Coupon Starters! The what, why and how of starting! The baby coupon stage

MR. AND MRS...... CONGRATULATIONS.... IT'S A COUPONER!

Congratulations... today you were just born into a baby couponer. :) Happened to me too! I'm somewhat crawling but am still at the stage where I still don't know any better THUS the Novice Klutz part. Okay so let's get started!!!!

"CRAZY COUPON LADY"

Ok, so today I heard the term “crazy coupon lady” when I was checking out of a store after snagging a freebie... Not at me! Haha But it was in reference to a woman who gets things for pennies on the dollar or absolutely free. Here's the thing... Although I don't condone the name crazy coupon lady... I will soon be that “crazy coupon lady” to most of those people. BUT I'll be a “crazy coupon lady” that will be paying TONS less and getting things free so by all means, call us crazy!

SO WHAT DO I NEED FOR COUPON CLIPPING?

Things you'll need:

Your hand (obviously) or if you are lucky enough someone else's hand for you!

Scissors

Sunday Newspapers – more than one! (w/ the Red Plum Inserts. Sometimes you will find the P&G Saver inserts and SmartSource Inserts. Make sure there are inserts in the paper!)

The upcoming weeks grocery and store circulars (this normally is directed straight to your home about a week prior. If not, you can get them in Sunday's Newspaper)

A coupon organizer

A place to store coupons and inserts you are working on but haven't finished working with
Large Envelopes and Regular Envelopes

A pen

A calculator

and last but not least: TIME

NEWSPAPERS... THEY HAVE GOLDEN TICKETS!

Golden tickets? Yes! Each one of those inserts with coupons in a Newspaper is a Golden Ticket... to sales and free things beyond your wildest dreams! In order to do couponing, obviously you'll need coupons. This is a great great way of finding the latest week coupons. These coupon inserts hold coupons good until about a month from when you buy them, others are good for two months, some are only good for 2 weeks or less, and if you are REALLY luck you will get one lasting about 5 months!

In a Newspaper you can find Red Plum Inserts, P&G Saver inserts and SmartSource Inserts. Sometimes they are all there other times there's only one or two. When buying a newspaper it is ABSOLUTELY essential that you check the newspaper PRIOR to checkout for the inserts. There's nothing worse than driving home and looking for inserts only to realize – THEY AREN'T THERE.

When I started out coupon clipping I started with 2 Newspapers so that everything wasn't overwhelming. Think of it as a starter course. Get used to a few and progress up to more newspapers later when you get the hang of things.

ARE THERE MORE “GOLDEN TICKETS” OTHER THAN NEWSPAPERS?

The answer is YES. There are other ways of getting Manufacturer Coupons, which we will label: MFR, other than the paper.

AS A CONSUMER YOU HAVE POWER... AND POSSIBLY MORE MFR COUPONS!

Have you ever LOVED an item you bought? Or maybe you've hated an item? Or maybe you had a problem with an item? Why do I ask? There's power in being a consumer. Email or call the company and express your like or dislike for an item, or discuss a problem with them on a particular item you bought. A lot of companies want you to buy more from them and consider them for your business, with that said a lot are willing to give you coupons for the items. Manufacturers are AMAZING. They WANT you to give them business, and they make it possible with smart planning for you to get their items cheap or for free. All you have to do is know how to look for it, and what to do. Circulars and directly getting coupons from them are GODSENDS!

For instance, here's an example of a problem with an item:

I had a problem with Nestle White Premier Morsels, regardless of following instructions to a “T” I had a very hard time melting the morsels in the microwave like the bag claim. Instead they burned, and I was left without the gifts I was making with the morsels, but I WAS left with an item that didn't work and it was too late for me to go out and buy another brand. Clearly I was not very happy with the product. I ended up emailing Nestle's Customer Service explaining my problem gave them the UPC code of the item (whenever you have the item still at hand it's ALWAYS a good thing to make note of). I stated I was disappointed and just wanted to let them know my experience with them. I kept the email PROFESSIONAL, and EXPLANATORY. No need to be mean, there's a good amount of times the company will actually do what they can to help! So why be mean when you might have something nice done in return?! I received an email from Nestle about 2 days later apologizing and stating they were sending me coupons and a small recipe Nestle booklet in the mail. I got the promised booklet and coupons about 1-2 weeks later. It was a MFR coupon for a FREE Nestle Morsels bag of my choice up to 5.99 ( a 23-24 oz bag or smaller) so I got the damaged morsels back at no cost to me. AND $2.00 off my next Nestle purchase (I was able to get a 11.5 oz bag for only 99 cents!) Being a baker I could use this! So all in all I got an AMAZING result contacting the company. Needless to say: they made me happy and kept me as a returning customer by giving me a coupon ($2 MFR) towards another purchase. That's smart business!

