BJ’s is a great place to use coupons and save money. Yet not every item at BJ’s is the best deal. I’m all about getting the best deal and sometimes that means you have to know the sale prices of other nearby retailers
If you want to cut your grocery bill in half this year, using coupons the right way can do that for you.
Here is week One of a four Week Learning How to Coupon Series.
It seems one of the most asked questions from those wanting to start couponing is “Where do you get your coupons?”
First, piece of advice- Be patient when you first start couponing. I do believe it takes a shift in your mindset.
Ask yourself- Why Do I want to Start couponing? You see coupons changed everything for my family. If you know what your reason/goal is for couponing it makes you strive for greatness. To keep on learning and never give up.
Forget those extreme coupon images you’ve seen in your facebook groups or T.V. screen. You won’t be saving quite that much this week. Why? You do not have a stash of coupons! You need to build up your coupons to start keeping more money in your bank account!
It used to be that majority of coupons were found in the newspapers, now myself and my friends are printing about 80% of our coupons online.
So FIRST STEPS
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OWN A PRINTER.
If you do not have a printer this investment is so worth it. You can and you will find a bargain on a printer. There are deals all over for them. If you want to shop online newegg.com is great for electronics. I found my Epson printer on clearance for $30 at Target.
Amazon often has great prices as well. Nothing fancy. The ink cartridges are only $15 which was a big part in wanting to buy it. I have had it for 4 years and never had a problem. I have saved well over $30 in coupons!
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ESTABLISH YOUR COUPON SOURCES.
Coupons.com is the site I print most of my coupons from. It is the best one to start with and search for something you may need and try to find a coupon. You can search by category and brand in the upper left-hand corner.
Redplum and Smartsource ( which are also the big names in your Sunday paper inserts) are also popular places to print. Visit these sites and get familiar with them. You will have to download printer type software the first time you print. These are safe sites. I have never had an issue with them. Sometimes if a site requires Java it seems to be a bit more tricky from time to time.
There are also many coupons popping up on businesses facebook pages. This is a great place to check as well. Many of the coupons found on these sites are manufacturer coupons. That means you can use at any store that accepts coupons.
Commonkindness and Hopster are great coupon sites for organic/natural products and every time you print a coupon they donate money to a charity of your choice. This site requires sign in where the others do not. You can print 2 coupons usually from each site. Get in the habit of always printing 2!
Kelloggs Family Rewards is a great thing to sign up for. It is free and you can earn some awesome coupons by entering codes from Kellogg’s products and they have exclusive coupons on their site to print if you are a member! E-coupons are another great way to start saving.
Right now Ibotta is offering New Signs ups $10 in their account. Check out this list of the Apps that use e-coupons I recommend using.
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NEWSPAPER INSERTS.
I use the coupon database to see if there are any coupons that will be worth it in the paper before I buy now. I was really glad when The Daily News started doing inserts because their paper is only $1.50 where Buffalo and Rochester are $2.50. So right there we will save money. I try to post every Saturday a Coupon Preview to give you an idea of what’s to come.
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GET ORGANIZED.
One day you will have coupons all over your counter. You will need something to keep them contained. Also, it is fun to bring along your coupons and search through the clearance end caps at stores and save even more money! My favorite stores for clearance are BJ’s and Target!
There are many methods to organize your coupons and it really comes down to personal preference .When I started I cut out all the coupons I wanted from the inserts and put them in my little coupon accordion type book.
Now I keep my inserts whole and keep them in a shoe box. Organizing these is not my strong suit anymore. But in the beginning, I think it’s key.
Related: Organize Your Coupon Binder
Some people use the binder system. I tried this but honestly, I had to fold most of my coupons to get them in there and it was just too time-consuming for me. I had to pull them out to see the expiration date and this was my least favorite method. But many people love this one.
I could go on and on there are so many ways to organize. Do a google search and pick one. Get it started so when you get the Sunday newspaper and start printing your coupons they have a place to go!
RECAP:
The Top Online sites to print from:
1. Coupons.com
3. Redplum.com
* Remember coupons do not have a set date they are available online. So when you see a coupon for a product you know you will be buying print it right away rather than waiting. Many times we will see coupons reset, meaning you can get two more prints.
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I’d add that if you have mobile devices, iPads, iPhones, then make sure you buy a HP printer that lets you air print. This way you can print 2 coupons per device. And you can download Grocery IQ and print another set from there, per device. Being able to print multiple sets all with original bar codes is essential.