The Basics of Couponing

Couponing has become increasingly popular over the past decade. It makes sense too, because who doesn’t like to save money? There have been websites created dedicated to couponing, television shows starring everyday people who use coupons to save insane amounts of money, and just about every grocery store has some sort of digital app or rewards program they offer their customers.

While coupons benefit everyone who uses them, they can be overwhelming in the beginning. Couponing can be as simple as snipping a few from your Sunday paper or getting your app scanned in the checkout line. But to get the full benefits from couponing, a few more steps should be taken.

First off, figure out where you can find coupons. The newspaper is a good place to start. Ads are sent out weekly, and the Sunday paper is usually full of ads and coupons for the week. These coupons will need to be cut out and do take some time to go through. Next, check to see if your grocery store has a digital app. A lot of these apps will have everything listed that is on sale that week and you can check the box if you want to take advantage of that item or not.

Then there are the coupons online. When you start searching online for coupons, you will find so many options you didn’t even know existed. There are websites that have coupons and there are websites that talk about coupons and direct you where to find them. There are even websites that list coupons by week and by store to make it easy to find what you are looking for.

Once you have access to all these coupons, you have to figure out what to do with them. This will take some planning. You will need to compare what is available at a store, what has a coupon, and if you need it in the upcoming days or weeks. Be sure to read any fine print on the coupon. Some will require you to buy a specific item and some will require you to buy a specific amount of items for the coupon to apply.

One thing that happens a lot is that people fall into the coupon trap. They have a coupon so they feel like they have to use it. People then end up buying a lot of stuff they don’t need or won’t use and the point of couponing is wasted. Just because there is a coupon does not mean it has to be used. There are so many people out there who coupon that would likely take it off your hands or swap you for something you would be able to use.

There is a lot of trial error that comes with couponing. No one gets it right the first time. How you coupon will be based on your personality and how much you want to put into it. Whether you show up with one coupon or a huge binder full, you will get something out of it.