Here's a compliment situation:

If any of you like Michelina's or frozen food items, you should know that this brand is not only cheap in price (typically only $1!!! and can be found in Walmart) it's TASTY! Well atleast I like to chow on it! I'm absolutely IN LOVE with Michelina's and am a serious buyer when it comes to them. I was sooo happy with Michelina's I contacted the company and let them know and asked to be on their coupon list. I was sent 2 MFR coupons for FREE ENTREES of Michelina's, my choice of entree! The coupons are good for the next 5 months (I got these coupons approx. in December). (Typically that's the best part, these direct MFR coupons tend to last for a few months. So wait for a good sale, and if it's FREE go get it whenever before the expiration!)

******************************FREE ENTREES ALERT********************************

For those of you reading that want to try Michelina's for FREE or like Michelina's and would like FREE ENTREES go to their site and let them know you'd like to be on their coupon list, compliment them on their entrees if you've had them. If you haven't let them know you are interested in trying their products due that you heard it was good and would like any coupons if they have them available. It's a good chance you will have 2 Free Entrees MFR coupons in your mailbox soon!

Here's there Customer Service direct link! (FOR THE TOPIC SELECT COUPON!)

http://www.michelinas.com/ContactUs.aspx

ONE PERSON = POWER WHEN IT COMES TO MANUFACTURERS

Play it smart! Know you are POWERFUL as a buyer. Almost as powerful as a Stock Holder – THINK about it. With out individuals like yourself the company can't prosper. “But I'm only one... so if I boycott the company and tell them I'm not happy and won't purchase from them again... so what? They won't care. One person isn't much to dent their company profits.” You're absolutely right. NOW 1 person who tells 3 people, who tells 5 people... 10...15...20... NOW you've started a dent OR started a chain of new customers. Word of mouth is what companies fear and love depending on what way you are swinging the pendulum. So believe it when I tell you ONE (you) = POWER.

OTHER COUPON LOCATIONS:

Think outside of the box when it comes to finding coupons! DOCTOR'S OFFICES have magazines! Magazines have... that's right COUPONS! At Doctor's offices you don't pay for the magazines SO you are getting coupons for FREE which = savings in your wallet. (Please only do this when you are going to see the doctor and are in the waiting room! hahaha Don't just randomly take a trip there to cut their coupons out hehehehe ) However if you have a favorite magazine you already subscribe to it might already come with some coupons, definitely check! Stores like Walgreens sometimes have a store coupon booklet available upon demand and while supplies last. Doesn't hurt to ask and check. There's amazing sales for those stores in the booklets!

KEEP ALL COUPONS! EVEN THE ONES YOU THINK YOU CAN'T PERSONALLY USE!

You never know when a good sale is going to hit and you can get the item for free or at a low price! So low you can't look it over! You may not use it but other people you know might! And don't get me started on DONATING. You can ALWAYS give it to those in need, they will ALWAYS use ANY items you can spare. Share the wealth of your couponing. That's my personal mantra. “What I can't use, someone might.” My goal going into this was NOT only to help my family but to help those around me and in need! Including animal shelters, homeless shelters, etc. I feel VERY VERY strongly about helping the homelessness, my heart goes out to those facing difficulties, and being a mother of a fluffy tuxedo furbaby, Xander, my animal shelter adopted male tux long hair cat (I choose to go to shelters than pet stores) – I feel strongly about helping animal shelters, my heart goes out to animals who are homeless in shelters. SO my personal reason for this is to help as many as I can, with the little that I have to give those with EVEN less more than they had previously. That is my goal and mantra. Make one for yourself as well. This will encourage you to not only benefit but to give back to the community and your friends and family! EVERYONE CAN BENEFIT FROM THE TIME YOU PUT OUT COUPONING!

