My wife and I have been clipping coupons for a couple years now. Couponing has saved us thousands of dollars on things we would have bought anyway.
In fact, it’s hard to imagine going to the store week after week and paying full price for everything. There’s just too many easy ways to save using coupons.
With that being said, couponing can be difficult when you are first getting started. Today I have 12 tips for all the beginner and new couponers out there who are looking to start putting dollars back in their pockets.
1) Get the Sunday Newspaper
We’ve all heard at one time or another “no one reads the physical newspaper anymore.” My wife and I have been getting the Sunday newspaper for over two years now for one reason: coupons.
There will typically be anywhere from one to four coupon inserts in the Sunday newspaper, all loaded with coupons. The Sunday newspaper typically only costs about a dollar a week, including delivery. That means you really don’t have to save much to make it pay off.
2) Find Coupons Online
While the Sunday newspaper is easily the best place to find coupons, there are also a ton of coupons available online. The main site that we use is coupons.com. Coupons.com makes it easy to select the coupons you like and print only those coupons. Really user-friendly.
I also really like Target’s coupons. There’s always a wide range of coupons and you can use them with manufacturer coupons as well (more on that later).
Another great source of coupons online is Groupon. Check out Groupon Coupons for deals on stores like JC Penney and Kohl’s.
3) Keep Your Coupons Organized
Once you have more than thirty or forty coupons it becomes difficult and frustrating to keep your coupons straight. I created a coupon database system that makes it really easy to view what coupons you have for certain brands and categories. Check out my Excel Coupon Database if you are interested (it’s also my ‘most pinned’ post I’ve ever written!).
4) Match Coupons with Deals
When it comes to couponing the real savings happen when you match coupons with deals. Say you have a coupon for $1 off Crest toothpaste. That toothpaste may go on sale from $3 to $1.50. If you use your coupon to purchase the toothpaste when it’s $1.50 you are only paying $0.50 for toothpaste – a true savings of $2.50 or 83%.
This leads me to another reason getting the Sunday newspaper is a good idea: you can look at all the weekly ads that show what products are discounted that week.
5) Check the Clearance Sections
One thing my wife does well is check the clearance section or “end caps” at Target for products that have been deeply discounted. If you have a coupon for one of these products you can get them for very cheap.
For example, sometimes companies like Air Wick have seasonal products that will be deeply discounted once the season is over. If you time it right you can get these products for very cheap when you purchase them with a coupon.
6) Know – and take advantage of – Store Coupon Policies
Knowing store coupon policies can make a big difference as far as how successful you are at couponing. A couple examples:
- Double Days – Rainbow grocery stores sometimes have double days where they will double manufacturer coupons. Keep in mind that this comes with it’s restrictions. Rainbow requires the total transaction price to be $25 before coupons are factored in and only allows 5 manufacturer coupons to be doubled per transaction.
- Stacking Coupons – When purchasing a product, Target allows you to use both a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon. Since Target is pretty good about having store coupons this can result in some big savings, especially if you take advantage of things like Cart Wheel and 5% savings from using a Red Card.
The takewaway here: know the coupon policy before you head to the store.
7) Don’t Be Afraid to Stockpile
Some people get a bad feeling when they hear about couponers stockpiling. Just because some people fill their garage with stuff they don’t need doesn’t mean you can’t be a ‘practical’ stockpiler.
One example where this might make sense is pop (or soda for a majority of you). The cheapest price you can usually get a 12-pack for is $2. This doesn’t happen very often, maybe only once every 3 or 4 months (or longer). When it does, it makes sense to buy a large quantity and store it in your basement, garage, pantry, etc.
The same can be said for similar rock-bottom discounts that typically only happen once in a great while.
8) Use Social Media
When it comes to couponing, you may find some unexpected savings when you use social media.
I once heard about a 2-day sale at a specific Puma store at a specific mall near our house from a tweet on the mall’s twitter account. It was a big one: 50% off one item, with basically no restrictions. Both my wife and I got new Pumas for a fraction of what we would have paid if I hadn’t randomly came across the tweet.
Additionally you will find other random savings, such as $25 off your $50 order at Sport’s Authority on your first visit (it only ran for a short period of time – such a great deal). I even got free cheese bread at a pizza place just for checking in!
