So you know you want to save, but you are just not sure where to begin. Well, let's get you started on the road to Couponing! Once you get on track and see how much money can be in your own pocket and not in the stores, you will be hooked and wonder why you weren't doing this before! So, how do you do it?
GETTING STARTED
COUPONS!! You are definitely going to need those! Start by picking up your local Sunday paper. It is the easiest place to find coupons. Don't go crazy now! Start slow, and take baby steps. You don't want to go buying a dozen papers and a big coupon box and spend hours upon hours clipping coupons when you have never used coupons in your life! You will wind up overwhelming yourself and most likely end up frustrated and burnt out ~ and all before you save a penny on any of your groceries.
Start yourself out with a few of the Sunday newspaper coupon inserts and a small coupon organizer (later I will get you set up with different organizing systems). Read the sale flyers as well. Start to familiarize yourself with your local stores and their weekly deals ( you can always check out the larger stores circulars online as well, such as Target). Pick a few of the best deals that you find and that you have coupons for and start with those.
After doing this a few times, take it a step farther. Begin to look for more coupon resources (we will talk about those soon too) and start to expand on your collection. Eventually you will be so stocked up that you will be buying way ahead and saving tons!
You may not want to dive right in and in time you will develop a system that will work for you and YOUR budget. The whole idea is to get what YOUR family needs. You may see great deals but they don't really apply to your budget and needs. It's okay to pass them by. In the end you will be happy that you did.
THE NEXT STEP:
STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT
As much as you will try to plan for your purchases for the week and probably the forthcoming week, you have to know that there will never be enough active sales that match up to all your coupons. In time you will learn the sale cycles that usually match up sale items most of the time, but not all. But once you get into the pattern, you can strike when it's hot and get the great deals. When you can, on really great deals, buy in multiples or use coupons for the BOGO's and you will save even more than you anticipated and will be able to stock up on your favorite items.
SALE CYCLES:
Summer ~ BBQ sauces, hot dogs, hamburgers, paper products, vegetables, side dishes, ice creams & popsicles, salad dressings, sodas, drinks, condiments, chips, salads, and fruits.
Fall ~ School supplies, holiday baking items, hams & turkeys, baking goods, cake mixes, canned soups and meats for stews, stuffing mixes, hot chocolate, and vegetables.
Winter ~ Oatmeals, chili's, soups, holiday candy, baking products, tissues, cold medications, vegetables (you will notice this is a staple year round).
Spring ~ cleaning products,hams, eggs, more baking products, candy, paper plates and cups (picnic products), seasonal medications (allergies), and juices.
You are the one who knows about how much of an item your family will consume in a certain period of time. Shop for particular items during the best sales, use coupons and buy multiples and you will have your items on hand for a fraction of the cost for future use. Stockpile and save money. Combine seasonal sales with coupons and get 6-10 bottles of ketchup in the Summer and keep it in your pantry to use the rest of the year. Above all else, always stick to your list if you want to save!
Best part of it all when you stockpile: You don’t have to take the time to go to the store to get it when you need it (especially on those rainy or snowy days). This really helps removing the chance of impulse buying and saves you on additional gas expenses with going back and forth to the stores.
A Stockpile takes time to build.. Set aside some extra dollars each week to that you can use towards your stockpile. If you combine the coupons with the sales it will not take many dollars at all to build up what you will have on hand. Be sure to watch your Stockpile and continue to rebuild as you use it.