ORGANIZATION IS KEY!

First things first, there are MANY ways of organizing coupons. What works for me may not work for you, so find what you find easiest and go with it!

I suggest a shoe box of a regular to large size. The reason for this is that you can keep all of your coupon inserts and coupons that you are working on in there, as well as store circulars for the week, scissors and pens.

Personally, I tend to cut all of my coupons and put it into a large envelope (yes all mixed in together). Then I divide them all into categories (all the dairy in one pile, beauty supplies in another, etc). The reason I do it this way is to familiarize myself with all the coupons I cut, I tend to make little mental notes of all the items.

I've read and seen others online that cut coupons and place them into piles directly after they cut the one coupon. Whatever works for you feel free to do it! DO note the expiration dates on them ESPECIALLY the ones ending soon!

I do a repetitive thing to help me get familiar with MFR Coupons. (It's doesn't have to be an EXTREME repetitive thing, just something to refresh your memory) After I put them into categories I tend to go through each individual pile and put like item coupons together. Again, this helps me organize and familiarize. You also don't have to do this ALL in one sitting either! You can always save your work (aka your “coupon box” - the shoe box I mentioned.)

I used envelopes to keep my coupons. For instance: if you were able to organize a few coupons and they are in categories on your floor and you want to pack up for the night get envelopes and label the envelopes with the category name (Dairy, Beauty, Bath and Body, etc – whatever you classify the items with) and place that pile of coupons inside. You can later put like item coupons together. You can use these envelopes for even more coupons later too! As a beginner I used envelopes. If you cut all your coupons and just want to pick up for the night put them all in your box or put it in a large envelope (and put it in your box). You can pick up where you left off when you can and you know where everything is. If there are inserts you haven't cut yet put them in a folder and put them in your box also. The labeled envelopes you can place in the dividers of your coupon holder! (I got my starter plastic coupon holder at the Dollar Tree Store for $1 and it's been doing it's job for starting out).

**** There are some people who always keep one of each insert intact in folders as a reference to the other coupons they cut. Some people find it easier to scan a coupon insert than going through coupons. And if you needed the extra coupon at the store you can just cut out the coupon from the insert there (This might help with the envelope couponing situation.) I never used this method, but it doesn't mean I won't. Definitely keep different ways in mind! You never know what might work better for you!

Being that you probably bought 2 newspapers starting out, this whole separation of coupons should be fairly easy and not very time consuming. The reason why I said 2 newspapers would probably good is that it is a MANAGEABLE amount to start out with. If you are not ready for 2 start with 1 :) Get use to the system little by little, when you understand it you will be able to do more inserts and coupons.

TIME INVESTED = MONEY IN YOUR POCKET

So, like I previously stated you don't have to be a Coupon Queen/King, or “Crazy Coupon Lady” like someone else called it to save money and get free things. You just need time! You know that extra 30 minutes you are watching a show? Cut coupons out during commercials... OR cut coupons during a show (I like to multitask and it get's it done quicker without me realizing it. If you stare ONLY at coupons for hours TRUST ME you are going to feel the insanity. So feel free to watch TV from time to time or listen to music if you prefer.)

Time is NOT only for coupons. Time is also for going over the sales ads. You can view them before and after you cut coupons. Familiarize yourself with your coupons and ads. You'll be able to say “Oh! I think I have a coupon for that! Let me see if it's worth buying.” Then you can check from your piles. I read the sales ads JUST like Joyce from the 4/9/09 Today Show video on my first blog “To Clip or Not to Clip... That is the Question”. Joyce claims she reads sales ads like the stock market, I agree with her tremendously. I spend a good amount of time going over the items on sale. Every few minutes I can spare to re-read the ad I do so. I ALSO do the same for coupons. You can also stop at a page in the ad (for instance the beauty page), and pull out your “Beauty” categorized envelopes with your coupons, and see if any of your coupons match that circular's sales and so forth. Again, find what works for you and stick with it!

BUT HOW DO I KNOW IF IT'S A GOOD SALE OR NOT????

