As I explained in a previous post, I used to not coupon. I began couponing out of a necessity to save more money while paying for my kid's hockey.
If you've seen TLCs Extreme Couponing, then you know that couponing could very well be a full time gig or a lifestyle if you let it get out of hand. That's not me. While I do have a stock pile of certain things (I haven't bought toilet paper or paper towels in a year), I don't have 100 boxes of cereal and I can't feed an entire army three meals of baked beans today.
I keep my couponing to an hour or two a week, and its wrapped up nicely in a couponing binder so it doesn't take over the dining room table or an entire room.
Many people have asked me where I learned to coupon so I decided to share my favorite 5 resources for other moms and dads who want to keep more of the money they earn in their own pockets.
1. Facebook Groups.
In NJ, there's New Jersey Extreme Couponing. This group was started by a couponing guru named Jenn Clarke. She's incredibly knowledgeable, encourages ethical couponing and she has a potty mouth. She and her admins post coupon matching deals for all of the NJ super markets and other stores such as Target and CVS, which is great because other Facebook groups will promote deals at stores located outside of Jersey. In addition, Jenn routinely hosts couponing meetings, which she will promote on this page.
I have learned so much from this group and its close to 7,000 members. This is a great starting resource, but beware, the members of this group will hold you accountable to your couponing posts. Do not promote unethical couponing practices.
If the Facebook group is not your thing Jenn Clarke also runs her own personal coupon blog where she will post all of the great deals, especially for moms. For example, starting July 2nd, Juicy Juice Splashers are as low as $.50 at Shoprite. Jenn tells you all about the deal and other deals on her Blog.
3. Living Rich with Coupons
I LOVE CINDY LIVESEY, the founder of of Living Rich With Coupons. This is a website you are going to want to bookmark. She literally wrote the book on couponing, so you have to check out her website. She and her daughter will often post videos talking about the deals of the week on Facebook, where you can ask questions in real time. I recommend clicking on her "beginners" tab for a step-by-step on how to get started. Being a coupon beginner does not have to be daunting!
4. The Krazy Coupon Lady
Don't ask me why Crazy begins with a K. That drives me crazy. Or is it Krazy?
Anyway, in addition to learning all there is to know about couponing, this is the website where I downloaded and printed my coupon binder table of contents, which has really been invaluable in terms of organizing myself and not looking like a hot-mess at the register.
Also, if it wasn't for the Krazy Coupon Lady, I would never have tried couponing at Target. This website can teach you all of the tricks of the couponing trade when it comes to Target, such as which days to shop for what, and gift cards. (Target gives away gift cards like they're pennies, ya'll.)
5. Your supermarket's coupon policy!
Everything you learn about couponing at the sites I've listed above will mean nothing if you do not get to know your store's couponing policies. For example, some stores will limit how many of the same coupons you can use in one transaction. So when you see that crazy wackadoodle on Extreme Couponing use 30 of the same coupon in one transaction, that will most likely not work at your store. Save yourself a lot of frustration and learn your store's coupon policy before you go to the register. You can usually find a copy of their policy on their website, but if not, don't be shy about asking for one at the service counter.
I hope the aforementioned resources help you become a beginner or better couponer; they have certainly helped me.
If you've seen TLCs Extreme Couponing, then you know that couponing could very well be a full time gig or a lifestyle if you let it get out of hand. That's not me. While I do have a stock pile of certain things (I haven't bought toilet paper or paper towels in a year), I don't have 100 boxes of cereal and I can't feed an entire army three meals of baked beans today.
I keep my couponing to an hour or two a week, and its wrapped up nicely in a couponing binder so it doesn't take over the dining room table or an entire room.
Many people have asked me where I learned to coupon so I decided to share my favorite 5 resources for other moms and dads who want to keep more of the money they earn in their own pockets.
1. Facebook Groups.
In NJ, there's New Jersey Extreme Couponing. This group was started by a couponing guru named Jenn Clarke. She's incredibly knowledgeable, encourages ethical couponing and she has a potty mouth. She and her admins post coupon matching deals for all of the NJ super markets and other stores such as Target and CVS, which is great because other Facebook groups will promote deals at stores located outside of Jersey. In addition, Jenn routinely hosts couponing meetings, which she will promote on this page.
I have learned so much from this group and its close to 7,000 members. This is a great starting resource, but beware, the members of this group will hold you accountable to your couponing posts. Do not promote unethical couponing practices.
2. Jersey Coupon Mom
3. Living Rich with Coupons
I LOVE CINDY LIVESEY, the founder of of Living Rich With Coupons. This is a website you are going to want to bookmark. She literally wrote the book on couponing, so you have to check out her website. She and her daughter will often post videos talking about the deals of the week on Facebook, where you can ask questions in real time. I recommend clicking on her "beginners" tab for a step-by-step on how to get started. Being a coupon beginner does not have to be daunting!
4. The Krazy Coupon Lady
Don't ask me why Crazy begins with a K. That drives me crazy. Or is it Krazy?
Anyway, in addition to learning all there is to know about couponing, this is the website where I downloaded and printed my coupon binder table of contents, which has really been invaluable in terms of organizing myself and not looking like a hot-mess at the register.
Also, if it wasn't for the Krazy Coupon Lady, I would never have tried couponing at Target. This website can teach you all of the tricks of the couponing trade when it comes to Target, such as which days to shop for what, and gift cards. (Target gives away gift cards like they're pennies, ya'll.)
5. Your supermarket's coupon policy!
Everything you learn about couponing at the sites I've listed above will mean nothing if you do not get to know your store's couponing policies. For example, some stores will limit how many of the same coupons you can use in one transaction. So when you see that crazy wackadoodle on Extreme Couponing use 30 of the same coupon in one transaction, that will most likely not work at your store. Save yourself a lot of frustration and learn your store's coupon policy before you go to the register. You can usually find a copy of their policy on their website, but if not, don't be shy about asking for one at the service counter.
I hope the aforementioned resources help you become a beginner or better couponer; they have certainly helped me.
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