Learning to Coupon

Some of you have been asking me about what I’ve learned or how I’ve learned to coupon lately. I’m definitely still learning, but I’ll share with you what I know so far.

First of all, be realistic. I know that Extreme Couponing on TLC’s network seems to be bringing a lot of interest to couponing. But I don’t think you should expect to spend $15 on $500. This just isn’t realistic at all. The people on this show are buying things like 40 bottles of soda. I have yet to see anyone REALISTICALLY saving that much money, while being able to provide items for healthy meals and snacks for themselves or their family. On average, I have begun to save 35% of my grocery bill, and I am convinced that I can get it to 50% as I continue to learn to look and find deals while using my coupons. So here’s what’s helped me out so far:

Know the stores coupon policy

It’ll help you out greatly to know your local grocery stores coupon policy. If you are embarrassed to ask in person when you are there, call on the phone and ask. Publix is the major grocery store here in Central Florida, and they just came out with their official coupon policy (http://www.southernsavers.com/2011/05/new-publix-offcial-coupon-policiy/).

Publix Accepts:

· Manufacturer’s coupons (limit one per item).

· Publix coupons (originals only-no copies).

· Valid Internet coupons.

· Coupons from nearby competitors identified by each Publix store. (Competitor names are posted at each Publix store.)

· We will accept a manufacturer’s coupon and either a Publix or a competitor coupon on the same item.

· We will accept coupons from competing pharmacies for prescriptions only.


Coupon Acceptance Limitations/Exceptions:

· We will not accept percent-off-items or percent-off-total-order coupons.

· We will only accept coupons for identical merchandise we sell.

· Dollars-off-total-order coupons will be limited to one Publix and one competitor coupon per order. The order total must be equal to or greater than the total purchase requirements indicated on the coupon(s) presented.

· Acceptance is subject to any restrictions on the coupon.

· We reserve the right to limit quantities.

· Manager approval is needed for individual coupons above $5.00.

· For a buy-one-get-one free (B1G1) offer, each item is considered a separate sale. (Means you can use a coupon on each item).
Build a Couponing System
There are different systems to use, depending on what’s easiest for you. The quickest system seems to be the couponmom.com system. It involves only cutting the coupons you need before your shopping trip. I like to clip my coupons and file them so that I can have them at the store with me, in case there is something I need last minute, or a deal I didn’t know about. But do what works for you depending on how much time you want to spend. And don’t expect to save 50% of your grocery bill instantly. It takes time to collect coupons over a few months, and build up a good collection to pull from. Also consider sharing coupons with a friend or neighbor. I generally buy 1 paper, and try to get a second set of coupons from a friend. That way if an item is buy one get one free, I can use two coupons to maximize my savings.

Prepare Before You Go
Spend a little bit of time while preparing your grocery list to see where the best deals are. Remember to check for printable coupons online as well, and don’t forget to check for competitor coupons if your store takes them (http://www.southernsavers.com/printables/).

Make a list! I wouldn’t recommend ever going grocery shopping without a list. And keep it on your refrigerator all week, so that you can add items throughout the week as soon as you realize you need them. Try to stick to your list as much as possible to eliminate unnecessary spending.

Meal Planning is by far the biggest savings you will get! When planning your meals and grocery list, first look in your pantry and kitchen to see what you have left to use before you go grocery shopping. Then look at the stores weekly add. What meals can you make out of it? I use this as a time to try out new recipes. Most recipe websites like allrecipes.com or foodnetwork.com will allow you to simply type in an ingredient, and search out recipes that way. Every family is different, but 4 meals a week is more than enough for my family to get through the week, between leftovers and occasionally eating out. Don’t forget to plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks! This will eliminate impulse buys or overbuying and allowing vegetables or lunch meat to go bad and get wasted. And time wise, it’s so much easier for me to choose what we have to eat for dinner when I have a list of 4 meals on the side of my refrigerator.

You CAN save on healthy items!
One of the biggest difficulties that people have when learning to coupon is that it’s hard to find coupons for healthy food. I said the same thing. They are little more rare, but still there if you seek them out. (http://www.couponing101.com/2010/06/teach-a-woman-how-to-fish-for-nutritious-deals.html). Also, don’t rule out shopping at a produce store. At many, you can get items for less than half the cost as the grocery store. But be careful – this is not always true. The one I find very affordable is Clemons Produce in Orlando. They aren’t organic, but you’d be shocked how far $20 will go at this place! But even if you aren’t able t o find deals on the healthier items you like, save where you can. There are plenty of deals on things like paper towels, cleaning products, razors, body wash, etc. Then stick with the brands you like on the items that you have a preference on.

Make Some Money Back
This probably won’t be one of your huge forms of savings, but one of the exciting experiences I had this week, was that I not only got some things for free, but I actually made some money back on my coupons. Granted, it was $1.50 I made back to put towards other items, but it’s a start. I found on couponmom.com, where it lists items by percentage saved. This includes items listed that are FREE with coupons. So I found that I had 4 coupons for free items. I went to the store, had a $3.00 coupon for body wash, and the item was on sale for $2.54! I don’t expect to save $50 this way, but now that I know to look for these deals, it helps.

And if a coupon comes out the week after you just purchased a product (this always seems to happen to me), take the coupon back to customer service with your receipt, and ask for a refund! Even if it’s just $3.00 in refunds, you are already going to the store, you might as well get the money back that you can. Or if you are shopping, and the store is out of a sale item, ask for a rain check so you can still get the item for the sale price.

So best of luck to the rest of you who are starting this venture of learning to coupon. Don’t expect to save a lot of money instantly, but take some time to check out some websites, build a good stockpile of coupons to pull from, and find the system that works best for you. As you learn, you’ll see your savings go up more and more.

http://www.southernsavers.com
http://www.couponmom.com

http://www.couponing101.com