I Need Some Help with Coupons ...any Ideas?

Yes,my cousin does this website and she swears by it. crazycouponlady.com There is a tab on there for beginners and it is extremely helpful. You will not be disappointed. This is the best website I have seen thus far. Good Luck Doll!

I only clip coupons for stuff we use and like.

I also like www.couponmom.com which matches coupons with your local store's weekly sales, so you can use the coupon at the best time for highest savings. It's free.

I agree with the meal planning and shopping from a list for what you need for the entire week. I save so much when I do that!

Yes, it can be overwhelming and yes, you'll want to cut coupons that you think you'd actually use. I've stayed away from the binder as for me it is just too big and bulky. Many like it. I do not. I found a regular coupon holder that has a wider bottom and dividers, made of heavy polyester and I could pick the labels I wanted and added them to the dividers.

The problem is finding the coupons. Also, you want to start out slowly and only do what you're comfortable with and gradually do more as you get more accustomed to the different sites out there and the different store policies for couponing.

1. buy 2-3 Sunday papers every week to start. There are no coupons out on a holiday week for some reason. But be aware what is considered holidays. Mother's Day week did not have coupons. Father's Day week did, lol.

2. find what items you actually use often by making a list of what's in your pantry. Cereal is a big thing and laundry soap, etc. Then go to your computer and go to each web site for each item that you use or would use and sign up for their newsletters. They will send you recipes, new product info and sometimes coupons. If the items come from a large company like General Mills, Pillsbury, etc, you can go straight to those web sites as well. They will have on the bottom of the emails reminders to check out their monthly coupons. These will be a lot of emails so if you filter them into their own folder to avoid your main inbox it makes life easier!

3. join the many blogs out there that send out emails. Either the owner will send their own emails out with deals and coupon alerts, or the emails will be sent out containing other members alerts and their stories of how to save, etc. Again, filter into it's own folder called "Coupons".

4. go straight to online coupon sites and print just what you need. These sites will allow you a max of two prints per coupon. Each coupon printed off has it's own individual code so you cannot copy coupons. That is illegal since coupons is used as money. Many coupons that print individually seem like a waste of paper but come up with unique ideas on how to use the 2/3 of paper that is cut off. I save mine for the 6 year old triplets to use to write and color on. You can cut them down to smaller sizes and use as note pads. Print using black ink and adding color is more expensive. And if draft mode isn't too light use that as well to save on ink. As long as the computer register can scan your code it's good to go.

4. find stores with the best coupon policies. Driving a bit further for a store that doubles coupons is worth it. Most who double will go up to .99 so if you have a coupon for .75 off one item, you're actually going to get 1.50 off one item if the store doubles. That's where the savings starts. Beware that some stores will only double the first coupon or the first 4 and all the rest are face value, so know the store policies before shopping.

5. sign up for your local grocery stores web sites so they will send you their weekly ads so you can compare deals and know which store or two stores to hit. Many stores are doing more of the 10 for 10 deals. You don't have to buy 10 items unless stated but the price is low so if you add a coupon on to that you can get good deals. One time my local store was selling my favorite deodorant half off through a 10 for 10 deal. It was only $1 a bottle. I already had a few coupons to go with that. I didn't have to buy all 10 so I bought 6 because I had 3 coupons ($1 off 2) so I ended up paying .50 ea for 6 bottles of my favorite deodorant. My coupon didn't double because it was for $1 but that was a good deal for me to stock up on. I knew about the sale in advance because I got the store weekly flyer sent to my inbox.

6. sign up for ALL of your local grocery stores bonus cards, even if you don't normally shop there. You could be out and about and stop for milk and see a sale on something you know you have coupons for and pick up a few things while you're there. Most places have their sales in conjunction with their bonus cards so get the cards, add them to your key ring and be ready, just in case. Most you can go online and they will mail them to you. Some you have to actually go inside to sign up for. While you're there, see what's on sale.

7. Keep your coupons with you every time you go out, just in case. With binders that would be harder. My purse is a bit bigger to fit my coupon organizer so it's easier for me to take mine everywhere I go. When I stop at Walmart to pick something up I do a quick walk through in the grocery area and see what's on sale. Sometimes I can grab a few items while I'm there without making an extra trip and I have my coupons already with me.

8. consider buying a cutter rather than using scissors. It's the big board with the cutting blade like a mini version of they used in art class. It's about 12x12 size. I got mine at Walmart for $25. This truly helps me because after having the triplets they drained my calcium supply so my hands are the first things paying the price. Scissors were just killing my thumbs and we're not humans without our thumbs, lol. So the cutting board has saved me with all the cutting. I'm 45 and feeling 65, lol.

