Frugal living tip 2: Coupon clipping is for everyone

December 13, 2009 – 2:33 pm – No Comment

If you’ve ever read on the internet about my next tip, then you know that there are some out there who take it to the extreme. I want to make my tips for the everyday person.

So here’s tip number two:

Coupon clipping isn’t scary and it can be your best friend.

Alright, so this topic is kind of obvious, but I think that everyone should be reminded about this money saving tool whenever they can. I know that sometimes I can get waist deep in coupon clipping tips on the internet and just want to not use coupons at all, but then I wouldn’t be saving any money at any stores!

Using coupons does not have to be limited to the grocery store. When times get tough, a lot of restaurants and entertainment facilities start putting out and accepting coupons.

My very favorite place to get coupons is not the internet. I actually love the Sunday edition of the newspaper. Now, don’t get me wrong, before I shell out the $2 or so for the paper, I always check to see if there are coupons and if the coupons are worth the price of the paper. I typically come out not only recovering the cost of the paper, but actually saving up to $50 in groceries and other items.
My second favorite place to find coupons is online. Websites like CouponMom.com, Coupons.com, and CoolSavings.com. There are plenty of coupons available on these sites and they are updated frequently.

Here’s the thing about coupon clipping that you have to understand:

You won’t save ANY money if you start clipping and using coupons on items you don’t want or don’t need.

With that being said, just remember to always make sure that you’re clipping coupons for items you actually already use or could be substituted for an item you already use.

So now you have a stack of coupons, it looks pretty intimidating doesn’t it? Well, it doesn’t have to be. The best way to make sure those coupons get used instead of just becoming a stack of expired coupons is to organize them into the layout of the store you plan on using them. For example, I “could” use my coupons at Wal-mart, but there my favorite grocery store offers “double” coupons on some days. So, when I organize my coupons I lay them out according to where that item would be in the store and the path I would take to get to them.

I also have a small “coupon-organizer” that I can separate the coupons by aisle or type.

Coupon clipping may seem like a very small thing, but if you manage your time in the grocery store, organize your coupons, and (again) only clip the coupons for items that you will use, then coupon clipping can be one of the biggest parts of the frugal life. And you don’t have to have a doctorate to do it either…