Couponing - Getting Started - Day 1

Although I've been couponing for over a year now I realize that not all my readers have. Some of you may be very new to the couponing world. Since this may be the case I thought I would give you a run down on the basics of couponing.

First of all to answer the question: Where can I find coupons?

Well number one you won't just find them in the newspaper although that is an excellent source. Here is a list coupon sources:



If you're interested in couponing, but aren't sure how to get started, this guide’s for you:

• Newspapers- the Smart Source and Red Plum coupon inserts appear on a near-weekly basis. The Procter and Gamble insert appears at the start of each month

• Magazines- All You magazine comes out each month. You can get it at Wal-mart or you can get a subscription. It is filled with coupons. Normally between $65 and $85 worth of coupons! It is also full of money saving tips! Other women's publications such as Woman's Day, Red Book, Family Circle and Good Housekeeping frequently carry manufacturer coupons.
• In store- look for coupons on store shelves, on products and on the back of your receipts. Also look for coupons to print out at the register. Blinkies are small red machines mounted to the shelf. They normally have a red blinking light. These coupons are always manufacturers coupons.

• E-coupons - sites such as shortcuts.com, cellfire.com, upromise.com, kroger.com and savingstar.com allow you to load electronic coupons to your customer card.

Additional places to look:

• Online- coupons.com, smartsource.com, allyou.com, redplum.com, procterandgamble.com and target.com These sites all have printable manufacturers coupons. Targets coupons are both store and manufacturer coupons. However you won't know which one they are until you print them out.
• Junk mail- high-value manufacturer coupons have started to appear in junk mailers, so be sure to look before you toss
• Direct from the manufacturer- check manufacturer websites for printable coupons or contact companies (by mail, e-mail or phone) to request coupons
• Store mailings- get a frequent shopper card for the grocery stores that you shop, and you may be rewarded with special coupon mailings
• On products- look in and on the packaging of the products that you buy for special loyalty coupons

Now that we've covered where to find coupons let's cover how to file your coupons. There are many different ways. I've tried a couple myself.

• One way is to clip all your coupons and sort them in a binder using baseball card inserts. You will want to use dividers in your binder to divide your coupons into sections.

• Clip your coupons and keep them in a small or large coupon file. Normally 3 or 4 inches tall by 5 to 7 inches long. These coupon files typically have between 11 and 15 dividers.

• Keep all your newspaper inserts together in a large accordion folder. Write the date on the front of the insert with a pen or permanent marker. Each week you only clip what you need when putting your grocery list together.

So for now think about which way would work best for you. Tomorrow we'll talk about how to maximize your savings with coupons! On a regular basis I save between 40% to 60% on my groceries. Sometimes more!

Have a wonderful day!
~The Boss Lady~