Couponing Basics by FabuLESSly Frugal
November 18, 2009 by Alison
Couponing 101
We are more than just a coupon blog
we are helping people live a Fabulous life – on LESS!
we are helping people live a Fabulous life – on LESS!
We are FabuLESSly Frugal!
We are Cathy & Monica – two friends living FABULESSLY FRUGAL! We are so excited to share some couponing basics along with tips on how to get the fun started! There are so many cool things to learn when it comes to couponing. In fact we teach a 2 hour coupon class, which doesn’t even cover all the great stuff we could tell you… (we could go on for hours and hours talking about coupon strategies and ways to save money). So we will try to keep it simple and sweet!
First off, did you know that YOU HAVE CONTROL over how much you spend on Groceries?
Look at all the things we got for FREE using coupons.
Ready to get started??
Here is what you need to do.
#1 – Start Collecting Coupons
Internet Coupons: Coupons you can print at home from your computer.
Our favorite sites for printing coupons are Coupons.com and Red Plum. Here is where you can find more sites to print coupons from. We have a great tutorial for printing coupons.
Newspaper Coupons: These come as inserts in the Sunday Paper. Looks for the names Smart Source, Procter & Gamble, and Red Plum.
Store coupons: Keep your eyes out for coupons in the store.
Catalina- (click for detailed info) basically it’s a printable coupon that is handed to you with your receipt at the store.
Peelies- peel off coupons found on products at stores.
Blinkies-found in the aisle at the store spitting out of the blinking black box.
Tear Pads- Usually displayed next to the product and tear off of a pad. 
#2 – Get Organized
Start Simple: I started with a little $1 store photo book, because I just wanted to test out couponing before I put a lot of effort into an organization system.
Here are a few methods for organizing your coupons once you are ready to step it up.
Filing Method: Get a letter sized accordion file and file your coupon inserts. Don’t clip until you are ready to use them. With this method you do not have to waste anytime clipping coupons you never use. You will have to spend time clipping before you can shop, and you will not know where your coupons are if you unexpectedly find an item on sale. You could also clip your coupons and store them in a small accordion file.
Binder Method: This is Monicas choice. Check out my binder and organization method. I keep my coupons in baseball card holder sheets. You could also use photo album sheets. I keep them organized by category, so I can find them quickly and easily.
Combined Method: This is Cathy’s choice. Don’t clip your inserts. Place them in a sheet protector along with a list of all of the coupons in the insert. You do not have to type that up! Simpy copy and paste the coupon list from our coupon preview to a word doc and print. Then put all of your inserts in a binder.
Clipping Method: We recommend that you get more then one insert each week. In fact we get five! Do not clip each one separately! Stack each matching page together and cut all five inserts at one time!
#3 – Find the Deals
You do not have to do all the work, that is what a coupon blog is for! Come visit us at Fabulessly Frugal and we will show you how and where to find the deals.
TIPS!
Sales, stocking, stacking:
1. Just because you have a coupon does not mean you should go out and use it! Wait until a good sale! Combining sales and coupons = HUGE SAVINGS!
2. When you see an item on a good sale, buy more. We encourage building a stockpile so that when you need cake mix (for example) you will find it in your pantry (and you bought it for .25 or less), rather than needing to go to the store and pay full price for it!
3. You can use a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon on the same item! We call this stacking coupons! Check out our Walgreens Tutorial for examples on doing this!
Shop from your stockpile: So now you will get multiple newspapers, stock-up when you find a good sale! When you menu plan, (or if you are like me – you are more of a last minute planner), you will look no further than your pantry for the items that you need!
Couponing takes time to incorporate into your daily life. We too are busy women – but we’ve done it and our family is blessed because of it! We welcome you to come take a look at what we’re up to over at Fabulessly Frugal. Got questions?? Feel free to ask us – we LOVE helping our fab readers!
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If a coupon says limit 5 does that mean you can get 5 using the same coupon?