Getting Started Part 2 – Building Your Stash of Coupons
So you’ve decided you want to become a “couponer” or “coupon queen.” Now, you need, well . . coupons! And lots of them if you really want to rack up the savings. Before you begin to feel overwhelmed, remember this: I didn’t start clipping coupons until January 1, 2010, and I now have a five-inch three-ring binder that weighs as much as my toddler (we’ll talk about coupon organizing systems in the next post). It doesn’t take long to build your stash and you can get started with just a few coupons. So read on and then go get your scissors!
•Subscribe to the local weekend newspaper. The inserts in the weekend paper are probably the best sources for coupons. (And by the way – I hear some local newspapers are now negotiating on subscription costs. I plan to give my newspaper a call to see if I can’t get my rate down. If you do that, or have done it, be sure to come back here and tell us about it).
•Ask friends, family and neighbors to give you their coupon inserts if they don’t use them, and sometimes you’ll want to do this anyway in order to get several of the same coupons if you discover a really great deal. My neighbors have been great about giving me their inserts — they just drop them off at my door. Thank you, Pam & Steve!
•Subscribe to All You magazine
•Pick up the Walgreens monthly coupon book, usually stored in the same stand as the weekly ads. These also are usually high-value coupons.
•Get coupons at the store. You know those red blinking thingy’s (that and dohickamajigger are two of my all-time favorite words) that stick out of the grocery store shelves? They’re dispensing coupons. And they’re usually manufacturer’s coupons that can be used anytime before the expiration date. Grab them up while you’re walking down the aisles — they don’t require any clipping, so they’re a time-saver, too! Then watch for sales on those items in the coming days and weeks.
•Watch for peelies – coupons that are attached to the packages of products you are purchasing (don’t take them off products you AREN’T purchasing — stealing is stealing). Sometimes, you can use those coupons on that very shopping trip). But remember, if you already have a coupon for that product, make sure you use the one with the nearest expiration date. If that’s not the peelie, then save it for later.
•Print coupons online. I am a big fan of Coupons.com. Most sites, including Coupons.com, let you print two copies of each coupon. Be sure to check with the stores you regularly visit to make sure they accept online printable coupons. All the stores I visit regularly — Walgreens, CVS, Target, Shop N Save, Dierbergs, Schnucks and Walmart — accept them with no questions, but I’ve heard of some people having trouble in some parts of the country. If you find a store that won’t accept them, come back here and tell the rest of us!
•Use my Coupon Database. You can search for coupons for specific products you want and my database will tell you where to find coupons for that product and even provide links to online printable coupons when they are available.
•Go to the Web sites of your favorite products and companies and register. Many companies send coupons just for registering or they offer links to coupons for their products on their site.
Now, start building your stash, because the next in this series is “Getting Started Part 3 – Organizing Your Coupons.”
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Getting Started Part 1 – Why Clip Coupons here.
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#1 Getting Started Part 1 – Why Clip Coupons? | Lipstick to Crayons on April 19, 2010:
[...] like thisBrand-new Coupon Database!Getting Started Part 2 – Building Your Stash of CouponsAwesome Deals on Pampers at Walgreens April 11 – 17 Fraudulent Printable CouponsPhoto Deals at [...]
#2 Getting Started Part 4 – Change the Way You Grocery Shop | Lipstick to Crayons on April 23, 2010:
[...] Eat from the Pantry ChallengePrinter Cartridge Refill’s for $1 at Walgreens on Earth Day!Getting Started Part 2 – Building Your Stash of CouponsAwesome Deals on Pampers at Walgreens April 11 – 17 Filed Under: Coupons • Featured [...]
#3 Getting Started Part 3 – Organizing Your Coupons | Lipstick to Crayons on April 27, 2010:
[...] I’ll write more about how I organize my shopping trips so that I’m not having to dig through my binder all the way through the store in my next post, Getting Started Part 4. In the meantime, you can read the first two posts in this series here and here. [...]