9) Subscribe to Email Lists
Some people don’t like signing up for email lists because it can come with a lot of annoying and worthless emails. If you can get past that, though, there is some real savings to be had from signing up for manufacturer and store emails.
For example, my wife and I take allergy medicine. This obvoiusly is a regular expense that we love to decrease whenever possible. If you sign up for the Allegra email list you will get an email every month or so with a $2 – $5 coupon. That adds up over time.
Besides coupons you will also be alerted of sales and other special deal, like Buy One Get One (BOGO) deals at coffee shops.
10) It’s the % you save that matters, not the dollar amount
It’s important to not get too wrapped up in how much you save in dollar terms. It’s great to save $100, but not if you spent $2,000. If you saved $100 off of a $250 grocery bill, though, that’s some significant savings.
Simple lesson here: calculate the percentage you saved off your bill, not the dollar amount. Even though dollar savings always sounds more impressive ;)
11) Couponing isn’t just for groceries
When it comes to couponing groceries are stressed quite a bit, and it makes sense. The money most families spend on groceries is both material and consistent. If you can cut down the amount of money you spend on groceries it will inevitably have a positive impact on your finances.
But couponing isn’t just for groceries: household goods, restaurants, entertainment…the things you can save money on by couponing is essentially endless.
One unique couponing ‘hack’ my wife uses is for the craft/home store Michael’s. Michael’s freely and often gives out “40% off one item” coupons. What does my wife do? She stops in at Michael’s to get one item. She does this consistently and over time has saved a ton of money. She bought quite a bit of stuff there for our wedding and it was all 40% off – that’s some serious savings (did I mention weddings are expensive?).
12) Practice Makes Perfect
This may be the most important tip on this list. It’s very easy to get discouraged when you first start couponing. It’s important to realize that you will get better at using coupons over time and there definitely is a learning curve.
Remember, no one coupon is going to have a huge impact. But when you take into account all the coupons you use each month you will save thousands of dollars.
Do you coupon? Any tips and tricks to add to the list?
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Photo by Carol Pyles
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I am a couponer…like most, you start out addicted and then eventually learn to keep it in check. Ha ha! Couponing has actually been a ton of fun for my household and we have been able to donate a TON to local nonprofits.
My biggest tip: let someone else do the work for you. If you shop at Target, visit Totally Target for instructions on how to match up your coupons. For grocery and drug store, do a quick Google search for a coupon blogger in your area.
Otherwise, you have to figure out how to jump through all the magic hoops on your own…by the time you are done, you won’t want to visit the store.
Catina :-)
We do a little, here and there. We will on groceries if we can get our hands on the flier for the given store. Other than that, we have too many other things going on and find that most of what we find isn’t for stuff we usually buy anyway. That said, I always look for some sort of coupon or special when buying stuff online. It’s usually fairly easy to find one, especially if it’s for a big retailer.
Sunday paper is still the best bet. I do like the national inserts that come with it. In Hawaii we don’t have double or triple coupon days like you guys have.
The thing I like to remember (and I just wrote this comment somewhere else this morning too) is that it’s not a sale if you weren’t already going to buy that item. Otherwise, it’s COSTING you money. So, I usually follow one of two methods: 1.) I only cut coupons for things that were on my list already, or 2.) if I find a great coupon I swap it with something similar that is already on the list. You can’t just use coupons, you have to use them “correctly.” :)
Nice! I don’t coupon as much as I used to. I no longer have the time. It is awesome and addicting though. Maybe one day I will have the time to do it again!
I generally use the coupons that Target gives out at the register. I also use their mobile coupons. I just signed up for Cartwheel but not sure how that works. And I always love when I can stack a manufacturer’s coupon with a store coupon.
I mostly use the coupons given at the register too because it’s for stuff that I always buy. Occasionally I will clip coupons from the paper but I’m finding it difficult because there are not too many for the items that I purchase. I will check out coupons.com
This is a great resource DC!! I always have to remember that coupons are not just for groceries. I have been guilty of buying personal items like body wash or deodorant and paying full price when there is probably a coupon out there for something like that.
