are Proctor and Gamble Ads that come out with great coupons.
*When I find a coupon that I know will get me a great deal, I print out extra or buy extra newspapers.
*I don't cut out every single coupon from the Sunday papers. I do however go through the pamphlet and cut out the ones I know I will use. But, I save all of my pamphlets in file folders labeled in moths. I also label my Smart Source (SS) and my Red Plum (RP) with the date they arrived.
*Labeling helps me find the pamphlets easily when I find a deal online. For example, many coupon blogs will tell you that there is a sale on toothpaste at Target, then there is a manufacturer's coupon in the 10/3/10 SS along with a coupon on Target's website.
*There are times when you can use more than two coupons. A good example is with diapers. I will buy a box of diapers and a box of wipes, when they are on sale or when you can get a gift card back (Target). I will use a set of coupons like those in the photos below.
The Target coupon states that if you buy both wipes and diapers you can get money off. Then I have two coupons, one for wipes and one for diapers that gets me more money off!
*For the coupons that I cut or print out, if I am not using them immediately, I save them in a binder that I have sectioned off using the categories of baby/child, toiletries, cleaning, medication, food, household, and miscellaneous. Then within those categories, I file them down even further. For example, in food, I have sections for dairy, frozen, produce, bread, cereal, etc.
*I always like to stock up on things that I am able to find a good deal on. For example, I used two sets of a manufacturer's coupon and Target coupon. I was able to get four jars of Skippy Peanut Butter for $0.27 each.
*I also like to look for coupons where you can get the sample size for free or $.25 or less. Many manufacture coupons you can find for $1.00 off any size. (some coupons will say excludes trial size) Here are some examples of coupons that you can use on sample/travel/trial sizes.
**Note that the arrows point to specific wording stating that you can use it on any one item.**
*Always check the Parade insert, many times it will have a great coupon.
*I also check store websites/manufacturer's websites for coupons.
*Other websites that I use to find deals/savings include:
*Also, make sure to have store coupon policies with you in your binder. Even though I use Target coupons with manufacturer's coupons all of the time at Target, the women at the check out tried to challenge me on it. I showed her the store policy and she had to abide by it.
Here are a list of store coupon policies:
I will add tips that I come across from time to time, but let me know if you have any other useful tips by commenting below. I'd love to hear how much money you save or how you use your coupons.
Enjoy!