Should You Use Coupons?
My broad answer is yes, but let’s dive into this subject a little bit more. I have also created a video on how I organize my coupons. You can view it here.
Reasons People Do Not Use Coupons
*”I don’t get a Sunday paper”
*”I don’t have time”
*”It seems too complicated”
Let’s tackle each of these:
Now days not buying a Sunday paper does not eliminate you from coupons. All of the coupon companies that have inserts in Sunday papers also have websites where you can print many of the same coupons.
Sites where you can print coupons:
Coupons.com
RedPlum.com
Cellfire.com – you load coupons on to your grocery store loyalty card
I will admit that having time can be a problem. Once you get a system down (I will talk about that in a moment) you can minimize the time you spend each week.
It is not too complicated! I am here to try to make it as simple as possible.
Let me walk you through a typical week of coupons in my home.
Sunday – Weekly newspaper comes. I pull out the coupon inserts, write the date on the front of each packet and file away. I do not cut coupons on that day but wait until I am making my list. The grocery store match up on the site each week will tell you where to go to get your coupon. For instance it might say get the Gold Medal Flour coupon from the 3/22 Smartsource ad. This is the reason I put the dates on all my coupon inserts and don’t throw them away until they are all expired. You just never know when a store will have a great sale on an item.
Mon-Wed. – If I see a coupon on line that I know I could use, I print it and put in my bin. I also receive my weekly ads from grocery stores in my area. They also go in my bin.
Thursday – I shop on Friday’s so Thursday is my coupon day. I start out by checking all the grocery store deals and comparing them with coupons available and my own grocery list. This alone could take a long time, but I have many grocery store match ups on MomsFunMoney so all the work is done for you! Once you have decided which store looks like it will have the best deals, then start cutting out your coupons. I try to get as many coupons as possible for things on my list. If there is not a coupon available from any of the on-line sources, try the product’s individual website. If they do not have coupons available to print e-mail them and tell them how much you love their product. Many times as a thank you they will mail you coupons for free!
Friday – Shopping day!
Now a good point to make is the impulse to buy an item because it is a good deal with a coupon. Beware of falling into the trap of buying it just because. If it is an item that you really do not need, don’t spend the money. You will soon find that couponing is not saving you as much as it should!
If you are new at couponing I have created a video that you can watch here. I hope it will answer any questions you might have and I knwo for me, seeing something can sometimes help it to “click”. If you have any questions after viewing the video, leave a comment!
Happy Couponing!
Katie
