Coupons- They come in the Newspaper.

They also are available online, in magazines, and in the mail... but I get most of mine in the Sunday Newspaper.

In the past, I never subscribed to the newspaper, because I never had time to read it. When we did get a copy, it would usually quickly find it's way to the recycling bin to keep the grocery circulars company.

That all changed, however, when I discovered hidden money in the Sunday newspaper- usually right behind the Funnies... the only part I ever actually read.

For real... coupons are money.

When I first became aware of coupons, I would rip one out IF it was a product and brand I needed that particular week. For example... "Sweet! Rob has been saying we need OJ- it's my lucky day. Here's a $1/2 Tropicana coupon." If I could remember that the coupon was in my wallet (or pocket, or car), I would dutifully buy 2 Tropicana OJs at full price, proudly present my coupon, and head home feeling like a winner.

I had it all wrong.

Coupons are a major tool for saving money. The key is to accumulate as many of them as possible, and have them easily available.

When going through the Sunday paper, cut out (use scissors- the tearing technique just doesn't hold up) every coupon that might, maybe, possibly, someday be useful... even if it's not your regular brand, you don't need it that week, or the value of the coupon seems low. Just cut them out.

There are also a bunch of great printable coupons available online. Some of my favorites are smartsource and coupons.com. Seriously though, there are a ton of places to rack up coupons online... I just don't use all of them (I love this stuff, but I also have a life), or don't know about all of them (like I said in an earlier post, I do my best, but I'm not an expert). So if you know of a teriffic online coupon site, please leave it in the comments section. I'd love to check it out.

After clipping and printing the coupons, file them away. When starting out, just store them in an envelope. I had one friend keep hers in a little baby wipes container. Really, anything works. Just find a simple, place to store them where you won't lose them.

After about a month or so, of doing this, I found that I was accumulating quite a little stash. My one envelope system wasn't cutting it, so I upgraded to a little accordian folder like this:
This folder is great. It was $3.99 at The Container Store. It has 13 pockets, so coupons can be filed in basic categories. I used things like: Dairy, Snacks, Health/Beauty, and Household Stuff.

When the grocery sale circulars are delivered, sit down with your coupons, and start going through the sale items. Here's what you might find:

"Sweet! Ronzoni Pasta is on sale for $1.00 at Roche Bros this week! Didn't I have a coupon for that?" You'll look in your coupn folder and find a $1.00 off coupon from 3 weeks ago. You'll see that it hasn't expired yet. You quickly realize, "Holy crap! that pasta is FREE!" Even if Ronzoni isn't your regular brand, it will taste dang good when it's free.

Obviously, stuff won't always be free. But, by combining sales with coupons, you'll save a ton.

Many supermarkets will double the face value of a manufacturer's coupon, often up to .99. I LOVE when that happens. Sometimes, stores put out their own coupon that can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon- meaning you can use 2 coupons for one item... and it's legal. Check your store's website to learn about their coupon policy.

There are about a zillion blogs out there about "couponing" (I think that word is ultra nerdy and I try not to use it), and I will start posting links to some of the places where I learned my tricks. BUT- don't get overwhelmed... it's easy to take on too much too fast, and then want to quit. Take little steps.

Any questions? I can't promise brilliant answers, but I'll certainly try my best. Post them in the comments section.