Beginner's tips

For those who are new to the coupon game, here's a few tips:

1. get a Sunday newspaper!! (some libraries will give you the coupons for free). I subscribe when I can get a deal-usually from one of those guys in front of a store.
2. Sign up for online coupon sites. They will email you coupons weekly so all you have to do it click and print!

When I first started the coupon game I was overwhelmed by the amount of coupons in my stash. It was very easy to accumulate a big stash. I tried several different ways of organizing them until I found something that was quick and easy for me to use in stores. It's very important to organize your coupons so you can make the best deal when you shop. I had to change my whole routine around to get the most of it. I used to shop on Monday's and now I shop on Friday's and/or Saturday's. No kids allowed!! That works best for me anyways. That way I can concentrate on prices. I'll elaborate on my organization system in another post. Here's how I start:

Sunday- read ads and clip coupons
Monday-organize them and scout ads
Thursday-make shopping list and review coupons
Friday/Saturday- let the games begin!!

This is what I found to work for me. Some ads come later in the week thru the mail, so I wait til the end of the week to make sure I get the best one. I can do my shopping in basically 2 stores-Kroger and CVS. Occasionally I slip over to Walmart or Target if they have a great deal for the week. Our Walmart will not accept printed coupons anymore and sometimes Target won't either (I think it depends on the cashier). Kroger and CVS will take anything, at least it seems that way. Kroger will load coupons directly to your Kroger card via pgesaver.com and shortcuts.com. Use those with your printed coupons and you can save a bundle.

This can seem complicated at first, but once you do it 1 time, everything falls into place. I think I should teach a class or something! Ha!!