Couponing 101... Get your Supplies Ready

Everyone always asks me To teach them How to Coupon..... My response is that it is really VERY| simple.

First and foremost decide what stores you will be shopping at.. It's good to plan on using all the stores in your area at first, then check matchups to determine which stores are worth shopping at.

Once You determine the stores... Look up their store Coupon  policies on google (ie: Roundy's Coupon policy) then print a copy.

What I did was Bought Cheap Paper folders and labeled each with the store name, and put the store coupon Policy and Number for Cooperate inside. This way if there are any issues what so ever, you can show them there own policy or call cooperate if they Violate their own policy. I will try to add a list of links to these Policies as well as the corporate numbers.

The next thing you need to do is Have a printer with a LOT of Ink and Paper.. Most of the coupons I use are printable.

If you have extra computers, that will benefit you tremendously, you can only print 2 copies of most online coupons per Computer, this can make it very hard to build a stockpile with only one computer. If you do only have one computer, try printing at the library, Most have SEVERAL computers, allowing you to get a LOT of coupons. If you cant use the Library, You can always enlist a couple friends to print for you.. Offer them Free goodies in trade!

Then you need Coupon Inserts.... and Lots of them... Sure most will go unused (unused Coupons can be donated to Overseas Military Families who are able to use them for 6 months after they expire..I'll provide more info on that later), but these are where most of the best coupons are found... and you can get the Best Freebies and Moneymakers.... I Try to get anywhere from 8-21 copies of the paper, You can do this buy buying them (which will make it hard to save money), going to local Hospitals , hotels, and Fast food places and collecting their inserts, asking the Newspaper if you can buy inserts at a discounted rate, digging through recycling bins, asking friends for coupons, or even choosing a church that you will donate your Free, unwanted items to as many are willing to collect Coupons from their Congregations to help you out.

If you are unable to do any of the above to get Higher quantities of papers, you can  Pick up inserts or coupons online at a cheap, not free, rate through places like ebay.

A lot of people will tell you the next step is Binders... afterall where are you going to house and organize this vast amount of coupons your amassing???

First Of all, Here are the Reasons I DO NOT use a Binder...

Every week you have to sit and clip massive quantities of coupons, and organize them into the binder.

No matter what sleeves you use in your Binder, Coupons will fall out as you flip through.

They are heavy, Bulky and awkward and it is NO fun standing in the store Trying to Balance a 20+ pound Binder while flipping through 50 Pages Of Insert Sleeves!!

Those things ,alone, do in about 30 % of the newbies......

So Here is what you SHOULD do...

I separate all my inserts out each week and Put them into Folders ( the same Cheap ones I use for my store policies etc) Each Folder get labeled with the date and Type of insert (ie Smart Source ETc), then I Take and place those Folders into a Milkcrate Labeled with the month. So all of my inserts are easily located. I store all my Crates on a shelving unit in order by Month. I DO NOT clip the coupons until they are needed saving me at least an hour each week in work.... How do I know what coupons I might need?? MATCHUPS........ The Holy Grail Of Couponing....

Without Matchups, Most Couponers would be left scratching their heads..... What's a Matchup you ask??? Well it's simple!! A matchup is a List of Coupon s Tailored to get you the best deals at the stores you shop at. I list several matchups weekly, But If you do not see the store you want simply go to google and type in the the word matchup, the store name and that Sunday's date ( ie, Pick n Save Matchup 12 /11)

Once you have the matchups for your area stores, you can use them to make a list of the deals you will be getting. The matchups will tell you if a printable coupon is available and will link you to it, and will also tell you what inserts coupons you need can be found in. Print The Matchup List and any Printable coupons and place them into the store Folders you made Containing the Store Policy and Corporate Number. Then Go to your Coupon Insert Folders and Clip the Coupons you will need for that week and place them into the corresponding Store Folders. Now your Good to go.....

Hey Wait???? How do I know which Items To Buy and what to pass on......

Well my Basic rules are If an Item is Free, under $1.00 Or something I use regularly that is giving me at least 50% off I buy it. Get ANY Freebies you can because even if you can't use them, this is your chance to make a positive impact on the world around you.. DONATE THEM!! Couponing can be just as much about helping others as it is about helping yourself!!

If You are Not Sure what Charity to donate to Here are a few Suggestions.....

The Boys and Girls Club- Most Boys and Girls Club accept Personal Hygiene items For impoverished kids

Toys for Tots- Toys, and games  (YES you can Find these FREE)

Community Clothes Closets and Coats For kids- You can donate any free Clothing you do not need to these organization... Target is a great Place to score FREE clothes

Domestic Abuse Shelters- These organization are often looking for any donations they can find....

The Humane Society- This is a great place to donate all your unneeded Pet Related Freebies

Here are 3 sites that can assist you in sending out expired coupons:

• Support our Troops

• OCP (overseas coupon program)

• Coupons to Troops

Tips for sending your expired coupons:

Clip Coupons: Your coupons will need to be cut.  Due to the bulk of coupons received, whole inserts will most likely be thrown into be recycled.  So be sure to clip then before you mail them.

Divide the Coupons: Separate the coupons into 2 plastic bags and label them.  They should be labeled:

• Food
• Non-Food (including dog food)

What Not to Send:

• Do not send Internet coupons (if sending to Coupons to Troops above)
• Do not send milk coupons
• Vitamins, Hair Colors and cosmetics coupons are not in high demand
• Do not send store specific coupons
• Do not send coupons that are ripped or have the expiration date cut off
• Do not send coupons that are more then 30 days past their due date due.  This allows enough time for shipping and processing before the coupon reaches the 6 month point.

Ok Lastly Stockpiling......

Rule 1-  DONT CLEAR THE SHELF at the store, Preorder the items and quantities from your store so they have them ready if you can, If not please leave some items for other customers.

Rule 2-  Only stockpile what you can REASONABLY use in a 2 year period of time, or before the item expires

Ok enough rules..... The first thing you need to do is find room to stockpile your item... It's best to find a singular location so you do not have stuff in every room in your house. I found space in our basement.

You will need shelves and drawers to house your stockpile... You can locate these at thrift stores, Rummage sales and sometimes even on the curb.... Ours where in our kids room, we bought them nice wood bookshelves when they where on sale dirt cheap, and took the plastic shelves for the Stockpile. Try to stockpile like items on shelves together and make sure to always rotate items to avoid things expiring.....

Now you are Ready to Shop!!!