Times are tight right now but even when they’re not, everyone loves to save money. If you’re looking to save on your grocery bills and still have some money in your pocket after you check out at the register, then it may be worthwhile to learn how to save with coupons.
Coupon clipping has come a long way and it’s not like it was when your mother or grandmother clipped coupons. There’s even a popular television show called Extreme Couponing , but you really don’t have to go to extremes to save money with coupons. Your Sunday paper, grocery store flyers, and websites on the internet where you can get printable manufacturer coupons are all you really need to get you started.
Most people avoid using coupons because they believe finding them and clipping them takes hours and is a waste of time. However, once you start using coupons and start saving money, you’ll understand why couponing has become so popular.
Sunday Coupons And More
One of the best places to find free manufacturer coupons is in the Sunday paper. That’s why they’re called “Sunday coupons.” Not only does your local Sunday paper have an insert with free manufacturer coupons, but it should also have flyers with advertisements for the weekly sales taking place at your local grocery stores and retailers. Combining coupons with sales helps you to save even more money!
You can also find printable manufacture coupons online at a number of couponing websites, and not just for groceries. Proctor and Gamble coupons as well as other home goods coupons can also be printed from couponing websites.
Aside from checking the sales flyers and using coupons, signing up for the rewards cards offered by supermarkets and retail stores will help you to save even more. Many times supermarkets or other stores run sales that are only valid for those who use their membership or rewards cards, and you can typically get cards that are small enough to put on your key chain, making them handy and easy to use.
Following The Sales Cycles
Following the sales cycles can help you further reduce your weekly grocery bill. Sales cycles are when certain products go on sale then hit their lowest price and then go up again. For example, peanut butter may be at its usual price one week and then go on sale the next week for fifty cents off. Then the following week the sale may be buy one, get one free. When you follow the sales cycles and then use your coupons when products are at their lowest price, you save even more.
If you stockpile, you increase your savings further. Stockpiling is buying more than you actually need in a given week or time period. So, using our peanut butter example, if you by four jars when they’re on sale for buy one, get one free, you’ll have more than enough to last you until the next time peanut butter hits its lowest price. And, if you use your peanut butter coupons during the buy one get one sale, you should be able to get the peanut butter dirt cheap.
Learning How To Save With Coupons
Learning how to save with coupons is really not difficult at all. It only takes a little bit of time to master the system and it’s well worth the effort. Once you get started, you’ll become more experienced at finding the best coupons and sales. It’s also a good idea to keep track of your savings initially to get a better idea of just how much you’re actually saving.
Suggested Reading
One of the best books we’ve come across that teaches you how to do couponing and how to follow the sales cycles, combine them with coupons, and save a bundle is Mega Couponing. Written in a light-hearted manner that is easy to follow and understand, Mega Couponing will have you couponing like an expert in no time at all. And there are plenty of resources at the end of the book that will guide you to the best coupon sites online so you can find the coupons you need to stock up and save.
In this day and age, who doesn’t want to save money any way they can? Give couponing a shot and you will be pleasantly surprised to see just how much your savings add up over a short period of time!