Okay on with the saving!
So by now you should have some printed coupons! But in order to take advantage of the deals you need to have a variety of coupons.......but how!
Where
do you collect coupons? Coupons are everywhere! They are on the back
of many register receipts, they can be found sticking out from grocery
store shelves (these are called blinkies), there are also tear pads located on displays in stores, some stores print additional ones in addition to your receipt, they are found in many Sunday newspapers and there are printable from various places on the web.
Lets start with the coupon inserts found in the Sunday newspapers.
I subscribe to two newspapers. One local and also the Houston
Chronicle. The coupons in the Sunday paper vary by region. The Houston
Chronicle often has a larger number of coupons than my local paper and often the ones the ones that are duplicated in my local paper have a different value than The Chronicle. This gives me a solid base to start with each week.
Another source for me has been family and friends. Ask your family and friends if they subscribe to the paper, what they do with the coupons. So many people toss them in the waste basket or the recycling bin. Most are more than willing to set them aside for you to use if you just ask!
Next time we will look at what to do with all of these coupons once you have them!
Couponing can seem so overwhelming at first! Many times people will give up before they get the kinks worked out and never get to experience the true savings that are available. I hope that through this series I can help you break the process down into manageable steps so that you can begin to reach your savings goals for the New Year!
First I would like to dispel some couponing myths.
- You will not walk out the grocery store every time you shop having paid only pennies for three carts of groceries!
- You do not have to (nor should you) buy 20 bottles of shampoo (or whatever) each time you shop!
- You do not have to give up your favorite products. You can still remain "brand loyal" and save money - Although trying new products with coupons may introduce you to new items that you and your family may enjoy.
- You do not have to spend hours planning your shopping trips to only save a few dollars!
- You also do not need tons of storage space to keep your "stockpile". There are creative ways to store stocked up items that take up very little room!
So what do you do? The first thing is to gather coupons, of course! Start here to print your first coupons!
Christmas has come and gone and this weekend we will be celebrating the beginning of a new year! I have personally set a goal to triple my coupon savings in 2012. I started seriously couponing in the summer of 2011 and was able to save enough during that approximate six months to pay for all of our Christmas purchases, including the meals! Considering I started half way through the year I thought just doubling my savings would not really be a challenge, so I upped my goal to triple.
Over the course of the past few months I have picked up so many money saving tips and I am often asked how I am saving so much with coupons. I know so many are familiar with the couponing show on TV but I have honestly not ever watched it. I have read many reviews of it and I think from what I have read that it is very unrealistic and like so many other "reality TV shows" that it is actually staged. Often I hear reports of stores "bending" the rules for the show. I think it sets up unreasonable expectations for the average shopper. It is possible to save large sums of money couponing however in honest, ethical and practical ways and over the course of the next few weeks I will share the steps to accomplish this so that YOU TOO can reach your savings goal for 2012!
Another source for me has been family and friends. Ask your family and friends if they subscribe to the paper, what they do with the coupons. So many people toss them in the waste basket or the recycling bin. Most are more than willing to set them aside for you to use if you just ask! 
