A few beginner tips...

These are just a few of my own tips that I have found to be extremely useful in couponing. Everything listed here is what I did when I started couponing. Everyone has their own 'way' of starting out and of doing things so my tips may differ from other couponing blogs. :)

#1: Meal Plan

: : : Plan out your meals, from breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I grocery shop every week so usually on Wednesday (when the new Walmart ad comes out) I start planning my meals. I base my meals off what is on sale and what I have coupons for. The first thing I do is check to see what is on sale that week, then I look at my coupons and match them up to the sale prices. Meal planning will make sure you buy exactly what you need. No more and no less. Don't worry about stockpiling right off the bat.

#2: Start Collecting Coupons
: : : There are several ways to get coupons. I think the most obvious would be to buy a Sunday paper. (I personally buy the Stillwater paper because the OKC & Tulsa papers never give me all the inserts.) This may sound crazy, but when I buy a paper I clip ALL the coupons. Yes, all of them and I save all of them. Of course there are lots of coupons in there for things I won't use, or things I wouldn't normally buy because of cost, BUT, you never know when you will find that item on clearance or on sale and be able to get it at a price you would pay for it, or for free. If it's not an item you would normally use you can donate it! You can also find printable coupons online. Don't have a printer? Many coupons offered on facebook by bricks.coupons.com you can have mailed to you! Neat, huh? Another way to get coupons is by ordering them from coupon clipping services. You pay for their time to clip and sort the coupons. This is especially handy when there is a coupon you want multiples of but don't want to buy a ton of papers.

#3: Organize Your Coupons
: : : Find a way to organize your coupons. A couple ideas would be a coupon organizer or a coupon binder. I use a binder with baseball card organizers. It may be bulky but I love it, I can see every single coupon I have without flipping through each individual coupon. I organize my coupons by type: Food, Household, Health & Beauty. Each of those categories has sub-categories (frozen foods, cereal, laundry, lotions, make up, etc.) It makes it really easy to find the coupon I need.

Once you start meal planning, collecting & organizing your coupons you should be ready to start. Here are a few more general tips:

•Always read each coupon you plan on using and follow the manufacturers instructions for use and check the expiration date. Misusing a coupon on purpose is coupon fraud. (Confused by the wording on one of your coupons? I'll have a post on that soon!)
•Know your stores coupon policy & carry a copy with you when you go shopping. You would be surprised how many cashiers or managers don't even know their own stores coupon policy!
•Get over your brand loyalty. You won't have as much success if you are only willing to buy certain brands. Don't be afraid to try new things. You don't have to give up everything, I understand some things just can't be replaced by another brand because nothing even comes close. It's okay to be that way on a few items...but if you refuse to try new brands you're not going to get far in the coupon world. Just my observation.
•One of my favorite quotes by an Extreme Couponer is "buy what you need, when you don't need it" This is how you stockpile. Example: We will always have a use for deodorant, so if  I can get it for free, or really cheap I am going to stock up. Even if we already have a couple sticks of deodorant at home it is still something we need and use so we buy it at it's rock bottom price, that way we don't run out (when it's *not* on sale) and be forced to pay full price. (More posts on stockpiling coming soon.)

This should get you started. Have any questions? Feel free to comment below and be on the lookout for more beginners tips, we'll be getting deeper and deeper into the world of couponing each day. :)