8 Basic Tips for Beginning Couponers

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I have made it no secret that saving money is my jam. It always has been, even before coming a mom. Every time I would go clothes shopping I would make a beeline for the clearance rack. So, of course after my little one was born and we decided that I was going to be a  full time mom saving money became even more of a passion/obsession (pick your adjective).

That is why the thought of couponing kept popping in my head. I would see these women shopping and bragging about spending twenty five cents for a shopping cart full of goodies. I wanted to be one of those women, but I was so intimidated.

I had seen the massive binders and pocket protectors you need to organize all of those coupons and it just scared me into submission. But, here I am once again trying to dive into the coupon world and I’m proud to say I’ve made some progress.

I have come to find out that in the 21st century you don’t necessarily have to have a bulging binder to save money. I have also come to accept that it’s going to take practice. I’m not going to get a haul of goodies for pennies right away. But, I have learned that I can do this! It’s no longer as intimidating as it once was. As is for most things in life, I’m learning to take couponing one step at a time. Here are the 8 basic tips I’ve used to get started on my couponing journey:

1.The Krazy Coupon Lady

Two ladies, Heather and Joanie, started this beautiful site. It is a GREAT place to get started. They break down what are the best deals in your area and they’ll even find local coupons for you and tell you where to get them. There is an app as well that is super handy. This is my go to for couponing help! If you’re interested at all in couponing I would download the app today. They make it feel doable.

2. ibotta

This is a rebate app. Once you download it you can pick your favorite stores then search for items in the store that have a rebate offer. Then go shopping and make sure to keep your receipt. You’ll scan the barcode and receipt into your ibotta app and then they redeem you the money via your paypal account. As an extra bonus they give you $10 when you first sign up!

3. coupons.com

Two words…printable coupons! Oh, and two more words…coupon app. Coupons.com is a web site or app, so you can pick wether you want to print via the web site or download the coupons on an app then submit your receipt to get cash sent to your paypal. Either way this is the way to go for sure! I love that I can go to the site and just search the products I need  and voila, savings! Often times you can find a coupon for an item that you are getting money redeemed from on the ibotta app. This is where the serious saving starts.

4. Cartwheel

I love Cartwheel because I love Target and it allows me to save some serious dough at my favorite store!! If you download this app or go to their site you can search items you need by category. More often than not there is some sort of discount on the items I’m going to buy.

For example this week there is 30% off of Cat & Jack tee shirts!! This is perfect because I could buy clothes for my son all day every day. But, there are tons of other things that you can save money on…coffee, baby food, milk, etc. You can also add the savings from Cartwheel with coupons.com and your ibotta rebate! Seriously!

5. checkout 51 and savingstar

These are two more web site and apps that you can download and get rebates for items you buy. I have not used these as much as ibotta because they don’t have a search option. I like that on the ibotta app they specify store and you can search items at the store instead of scrolling the entire page. It’s just a good time saver.

With that being said I have still gotten a few dollar rebates from each of these sites, so I do recommend them.

6. Kroger app

The Kroger app is another great way to save money. You can download digital coupons that go right to your Kroger card, so there is no need to cut coupons and hold onto them. Plus once you go to Kroger for a while you’ll start getting “Best Customer” coupons where you can purchase the specified item for free! Who doesn’t love free? You can also use your Kroger app in addition to coupons.com and/or your ibotta app.

7. Sunday Newspaper

I did buy my first Sunday paper this week. I’m diving in! If you click here you can see what type of coupons will be included for each week. That way you can determine if you would like to buy one or not.

8. Stay Organized

Last but not least make sure you have a way to organize all of your coupons before you go. For now I’m using an envelope and I keep my coupons on it and write my list on the outside of it. But, I plan to order a coupon organizer this week. It’s no big binder but it will help me keep all my coupons in their place (and I love things being in their place :))

Here is a peek into some of my savings: 

Remember to start out slow and not expect to save a ton of money at first. Even if you save a dollar, that’s one dollar you are not using of your own money and those suckers add up!