How to Start Using Coupons

I’ve invited Jenny of Mommin’ It Up to guest post for me on the topic of “couponing” for my How To series. I am in desperate need of couponing advice. I hope you find her post as helpful as I did!

I’m not a coupon blogger, but I am a blogger who loves to coupon! I’ve been an avid couponer for about 15 months now, and I’ve got my household grocery budget — including diapers, wipes, personal hygiene, and cleaning supplies — down to just $45 a week for my family of four (I have a five and two-year-old so this will increase as they get older.) Here are a few tips I’ve learned along my couponing journey that I hope will help you get started on yours!

1) Start slow. It takes a while to get the hang of using coupons. Also, it will take you four weeks or so to accumulate a nice stash of coupons from the Sunday paper to work with. Don’t expect to waltz in the grocery store and get $100 worth of groceries for $20 on the day after you decided to become a coupon queen. You will make mistakes — I have done the “walk of shame” back into the store to return an item that wasn’t the “right” item many times. But learn from those mistakes, give yourself a break, and keep pursuing savings. You’ll get the hang of it!

2) Set measurable goals. Decide how much you want to cut your budget, and then work steadily to achieve that goal. Set a date to reach the goal by. Eight to ten weeks is probably a realistic goal for most beginning couponers. Remember, the “ideal budget number” will be different for every family. $45 a week works right now for my family, but it may not work at all for yours if you have a bigger family, have older children, or like to eat red meat a lot. (It’s a rare treat in our house. Because I’m cheap.)

3) Spend a reasonable amount of time on couponing. It’s very easy to spend a lot of time getting ready for a grocery trip. So before you start, decide how much time you can give to your money-saving efforts. If you’re up ‘til three a.m. scouring couponing website forums and you haven’t bathed your kids in two weeks, you might want to scale back a little bit. When you are first getting started, give yourself two hours a week to work on couponing. After you get the hang of it, shoot for one hour a week.

4) Don’t clip every coupon. Just clip the ones you think you will use. If you don’t have a dog, don’t clip dog food coupons. Likewise, don’t print every internet printable coupon you can find. That will only amount to a huge waste of ink and paper. Just print and clip the ones for products you normally buy (or want to start buying) or for ones you know are on sale that week.

5) Divide and conquer. There are two big areas you can save in the retail market: grocery stores and drug stores. Pick one store at a time and become an expert at that store first, then move on to another and learn their system. For instance, if you have a Kroger and Meijer grocery store in your markets, learn their policies and sale patterns one at a time. Then, move on to a drugstore. Try learning CVS’ system first and then tackling Walgreens or Rite Aid. (Personal Note: If I were you, I’d start with CVS because I believe this where you can save the most money. For a great CVS Tutorial, check out the Thrifty Mama’s post here.)

6) Don’t try to figure all the deals out yourself. I utilize some wonderful coupon blogs to plan my grocery and drug store trips each week. These hard-working bloggy gals tell you what’s on sale at which stores, and most importantly, where to find the coupon for those sale items. In other words, they do all the hard work for you!! I am so thankful for these bloggers, and I want to give my favorite ones a shout-out. To find the best deals* listed each week, go to MommySnacks, Stretching a Buck, the Thrifty Mama, and Coupon Cravings. It can be very overwhelming to go through all the store ads and figure out which deals are the good ones and which deals you have coupons for – so DON’T DO IT! Visit these great blogs and take advantage of their hard work. Just be sure to comment and say thanks!

7) Finally, be committed to every dollar you save. There’s no need to get upset if you save a dollar or two less than you’d hoped, but do be passionate about saving every dollar that you can. Don’t pass up clipping a coupon, saying, “Oh, it’s only a dollar.” Designate a purpose for that dollar and then go out and save it! Before you know it, you’ll be able to achieve some great financial goals.

Get started with these steps and be persistent. You’ll reach your grocery budget goals in no time and never look back! For a jump-start, I recommend you also read Thrifty Mama’s “Coupon Basics for Newbies.” It’s a really nice step-by-step to get you organized & ready to save!

Jenny Rapson is a SAHM of two, a wannabe fashionista, follower of Christ and coupon addict. You can find her blogging about motherhood at Mommin’ It Up and pretending to be stylish as the editor of Blissful Style at Blissfully Domestic.

Photo of Jenny by Secret Agent Mama.

* Jo-Lynne, here.  I also want to add Deal Seeking Mom to Jenny’s list of fabulous resources!