Saving money through coupons

In the last few months as the paychecks don't stretch as far as you would like I've been using more and more coupons. These little pieces of paper have helped me extended my money when shopping for groceries each week. Not that it came easy. The first couple of weeks I cut them out I didn't see a lot of return for the hour or so it took me (cut, organize etc.). I may have saved a few bucks here or there. That is when I turned to the Internet. Coupon saving 101 is what I needed and there were plenty of websites available to help.

Going online to the different parent websites available gave me ideas, helped explain the cycle most grocery stores & coupons go through and guidance on how to organize it all before my weekly trip. It wasn't long before I started to see the coupon light. I'd like to share some of those with you.

1) Clip the coupons out of the Sunday paper. Buy two or three extra copies if it is a good week for coupons. Pair up with a friend or family member to share the coupons in the paper that you wouldn't use. This is a great way to stockpile your coupons.

2) Get organized! The best advice I found online was from a mom who organized her coupons inside a binder with baseball card holders. This works great! You can flip through the book and not have to rumage through a big pile of coupons. Nothing aggrivates me more than to buy something only to find the coupons later that day in the back of the pile. Using the binder with clear baseball card holder allow you to see all your coupons quickly. It does take some work to maintain (expiration dates) but it is worth it. Plus if you are like me the holders are great for the multiple copies of coupons. I try to find as many copies of the products I use so I can either stock up on the item or take advantage of the buy one get one free deals.

3) Look online. Printing coupons is another great way to find the coupons you are going to use for your family. Many of the manufacturers websites offer promotional coupons. All it takes is a few minutes looking websites to see if any are available.

If you don't think you can save with coupons and watching store circulars you are wrong. Just this week I saved over $150.00. Friday night I went to Meijer and took advantage of the BOGO offers. Then on Sunday I went back and took advantage of the buy 10 items get the 11th for free. Between the two days of shopping, coupons and instore savings I spent $250.00 and saved $150.00. Not bad for a mom on a budget!