Establish a routine. The majority of our daily activities are part of a routine. The majority of our daily actions, such as brushing our teeth, watching television, and going to work, are performed without much thought. To be an effective couponed, couponing must occupy the same proportion of your life as these other hobbies. That does not mean you must work on it daily; rather, it must become so ingrained in your life that you perform it instinctively. In most circumstances, if you fail to incorporate couponing into your lifestyle, it will become just another craze that you will soon forsake.
GET ORGANIZED. Couponing is significantly easier when you are organized. Not only is it simpler, but you will also realize higher savings. Being organized is not synonymous with neatness. The objective of being organized is to enable you to identify which coupons you possess so that you may maximize their value. You must establish a mechanism for adding and removing coupons and for storing them. There are numerous ways to accomplish this, but the key is to create a system that you will actually utilize.
Determine the storage system you will employ. There are other storage alternatives, including accordion folders, coupon boxes, and notebook binders.
You must select whether you will cut your coupons as you receive them or only when you need them.
You must pick how you are going to file your coupons. You can sort by category (such as canned meats, canned vegetables, cereal, etc.); you can sort by aisle (this method works best if you shop primarily at one store); you can sort by the coupon's issue date or expiration date; you can sort by source and issue date (such as Smartsource insert dated (insert date here) or Replumb insert dated (insert date here)); or you can sort by source and expiration date (such as Smartsource insert dated (insert date here).
You must establish a standard procedure for eliminating expired coupons.
INTERACT COUPONS WITH SALES Anyone may redeem a coupon at a retailer. A true coupon user maximizes the value of Jungle Scout coupon by using them when the product is on sale. Combining a coupon with a bargain yields the greatest possible savings. To take advantage of this, you must either understand your store's sales cycle or (in the era of the Internet) find a website where someone else has already completed this assignment. There are numerous sites devoted to particular stores that will tell you when a product is on sale, whether there is a coupon for that product, and if the combination of the discount and the coupon is advantageous enough to stack at this time.
Utilize online coupon sites. There are numerous websites on the Internet that offer couponing information as well as sites where you may print online coupons. You ought to utilize these websites.
Sites with general information. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of websites that can help you become a more proficient coupon user. Examine as many as possible. Even if you only glean one piece of knowledge from each, you will be a better couponed as a result. Some websites are more effective than others at conveying information. Some websites provide superior information. Find several that you enjoy and refer to them frequently. These websites will not only provide you with information, but also encouragement and motivation.
Specific store coupon information websites. There are numerous websites that take the guesswork out of maximizing your coupon usage. These websites analyze the posted (and sometimes unadvertised) sales prices at specific stores and inform you if store or manufacturer coupons are available for use on the products. If you are brand loyal, you must utilize these types of websites. Find coupons for your preferred retailer and use them weekly.
FREE Online printable coupon sites. You may look for and print free coupons for specific products on a number of websites on the internet. Many of these websites feature manufacturer's coupons that are exclusive to that website. These sites include coupons.com, smartsource.com, and redplum.com, among others. If the website is actually free to use, you should add it to your bookmarks and visit it frequently.
STOCKPILE. As previously noted, the most effective strategy to save money with coupons is to combine a coupon (or coupons) with a discount price. When you find an item on sale at its lowest price (again, use websites that perform the research for you), you should purchase as many of that product as you will need to last you until the price drops again (products usually hit their lowest price once every 12 weeks for most stores). There is little in the world of couponing that is more motivating than gazing at your stockpiled food and realizing that you purchased them at 70 to 100 percent off. (Yes, if you combine a coupon with the item's lowest sale price, you can obtain many items for nothing.)
PLAN MENUS AROUND SALES. If you arrange your dinners around sale goods, you will see a considerably greater decrease in your food budget than if you plan a menu and then search for coupons or specials. Again, larger savings equals greater satisfaction, which increases the possibility that couponing will become a lifestyle.
DON'T GET DISCOURAGED.
Give it time. For most people, becoming a successful couponed takes time. Don't be disheartened by the high expectations established by Extreme Couponing. Within a month or so, you should see a 30 to 50 percent reduction in your shopping bill. After establishing a pattern and constructing a food stockpile, you should easily realize savings between 50 and 65 percent.