Getting Started

If you are new to couponing you will want to read this section about getting started.

*First thing you want to do is sign up for a newspaper deal where you can get multiple Sunday papers for a discount. Most newspapers offer some kind of "coupon" or Sunday deal. If you live in the Treasure Valley click here to see the Stretching Your Dollar$ deal.

*You will want to put together a coupon binder to keep your coupons in. Go here to see how I organize my binder. There are several ways to store your coupons, this is the way that works best for me and my busy lifestyle. (It only takes me 1-2 hours max to pull my inserts, cut my coupons, and file them in my binder each week. Then they are ready to go in my binder whenever I go shopping or find a great deal.)

*Make sure you print the Coupon Policies of all the stores you shop at and keep them in your binder. If you have them with you in your binder you can refer to them if you run into any problems at the store. You can find the list of Coupon Policies here.

*To find the best deals each week browse your favorite coupon sites. There are lots of free sites available that list the coupon match-ups and best weekly deals. By doing this you will save lots of time. I list links to the best deals and match-ups each week. Here are a list of sites that I follow...
-QueenBeeCoupons, HappyMoneySaver, Growing Up Natural (for organic/healthy deals), and Hip2Save   (There are a few more sites I check out depending on what store I will be shopping at. You will find those sites under the Store Guide/Coupon Policies Tab or you can click here and scroll down to Store Guides.)

*Make/print your shopping list. Print or gather the coupons you will be using and paperclip them to your list. This saves a lot of time and makes checkout go faster. If you are using doublers make sure you put your doubler and coupon on each item, this makes it easier for the cashier and will help speed a long your checkout process.

*If you have kids try to do your shopping without them. I try to go shopping early in the morning or late at night when my kids are sleeping. Walmart usually stocks their shelves from 10pm-5am so it is the perfect time to shop at their store, especially if you are using coupons.

*Please remember to be honest when using coupons and to be courteous to fellow couponers and cashiers. If you are planning on purchasing several of the same item make sure to call you store and place an order so you are not clearing the shelves.