Take it one step at a time and be proud of the things that you do get on sale. You may have to change up what you eat to save money. I haven't eaten Hamburger Helper in years. I'm not a big fan extra for creamy tuna helper. But the rest of my family likes it. So I stocked up on a lot of boxes of that for .50 ea when they were doing the 10 for 10 deals and I had coupons on top of it. I'll make it for my 4 kids, they like it and me and hubby will make us a quick Philly Cheese Steak using Steak Ems I got on sale through BOGO. Whatever it takes to save some money.

Good luck!
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

I only cut coupons for things that I actually buy, that doesn't actually turn out to be that many to organize. I just put them in an envelope.

Giant Eagle has a way to 'load' coupons onto your store card. You can use both the GE card coupon and a clipped coupon on the same item. Similarly, you can use both a Target coupon and a manufacturer coupon on the same item. This can save a lot.

I also use couponmom.com and only print out the coupons I will actually use.

I don't find a lot of food that I use coupons for, but shampoo, diapers, toothpaste, etc, - I definitely save money on those things.

I have an accordion file and file the whole insert each week-- one week per pocket. Then I subscribe to www.thegrocerygame.com and each week it tells you what the sales are with the matching coupons. Only THEN do I clip the coupon. Works for me!

i find the best way to save money is to plan your meals, go shopping with a list and only buy what you need. clip coupons for the things you use or want to try (don't waste time clipping and storing coupons for stuff you don't use?). subscribe to coupon websites and print them out too.

We don't eat processed food but I still find great coupons for cleaning products, paper products, hygiene, dairy, frozen fruits and veggies and occasionally fresh veggies and meat too. I save about 15% at our commissary each time I go. It does take time. You have to go through the paper each week, plan your meals, make a good list and keep coupons organized. It probably takes me three hours a week but I save enough to make it worth it. Make sure you always get the first Sunday paper of the month because that one will have the most coupons. In the end there is no way around the work so you just have to decide whether or not it's worth it. You can check websites like couponmom.com or ezmeals.com for quick tips and ways to save more with less work.

I subscribe to the Krazy Coupon Lady newsletter (yes, it's Krazy with a 'K'), and 'like' them Facebook. And it's free so that even better. Websites to go: Raining Hot Coupons and Extremely Normal Couponing (all basically the same type of thing and free. Basically blogs and there are articles to read. Very helpful. I just spent about 3 hours clipping coupons and adding to my binder last night. My grocery store, Giant, has dollar doubler coupons this week so I need to go thru the circular (something I do every week) to see what is on sale that I have coupons for that will get me a great deal. If your grocery store doubles coupons, you can really get great deals. I never liked clipping coupons for brands I don't use, but I've found some amazing deals on those items and when I combined them with coupons, they were almost free (and in a few cases, were free). But, I don't bother clipping coupons for things I just plain don't use. I don't have time driving all over buying deals for things I won't use, even if they are free or a great deal. I have 2 small children so I'm not going to obsess about shopping. I like to stockpile on items I do use, like if pepsi cans are on sale (I generally don't have a coupon) but, I won't pat any more than 2.75 a case, so when I find them at that price or below, I will make a point to run to the store ( sometimes twice a week if there is a limit on what you can buy. There was just a sale on them at CVS that I didn't get in on because I have alot of soda and I need to watch for the dates on them diet soda doesn't keep as long as regular soda so since that is what I like, I can't keep to much on hand at one time. And I have alot of Cheerios too but am passing on deals for a while because I have no room for them. It takes time going thru all the circulars every week and pairing them with coupons, but I don't get crazy about it because I don't have time for it. Oh, also, on the Krazy Coupon Ladies website, scroll down near the bottom on the right side you'll see a graphic for their radio show. Every Friday at 10 am it's live, but you can listen to the podcasts at any time. I was listening to them last night since I missed a few episodes. The one from last week, they talk about saving money at grocery stores. Every week they focus on something else. If you never listened to them before, start with the first podcast. They are an hour long. You will like them.

I am not any help but am curious to see others answers. We don't eat any processed foods and I already get the best deals on the non-food items by buying the cheapest which turn out cheaper than more expensive brands with coupons, so I am curious what I am doing wrong, and how I can save with coupons as well. What I need are coupons for the cheapest non-food items and coupons for fresh veggies and fruit. We don't buy frozen either except for peas, so I really need a place to find the right coupons, because I know they are supposed to save money but I just can't find the ones I need.

Check out hip2save.com. You will get up-to-dates on new coupons and ways to stack them so it is less work for you. Yesterday I got free Pantene shampoo, Herbal Essence hairspray and Reach Floss. I also had a coupon for $1.50 off of the shower curtain my daughter wanted for her new apartment. Target has some great coupons on nonfood and food items on their website and you can use them along with manufacturer coupons so it can make out for some great deals. I have not paid more then $1.00 for toothpaste all year and sometimes I get it for free. I don't buy much in the way of prepared meals but I seem to use coupons every week on something.