Great info here DC! Love the Excel database. My big issue is time. How do you plan this in your schedule to find the coupons you need? Seems like when I was doing coupons before it took me forever and I wasn’t getting much benefit from it.
I’m not very good at looking for coupons for the brick and mortar stores I visit but when I shop online, I typically do a quick search to see if there are any online coupons I can use. It sounds like you and Victoria have a good system in place and it has definitely saved you guys some money. I think when it’s done right and consistently, it can really make a difference.
I’m curious: What’s your best haul or best shopping trip ever as a result of these couponing efforts?
Catina That’s the one thing people don’t think about when they criticize extreme couponers. You can donate a TON to nonprofits if you are able to get a significant amount of good for free or reduced prices.
I second you about following coupon bloggers. It’s a full-time job to figure out the best deals/coupons to match up and what items are the absolute lowest prices for a given week. We have a great one here in Minnesota (Pocket Your Dollars) that my wife and I follow.
FrugalRules I saved about $18 last night on a $42 order from a coupon code! Love them. I also understand that couponing can be time consuming. If you have other priorities sometimes it doesn’t make sense. If you don’t have a side hustle, though, I think it’s a very productive use of your time. Even if you do have a side hustle you can sometimes coupon and spend less than an hour (or sometimes 2) on it per week.
Charles@gettingarichlifeI suppose in Hawaii they have to keep their prices locked down a bit more. I can only imagine that some things are expensive to get to the islands. Double coupon days are actually a bit rare here because I think people are really getting good at maximizing their savings. I agree with you about the Sunday inserts. You really can’t beat them.
DebtChroniclesGreat point! My wife and I cut a lot of coupons and get them in our database, but we also end up throwing quite a few away. It’s hard to know if you will need, say, ketchup in a couple months. So we clip the coupon anyway and if we need to use it, great, if not, we only lost 20 seconds of our life.
Holly at ClubThriftyYeah it seems like you have a lot going on! I think it’s important to recognize that couponing is almost a side hustle in and of itself, and sometimes if you are too busy with other side hustles and priorities you won’t be able to participate. That’s not always a bad thing, it’s just a lifestyle variable that comes into play.
Andrew LivingRichCheaplyOh Cartwheel. Target seems to really be pushing it, even encouraging employees to use and promote it. I suppose it’s because it gets you in the habit of using your mobile phone during your shopping experience, data collection, and I’m assuming trying to point out other discounted products that they should consider purchasing. My wife uses it and has saved a couple hundred I think.
blonde_financeThanks Shannon! I was pretty proud of this post, not gonna lie. There is definitely a ton of savings to be had on a wide variety of products.
Brian @ Luke1428Thanks Brian! I’m not sure I 100% understand your question, but I think updating the coupon database once a week with the Sunday clippings + online coupons is the most efficient way to go. Making a habit of it makes it easier. Then, each week (or twice a week) when you go to the store you simply need to make your list and search by ‘type’ of product – i.e. cereal – and see what coupons are relevant.
Using coupons isn’t “easy” per se but it is effective long-term, that’s for sure.
ShannonRyanI saved almost $20 on a shirt yesterday using a coupon code (and that was after a 35% off promotion that was going on)! I was pretty happy with myself. I agree with you that if done consistently it can make a big difference.
MyMoneyDesignOh that’s a great question! I think both my wife and I don’t pay a ton of attention to each individual deal so nothing really stands out. I remember my wife texting me something while i was at poker night about her getting a ridiculous deal on a big haul at Target. Like, spending $40 or $50 on stuff that should have cost $200 or so. I think that was one of the best deals. But yeah we are more about consistently saving money when we shop because it’s the long-term savings that matter imo.
I like your excel coupon system :-) Coupons aren’t nearly as valuable here in Canada and are almost exclusively for processed foods that we don’t. Occasionally I will spot one for food that we do eat, but I don’t spend time scouring anymore (I used them more when I worked part time), because the savings/time tradeoff just isn’t there for me.
We’re not couponers and probably won’t take the plunge, but I have an appreciation and curiosity for the approach: much like I do with dividend stock investors. I like seeing how other families are getting ahead financially, even when it’s not with our strategy.
