Saturday Savings

This is my first post pertaining to my new favorite hobby – saving money and couponing. I am going to try to contain myself, and not share too much in this first post. Couponing can appear overwhelming if you don't get the information in doses and in the right order. Over the next few Saturdays I will cover the basics in hopes of persuading you to try your hand at saving money and couponing too.

I will give you various links to the sites that helped me get started during this process. Take it slow. If you develop the right plan that works for you and your family, you just may have a new hobby too!

Post 1 – What are coupons and where do I find them?

The first step to understanding couponing is to always keep this in mind – A COUPON IS A FORM OF PAYMENT. This will become very important as we learn more about this process, but it is something my husband taught me early on that has helped me in many situations.

Coupons come in many forms, but for this post we will cover two types:

1. Coupons offered by the manufacturer
2. Coupons offered by the store

Coupons that come in the mail have two distinctions – manufacture's coupon and store coupon. Manufacture's coupons are the norm, but as stores desire to build their shopper base, the store coupon is becoming more popular. Manufacture's coupons are just that, coupons that, when you use them as a form of payment, the amount shown on the coupon is reimbursed to the store by the maker of the product. It is their way of promoting a product, just like a commercial. Some people see using a coupon as stealing or not paying, and once you read this post by A Thrifty Mom (click here), you will know that all are benefiting from the use of the coupon.

Benefits

1. The manufacturer (i.e. – Johnson and Johnsons or Ziploc) benefits from you using the coupon to try their products. There are many items that I will not try unless I have a coupon. Rationale behind that is the same as why Sam's Club offers you a taste test while shopping in the store. They want you to try it for free, determine if you like it, and finally purchase the product from their store.
2. The store benefits because they receive your business to use the coupon as well as a processing fee for organizing and mailing in EACH coupon back to the manufacturer that you submit.
3. Finally, and most importantly, YOU benefit by saving money on products you already use or products you want to try.

Coupons are also offered by the store. The major difference is who reimburses for the coupon. For your use, it doesn't matter who reimburses because what you would like to know is store coupons can be used WITH manufacturer's coupons in most stores. The couponing term for this is stacking. Here is a scenario. You have a Target store coupon for Oreos allowing you to take $1.00 off the price of a pack of Oreos. You also have a coupon from Nabisco allowing you to take $1.00 off the price of a pack of Oreos. If you go to Target and the Oreos are 2/$6 or $3.00 each, you are allowed $2.00 off the price, which makes the price you pay $1.00 for a $3.00 pack of Oreos. Here is a photo of how the differentiate a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon. Here is how you can tell the difference.  Look at the top of the coupon below. It clearly states manufacturer's coupon.

Now look at this coupon.  It is a store coupon. 

You should know that a store logo does not make a coupon a store coupon.  Some manufacturer coupons have store logos, but can be used at any store. More on that in a later post.

Tip: Try your best to use coupons for items that are on sale giving you a greater savings. If you just have to buy an item at regular price, try your best to add a coupon as a form of payment.

Finding coupons is becoming easier by the minute. Here are some options:

1. 
   
   Newspaper – The old fashion way.
   Benefit – You can access the Sunday newspaper easily, it won't cost you much, you can have it delivered to your home, and if you really need a coupon you can buy multiples (or ask a friend to save their paper for you.) I will explain why you need multiples in the next post.
   
2. 
   
   Online – Printable coupons are the new way to obtain coupons.
   Benefit – You can print them whenever you want to, but you have to jump up them because quantities may be limited.
   
3. In the stores/on the product (peelies)
4. In the mail – Sign up for coupons to come directly to your house via the manufacturer.
5. Ebay – You can always buy them from people who flip them for you.

That's all for today. I know that is enough to think about for now. For additional reading, and to brush up for the next post, check out this link from my coupon organizing mentor Shellie (click here), as she covers how she organizes her coupons. I have adopted her method with a few tweeks. (I will share those next week.)

Leave a comment. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. Are you a couponaholic? My name is Laura and I am a couponaholic. I am on my way to Target now! (This is also my daughter's favorite store.)