Organization key to big savings

Beach Waterpark sued by Ohio Attorney General's Office for failure to deliver
New 13 min. ago
Worker falls 20 feet from utility pole
New 14 min. ago
Water rescue occurring at Caesar Creek Lake
Updated 17 min. ago
Out-of-state shoppers arrested in clothing theft
10:14 a.m.
Fairfield gas station robbed at gun point
10:02 a.m.
> More headlines

By Jessica Heffner, Columnist 7:16 PM Friday, May 20, 2011

The most difficult part about couponing is getting started.

Most of us would love to save like the people featured on “Extreme Couponing” but either feel we don’t have the time or the wherewithal to do it. Well, Here’s the Deal: you can.

The first thing to remember is to start small. You’re not going to save $1,000 overnight but you can save $10 — and that’s more than you had yesterday. Start by accumulating coupons. Save your Sunday newspaper inserts. Go to the Here’s the Deal blog online and find opportunities to request more coupons.

To be an effective couponer, you need to get organized. At the Here’s the Deal blog, I have a link to an earlier column with strategies.

I prefer the file method, when you take each insert and file it by type in a folder inside a magazine file. Each type of insert receives its own file. Typically, there are four inserts printed in the newspaper on a weekly or monthly basis: Smart Source, Red Plum, Procter & Gamble and General Mills.

Coupon match-up sites will tell you what’s on sale this week and what insert you can find the coupon in, making it easy to find what you need in minutes using this system.

I recommend using SavingsLifestyle.com. Sales at Meijer, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are posted each week with paper coupon match-ups and links to online coupons.

For the first few weeks, you may only save a few dollars because you don’t have a large stash of coupons. As time progresses and you begin saving inserts, you’ll build your savings bank— the coupon kind. Want more inserts? Newspapers are just $1 at Dollar Tree. Find more coupons using an online clipping service such as The Q Hunter.

If you are a person who doesn’t like to clip, check out electronic coupon sites that will allow you to save instantly when you use your shopper’s card or put in your phone number at checkout. Check out kroger.com, shortcuts.com, pgesaver.com, cellfire.com and mperks.com for savings at Kroger and Meijer.

Once you get the hang of it, start setting goals for saving. By stockpiling items at a good price, you should be able to save at least 50 percent each time you shop.

Share this article