Ugifter It’s interesting how it varies by country. I know in the UK coupons are very rare as well.
DonebyForty Couponing is one of those things where you either need to be committed to learning how to save money consistently in the most time efficient manner possible, or just forget about it altogether. There’s a pretty steep learning curve imo but once you know what you’re doing it becomes relatively easy to save a hundreds – and then thousands – over time.
I remember being shocked and amazed when I first started couponing that you could stack a manufacturers coupon with a store coupon and use 2 coupons on one item. I also never knew that some grocery stores double coupons (my local shoprite doubles anything $0.75 and under, making a $0.50 coupon worth a buck).
StudentDebtSurvivor That’s pretty awesome that they double anything .75 and under! There is only one grocery store here that doubles coupons and there are a ton of restrictions, though if you plan it right you can still get some great deals.
I don’t like to clip and stockpile, but I do love following my favorite brands on social media so I can snag the online promos when they come up.
Good primer on coupons. I would add to ask if they will still honor the coupon if it’s expired. I don’t think that works at the grocery store, but we were able to save $5 with an expired coupon for a hair cut last week. You never know until you ask.
DC @ Young Adult Money Catina Carrie is great!
Wow that is an awful lot on coupons, now you can afford to have those morning coffees ;) haha…
what are your thoughts on Rohit Sethi’s focusing on the big wins, rather than saving $10 here or $5 there?
I’m divided and also feel that by focusing on saving (although I am a big saver myself) through coupons you may fall into that mindset of saving rather than have an abundant mindset, deep for a PF blog I know :O ha
Great tips, DC! I’ve shied away from couponing just because we don’t buy a ton of processed food or store bought cleaning supplies, etc. I really should research it more, though. I’ll bet I could find some good deals if I looked hard enough.
mycareercrusadeI would argue it’s short-sighted to think you can’t do both. Plus, with couponing you typically want to save more than $5 or $10. You want to consistently save 25-50% of the purchase price. Depending on how much your expenses are, saving a few grand a year isn’t unrealistic.
EyesonthedollarGreat tip, Kim! There is one specific grocery store by us that honors expired coupons for up to a month. They don’t allow you to stack with store coupons, though.
brokeandbeauWe saved about $100 from a random coupon/promo I saw online once. I still can’t believe we got 50% off Pumas because I randomly saw that tweet.
Laurie TheFrugalFarmerI hear you and I LOVE the non-processed food coupons that I find. Definitely not as easy but when you find them it’s exciting.
No matter how hard I try, I still can’t get into extreme couponing. We use them to buy things like toiletries, but since a lot of our cooking has moved towards natural/organic/unprocessed foods (thanks to my wife), the food coupons really don’t help us out too much. But, anytime we get shampoo or toothpaste for $0.25 or so, it’s so rad. I love saving money so I really should try harder at it. Thanks for the tips DC.
ImpersonalFinance Well, I wouldn’t recommend extreme couponing. That’s a full-time job for sure. It is difficult to get into it, though, because of the learning curve including some of the secrets of how to do it efficiently.
Now you’re walking on my side of the street brotha! Not a fan of your favorite coupon site but I’ll let it slide this time. :)
Couponing is hard to do in places like NYC where no grocery stores ever do that doubling or tripling. Plus, as I get products that are more likely to have coupons at Costco since local grocery stores are not necessarily cheap, I can’t get a use for them. I do love Dunkin’ Donuts coupons though and always look for those.
Kyle James Haha I should have clarified in that section that I meant coupons that you can print! Your site is great for online coupon codes, though.
Tara ZeeThere are definitely locations where coupons are less useful or not useful at all. I love coupons for coffee shops and other places like that. Makes me feel better about picking up food/drinks instead of making them at home.
As far as I remember I only uses 2 coupons that’s for one fast food chain and one from hair and spa. I only use them occasionally, but I have my loyalty card with me. And yes, when I ordered my daughter’s bag through online I used my coupon so I did saved less.
DC @ Young Adult Money mycareercrusade A few days behind here but I’d say aussies are right ;) haha..
Yeah that does sound awesome, have you heard any Aussie couponers experiences?
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