Couponing 101

I have only been couponing for just over a month. My mom saw a tv segment and then she set me in the direction to find out what was going on. Between my sister and myself, we did some research to see how we could save all the money that everyone else was saving. I set a goal to save $50 that month....to me, that would be worth my time and effort. Ok....so, I saved $50 in my first shopping visit!!!! How do you do it? FIRST, get organized.....there are many ways to organize your coupons from shoeboxes to accordian files. I am going to share with you what I use and it is up to you if you want to try it or not. I use what they call a "binder" method. I wanted something that I could put in my purse, so I chose a 5x7 size. In this binder I have dividers that are labeled such as: beverages, snacks, cereals, canned goods, hygiene, paper products, health and nutrition, baby products, pets, dairy........you get the idea. After each divider, there is a plastic holder that is two sided and I can slide my coupons into. I found this to be much easier than an accordian file when I was in the store looking for a particular coupon.
SECOND, clip EVERY coupon that you come across, even if you don't think you will use it in a million years!!! There are the occasional deals that will pop up where you can make money (ex: the Robitussin deal that I posted about earlier). Also, you can always stick them into an envelope marked "Trade" and you can trade these with other couponers that can use them. Some coupons may be for a free can of cat food......what if you don't have a cat? It's FREE......get it and donate it to the Humane Society or shelter or someone that you know that does have a cat.
That should give you a start to being on your way to saving money. Watch this Sunday's paper since there are supposed to be 4 coupon inserts. Don't let your family, friends, co-workers throw out their coupons!!!!