Couponing Basics: Collecting your coupons

So this week we are focusing on starting to coupon or couponing basics. That's why I am giving away the Ultimate Coupon Starter Kit! So I thought that you might want to read this series on couponing basics. Even if you are "coupon pro" you might learn something that you didn't know or remind yourself of something that you forgot.

In this series, I will share everything you need to know to get started. Before you know it you'll be saving more than you ever thought possible! And I will also post my coupon savings total for last year and this year at the end of this series to help inspire you, so stay tuned!

Couponing Basics : Collecting your coupons

The first step in couponing is to collect coupons. You will want to collect as many coupons as you can get your hands on. Even if you find a coupon for something you don't normally buy, keep it anyway. As you get more into couponing, you'll find out that there are many times you can actually make money by purchasing certain items. There are many different sources where you can find coupons.

The Sunday paper

Every week (except for major holiday weekends) you will find coupon inserts in the Sunday paper. Here are a number of ways you can obtain the coupon inserts.

1. Pay for your own subscription.
2. Buy newspapers from the newstand (make sure you check to make sure the coupons are actually inside the paper.) In our town, they offer double packs of the Sunday paper - 1 paper is $2.00 and a double pack of 2 papers is $2.50. This makes the double pack a great deal!
3. Collect from friends and family who don't use their coupons.
4. Buy extras from a coupon clipping service such as The Coupon Clippers.
5. Buy whole coupon inserts from Coupons & Things by Dede.
6. Look in newspaper recycling bins. (Better known as dumpster diving! :) This is done in only newspaper recycle bins so you are nont having to deal with general garbage)

Write or call companies praising their product (or complaining if you have a legitimate complaint.) Very often they will send you coupons in appreciation for your feedback.

Look for coupons in the stores. You can often find blinkie machines, tearpads full of coupons, or peelies on product packages.

Print coupons from your own computer! On the left is a toolbar for coupons.com - that is the best place to print coupons. I also try to list printable (brick) coupons when I find them also. Other printable coupon sites are smartsource.com, and redplum.com. I also feature many newsletters from time to time like Right at Home, or Betty Crocker which will also allow you to print exclusive coupons from their site

Now that you know where to go to collect your coupons, watch for the next post in this series. I will share how to organize all of those coupons!