Clipping coupons: 5 ways to master the art of couponing
I’ve been couponing since January and I must say it’s addictive. In the right combination of sales and coupons you can get tons of stuff for free or cheap. Here are the basics on how to get started:
Get lots of coupons
- At my house we get 2 newspapers every Sunday.
- You can trade coupons with other people who are into couponing.
- Go online and print internet coupons when products are on sale.
- Using these techniques I have doubles and triples of most coupons.
Organize your coupons
- File them in envelopes with dividers in a shoebox.
- You can buy a coupon filer at the dollar store or Wal-mart.
- I use a binder with baseball card holders to alphabetize my coupons.
Make a list
- Get a stack of sales papers and go to 2 or 3 different stores.
- I do all my shopping for the month in one day in about 2 or 3 hours.
- Think about what is on sale and what you can freeze first.
- There are tons of blogs out there that will compile lists of stores with coupons and internet coupons with sales. Just print the lists and pull the coupons you need.
Stockpile and go shopping less often
- Create a stockpile in your pantry and freezer. Work with what you have to make new creative recipes.
Check couponing blogs and compare savings
Using these techniques, I have been able to keep our grocery and toiletries budget for 3 people under $200 a month.
Now what about you? Have you found it’s worth your time and effort to clip coupons?
Mat, you have a great system. In my experience, coupons don’t make that much of a difference. But I still clip them and file them away in a little coupon holder, just in case.
Seriously, is this an American thing? Any other Canadians out there ever see coupons, much less use them?
Mat: Welcome to Queercents. I use the rewards coupons that come from being a club member at my local grocery store… but that’s because it’s for items and brands that I buy all the time. I’ve never been a clipper of coupons in the Sunday newspaper or surfing for coupons on Internet sites. It seems like it requires a great deal of time and energy. But I admire the way you’ve turned it into a game. It’s just a game that I never quite had the knack for.
Normally we get at least 2 or 3 books of coupons every week in our local news papers. From what I’ve seen on other coupons blogs, most of the country gets 2 or 3 books a week in their Sunday papers as well.
I’m constantly amazed by people who say they don’t use coupons. My partner and I have always used coupons, but it’s become more of a hobby recently as I’ve discovered several websites that match coupons with sales at our grocery store. Rare is the week that we don’t save at least 50%. Best week? We paid $4 for $66 worth of groceries.