Shopping Pays off Big for Couponers (Welcome MSN Money Readers)

Welcome MSN Money readers!

I’m sure the “Shopping Pays off Big for Couponers” article peaked your interest on how you can make coupons work for you.

There’s tons of information on my blog to help you manage your grocery budget, and it’s all free!
I love helping people save money, and it wouldn’t make much sense to have you pay for money-saving information, now would it?

:: Here’s a few tips if you are new to the couponing world:

1. Never pay for toothpaste again. Drugstores have different types of reward programs that make items free and cheap every single week. (You can see the current deals for CVS and Walgreens) Non-couponers see a drug store as a place to pick up their prescriptions and a place to pick up over-priced snacks when you are on the go. The truth of the matter is, when you learn to how the reward programs work and pair these sale items with coupons, you can walk out with free toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, trash bags, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, baby wipes, make-up, medication, household cleaners, shampoo/conditioner, etc. It’s true, and it’s easy.

Beginner’s Tip: Learn the policy and how to “roll” your store rewards for one store at a time (CVS 101 or Walgreens 101). Once you master it, you can learn another store. This helps prevent confusion and frustration. Luckily, couponing is like riding a bike. Once you get it, you’ll never forget it.

2. Couponing does NOT mean you are eating junk. I have quite a strong pet peeve against people who feel couponing means you are feeding your family a bunch of junk. If nothing else, coupon for everything I listed above.
Many couponers, including myself, are able to buy an abundance of fresh produce, organic products, and other healthier and higher-priced items because we are paying close to nothing for everything else we need. Think of it this way- if you only want to spend $200 on both food and non-food items monthly, and you are able to save $100 on items you are already buying with the use of coupons, that’s $100 you can use towards produce and organic items! Make sense?

Beginner’s Tip: Are you looking for organic coupons and deals? I have a round up of organic and natural deals every week. Also, Amazon is a great resource for organic foods. As far as printable coupons go, take a look at sites like Mambo Sprouts for organic printable coupons.

3. Print coupons from home. You don’t have to purchase a Sunday paper to save money. In fact, I didn’t pick up a single newspaper in January or February and I was still able to save big. Printable coupons are becoming quite popular, and they are often high in value as well. Make sure to print from a reputable source, such as Coupons.com, Redplum.com, or Smartsource.com. Also, coupons on Facebook are very popular now too, so it wouldn’t hurt to check out some of your favorite brands to see what they are offering.

Beginner’s Tip: Coupons come from manufacturer’s and they are sent back to manufacturer’s so that the stores can be reimbursed for the dollar off amount. With that being said, it is illegal to make copies of printable coupons. Each printable coupon has a unique ID, so if you make a copy and use it, the store will not be reimbursed.

4. Couponing is life-changing, but shouldn’t take over your life. Aside from blogging about deals, I only spend two hours a week organizing, preparing, and shopping with my coupons. There’s no reason to spend hours upon hours couponing. Whether you have a full-time job or you stay at home with three kids, you can coupon. I’ve started a “Customize your Couponing” series to help you out.

Beginner’s Tip: Wondering what an average couponing shopping trip looks like? I post my shopping trips along with the coupon matchups to help you see how easy it is to coupon.

5. TLC Extreme Couponing is NOT even close to the norm. If your only thought of couponing is watching a reality show, then I’m sure you don’t think highly of it. Well, welcome to the group- most “normal” couponers are not at all fond of the show either. I don’t have a 40 year supply of toilet paper, or rooms dedicated to my stockpile. All of my food is in my pantry, and all of my toiletries are in my bathroom. I’ve also never bought 60 bottles of mustard in my life and never will. Crazy, I know.

6. The joy of donating. One of my favorite things about couponing is being able to give back to my community through donating. It’s always a nice gesture to make care packages or simply donate items you’ve receive for free through couponing. Before I started couponing, I never felt as though I had the money or time to donate. It is so wonderful to be able to give back in such an easy way.

I hope this gives you some small insight into the “Coupon World”. Feel free to ask any questions below, and thanks for stopping by!