If the end result equals a FREE product, it's a good sale! Other than free items, the best way is to just get used to seeing sale prices for items. This is why familiarizing yourself is essential. Taking time to get to know the sales of the week isn't ONLY to match coupons, it also helps you to know if you saw the item cheaper in another circular before. If you know the item's approximate price off hand, you might be able to tell if it's a good deal, no deal, or too expensive. The way you get good at prices, is by FAMILIARIZING yourself with sales. You don't have to study this intensively either! Here's the good part about this: over time of collecting circulars in the newspapers you WILL recognize items that are great prices JUST by spending time going over the circulars weekly. I speak from experience. There are times where I've seen an item thought it was a good price and realized the next week an even BETTER sale came along. This gave me the general idea that certain items can go between a certain price range – it's a waiting game. When I see the price range, I pounce like a wild coupon cheetah!

For example:

Dawn Dish Detergent, you can find this for $1.99 a good amount of times. AND MFR coupons for Dawn are normally $1 off. 99 cents is NOT a bad price to pay, not bad at all... but FREE is even better. That's right: FREE. Dawn goes on sale a good amount of times (for instance this week in my area – CVS is having a sale .97 cents) ... the sale price is normally .97-.99 cents (<------ here's that price range I'm telling you about. You will get used to seeing certain prices and associate them this way. You will know ranges on your own the more you see and buy items.) So that $1 off you have turned into a free product, all you pay is tax.

If you are like my mother, price ranging items is a breeze (seriously my mom's a walking item scanner hahaha), but for those of us NON-Price Scanners, this is how I've been learning and doing it. If I can do it trust me you can. I didn't study prices hardcore either, with time I've been getting used to seeing prices and associating good ones with bad ones. AND do NOT fret if you make a mistake thinking you got an item for an amazing price like the 99 cent dawn. It's a learning process! Trust me I'm STILL learning. When I see I could have gotten a better price my mind remembers it for the next time. Couponing is about getting a great price, what you want though is the GREATEST price possible. So be easy on yourself, know you will make mistakes starting out, as I have, and you will learn the tricks of the trade! 99 cents is STILL better than $1.99! 

SO TO SUMMARIZE

* Have 1-2 newspapers WITH inserts inside (MAKE SURE)

* Have a Coupon Box

* Cut out Coupons from Inserts
* Categorize Coupons as you cut them out OR at the end of cutting them all out

--------- Category ideas include: (Frozen Foods, Dairy, Beauty, Bath and Body, Medicine, etc)

* Use Envelopes: Keep a Large Envelope for mixed coupons needed for separating, use envelopes to hold your categorized coupons and LABEL the fronts of them with the category.
* Use a Folder to hold one of each coupon insert for reference OR just keep the coupon inserts you didn't finish cutting in the folder, and cut them when you can (after cut: categorize and put into the right labeled envelope)

* Keep a pen OR sharpie in your box to write on envelopes

* Keep a pair of scissors in the box to cut future coupons

* Keep a calculator in the box (I just use my cell phone) but it might be easier! I'm considering just keeping a calculator in my coupon box! :)

Most importantly time = money, any time you can spend on this couponing thing = more money in your pocket with savings.

THREE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TO TAKE FROM TODAY'S JOURNEY BLOG:

ORGANIZE, UTILIZE, AND FAMILIARIZE

* ORGANIZE: yourself, your space, your coupons, and everything else to make this easy for you.

* UTILIZE: Manufacturers and places like Doctor's offices to get coupons. Think outside the box! Use the resources available to you, especially if it's FREE. AND utilize your time, every little bit counts! Time you spend is money you can spend later from what you've saved!

* FAMILIARIZE: the sales, your coupons, and price ranges (eventually we will talk about coupon policies which is another important topic but for now these three are what I've touched base on).

SO... UNTIL NEXT TIME...

I hope this has helped you a little bit! First start with the baby steps, and then learn to crawl, and then learn to walk! :) Remember it's ok to be a klutz couponer at first, I'm STILL in this category! I started couponing January 16, 2011 and it's only been 19 days since then. So I'm still learning price ranges, making mistakes on “sales” at times, and am still getting used to everything myself. I can and will say that you WILL get better and you will see this by the extra money in your pocket. Think small and grow big! :) Hope you will continue to join me on my journey from Novice Coupon Butt Kicking, to Goddess Coupon Manufacture Servitude. :) 

CLIP IT, USE IT, LOVE IT... GOOD LUCK! <3