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We did it!
I hope you've had as much fun reading these posts as I have writing them! While tonight ends this series on getting started with couponing, I want you to know that my commitment to helping you understand how to use coupons, find deals, and make sense of store sales is always the driving force of The Coupon Project.
Tonight, I want to keep things simple. I want to accomplish two things in this final post: 1) do a summary of what I've shared and then 2) give you an action plan of what to do next.
The Riveting Recap
1. Buy low. Your new goal is to stock up on items your family uses when you can find them at a good, low price. You can accomplish this with store sales, coupons, rebates, and other methods.
2. Stockpile. You will start to build a stockpile. Your stockpile should include a wide-range of items your family uses and you should only store the amount you can reasonable contain and use before it goes bad. Anything beyond this is hoarding.
3. Get your Newspaper. Your Sunday newspaper is a great, staple source of coupons. Buy it. Learn the different components and how to sort through it with minimal time.
4. Collect Store Coupons. These are coupons issued by a particular store. Think of them as the store offering a sale. Learn all the possible places you can find store coupons such as ads, booklets, and mailers. Collect Manufacturer Coupons. These are coupons put out by the manufacturer that can be redeemed at any number of retailers. Besides the Sunday paper, you can find manufacturer's coupons in a variety of sources including in and on products, in "blinkie" machines, Internet, Facebook, and more.
5. Organize your Coupons. There are several ways you might organize your coupons. Find the one that makes sense for you. The important thing is YOU should be able to quickly and easily retrieve coupons when you need them.
6. Find the deals. Begin to identify sources that help you find deals, such as this blog, store circulars, other blogs, coupon forums, etc.
7. Learn when to say "yes" and when to say "no." A deal is a deal is not necessarily a deal. A good deal is one that provides your family with a positive benefit. It should save you time and money. No Deal: a "freebie" for something you've never used and have no purpose for that requires you to drive 30 minutes across town. Deal: canned beans at $0.30 a can because your family loves chili during winter months and you usually shell out $1 a can.
8. Plan meals while you plan deals. You should always work to consolidate the time you spend finding deals with planning your meals. Why? It's important to see the bigger picture of what you're trying to achieve. This will help you select better stockpile deals and avoid frivolous trips to the store later.
9. Know your stores. Learn whatever you can about your stores to maximize your savings and minimize your time in them.
10. You don't have to use coupons for everything. Naturally, you will need items you don't have coupons for. Learn to buy in season, buy in bulk, buy generic, and other tactics to drive down your food budget. My biggest savings come from this principle alone. Coupons just sweeten the deals even more!
11. Rebates are good. Many times, rebates can help you get items you need (or just want) for free. Rebates go beyond electronics – there are rebates for food and household goods, too. Use them in conjunction with sales and coupons for deeper savings potential.
12. Couponese. Couponers have their own language. Learn the terms so you'll be in the know too.
13. Know your policies. There are do's and don't with coupon usage. In addition, stores have their own coupon policies. Learn them and follow them.
14. Be Polite. Just because you have a wad of coupons at checkout doesn't mean you have to be obnoxious. Discover ways of being polite and courteous and give couponers a good name everywhere.
15. Be Generous. Share with others out of your plenty. Give your time, knowledge, resources. You'll be surprised how using a few coupons can turn you into a better person in general.
Your Action Plan
As hard as I've worked sharing this information with you, learning how to coupon, stockpile, and transform your family's grocery budget must be learned by doing. You've learned the foreign language; now are you ready to go to that country and put it to use? Knowing what I know now, here is what I would suggest for starting out.
1. Clean your space. Throw out expired pantry items, clean out bathroom shelves, make space in your laundry cupboards, and for gosh sakes, toss whatever's growing hair and a mustache in your fridge. This way you'll be able to accurately assess what you have and what you're lacking.
2. Make a list of items you use. You might start by coming up with a list of family-favorite recipes for inspiration. Consider the receipts of your last few grocery trips: which items do you find yourself buying again and again? Write them down. These are the items you will work to stockpile as best as possible.
3. Get your Sunday paper. Locate your coupons and clip or file them. Find a way to organize them. Using envelopes with categories is a good way to start.
4. Find one or two deals to try. I cover Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Fred Meyer each Saturday and Albertsons each Wednesday. Look through the list of deals I find and see if one strikes you as a good stock-up deal. For instance, you might find a good deal on soup or broth. Try to carve $10-15 out of your budget for stockpiling. For the rest of the items on your list, work to find the best deal possible – generic, bulk, or switch stores altogether.
5. Find a coupon buddy or decide to host an informal coupon party. If you're just starting, find someone else that's learning or wants to learn too. Swap information, and help one another out. Sharing your experience can be a hugely inspiring and motivating endeavor.
Well that does it! Are you ready to jump in and do this? I certainly hope so! It's been my pleasure sharing what I've learned with you. If you feel there is any glaring topic I've not covered, or if you have a question you'd like me to more fully develop into a post, please let me know.
Your final will be in a couple days, so study up!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Angela, I’ve really enjoyed this series – you did a supberb job of detailing the steps and making it easy for people who are just learning. I’m linking to this series in a post going up on my blog tomorrow because I’ve had a number of people ask me how to do it. I listed my steps, but you went really in-depth. Thanks for providing another source of information!
Ugh – I just read my comment and realized I added an extra “b” in superb. I hate that you can’t spell check comments.
This was a great series! To number 2 on the above list I might add this: When I was starting out (a year ago) I made a list of things we used (or rather brands) and then I searched online for their websites to see if there were coupons. If I didn’t find any, I signed up for newsletter emails and got some coupons that way. Also, I wrote emails and told them why I liked the product. Some might send coupons as a result of hearing from you. Also, if I had a problem with a product, I would give constructive criticism (constructive being the operative word) and they would ususally “make it right” by refunding money spent or offering coupons for a replacement etc. For instance, I love the blue diamond chili & lime almonds, but cut my finger pretty well on the foil lid. They responded right away and sent a coupon for a freebie. So as a result, I have remained a loyal customer. Thanks for all the tips! And your sense of humor.
Jami – thanks for the compliment and link! If there is anything further I can do to assist you or your readers, let me know.
Honey – good reminders! I have done both too (praise and criticize). Thanks for highlighting that – it’s a great “hidden” source of some of the best coupons you can get.
What a great resource — thank you! I’ve recently become a work-from-home writer while my husband holds down a full-time non-freelance job, and we’re trying to be more frugal, especially in the grocery department. Your tips will help a bunch!