So you have watched the TLC show “Extreme Couponing” and you are inspired to get your groceries free and have a stockpile overflowing from your garage. OK, so maybe NOT! But you still want to save money at the grocery store… now to get started! Follow these simple steps…
- Choose a grocery store where you shop most often and find a blog to follow!
- Here are 2 examples:
- Get a newspaper subscription.
- Ensure your printer is set up to print coupons.
- Get to know the policies and sale cycles at the grocery store of your choice.
- Follow tips on the blog to match coupons with sale prices.
- Be prepared to spend extra time when you are getting started. Be patient! It will get easier.
Its really that simple! The trick to savings is to figure out what is on sale and match coupons with sale items. For example, if a box of cereal is typically $2.99 and it is on sale for $1.99 and then you have a $1 off coupon, you get the box of cereal for $0.99. [quote]You don’t have to spend hours in the store to figure out sales because there are dozens of bloggers who do the research for you. [/quote]You have to have the coupons, know the policies, and follow the blogs.
When I started couponing almost 4 years ago, I started out by spending 3-4 hours each Sunday organizing coupons into a neat binder and researching every sale. After a few months of savings, I got tired of spending that much time. I got rid of the coupon binder and just stack of the newspaper coupons in my coupon bin and only print coupons I need that week. When you are getting started, it takes time to learn the tricks so be patient.
Now, I spend about an hour clipping and making a list. I average savings of 35% which is usually a saving
s of $60-$160. This is well worth my time. I have found a correlation between the amount of time I put into couponing and the amount of savings. The more time, the more savings. I’m pretty satisfied with spending about an hour and saving 35%.
