Getting Started

We have had a couple of emails asking questions like "What is couponing? What do you do? Can you tell me more about this?" So here goes....

The first thing you have to do to start couponing and saving lots of money is..GET COUPONS! Coupons come in the Sunday Newspaper. You can get great Savvy Shopper Deals on Sunday Newspapers here in Utah. Just check out our other post to find out info about ordering the paper. There are 3 inserts that come in the Sunday Newspaper that have coupons.

1. Proctor & Gambler (PG) This only comes once a month on the first Sunday of the month

2. SmartSource (SS)

3. Red Plum (RP)

The RP and SS usually come every week except for holidays but here is a scheldule of all the inserts for the whole year.

After you start recieving coupons you can start saving money. Some people clip all their coupons and put them into an oraganized coupon binder, while others prefer to leave them in the inserts with the date written on them and file them; only cutting out what they need each time. YOu will find a coupon clipping method that works best for you!

Now is the time you will start shopping (saving!). The best way to coupon shop is to find items that are on sale, and match them with a coupon to get the LOWEST price! Alot of times this will make brand name items WAY cheaper then generics. You can use websites like ours and others to help you find the best deals. On our website we list the item and its price on sale, then below it we list the coupon to combine. We always put the date of the insert (newspaper) and which insert (PG, RP, SS) and then the Final price (price that you pay.) There are also other websites that do this for you as well. Here is a link to Grocery Smarts (utah). Each week Grocery Smarts puts all the stores ads up with their sale price, coupon, and Final price. It is very resourceful to find good deals this way.

Other things to watch for are Promotions and Catalina's. Promotions can vary but are usually where you must buy so many of certain items to get some money off or back. Albertsons usually has these. These are also listed on Grocery Smarts and can be combined with coupons as well. So then you may buy 10 items and get 5.00 off instantly but you also use your coupons to buy those items giving you an extra bonus. Catalinas are coupons that print at the end of your transactions. So for example there may be a catalina that requires you to buy 3 boxes of mac and cheese to get $2 off your next purchase. If you buy the mac and cheese, then a $2 coupon will print after you pay. Catalinas are good on your NEXT transactions. Pinching your pennies keeps a list in their forums of all the current catalina deals.

I know this may sound a little overwhelming and even confusing but it comes quick. Feel free to ask any questions. We are always willing to help, and hope that this helps someone out a little bit. I promise you will catch on and become a proffessional couponer in no time!