Tips For Couponing and stockpiling

Sometimes when starting to use coupons to save money it can seem overwhelming and like it is a ton of work. Which there is work involved but after you get into a routine and get everything in order it is like second nature.

Coupons:
-Save your inserts! I have found that many times great sales/coupon combos come a few weeks after the coupon was released. For this reason I do not ever get rid of coupons until they expire.

-Just beacause you do not need it or use it doesn’t mean you should not get it. This goes for places like CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens mostly. There are times that things are money makers at stores that youu may not use yourself but buying them puts more money in your pocket and you can always donate it if you do not use it.

-Find the coupon system that works for you. Right now I have a box that I keep all my tearpads and printable coupons in envelops labeled by type of product(bread, beverages, soap ect) and all my inserts are in a filing cabinet. When I need to find an insert I can look by the date on the side and then cut the coupons out that I need. some people find using baseball card holders and a binder works for them, or cutting all the inserts out and putting them in to categories in envelopes.Not every system will work for each person but find the one that works best for you.

-Starting out the best way and easiest way to start your coupon collection is buying the news paper and contacting companies that you regularly buy their products. You can ask if they have a mailing list for coupons that you could be added to or ask them if they mail coupons. You can also tell them that you really enjoy their product and that it is an item that you and your family use regularly.

-Coupons can be found for many things not just food and personal care products. Many stores release coupons that can help you save money on things like clothing, shoes, household items. Use places like retailmenot.com to check and see if there are any coupons for a store that you are wanting to go shopping at before you go.

When shopping:
-Always buy the smaller size, this is true for most cases. If a coupon says any always look for the trial size or travel size. While you won’t be getting the large amount of product you will be getting it free or very close to it. Walmart, Target are my favorite places for getting the trial size items for free.

-If you have multiple coupons that make something free or dirt cheap get as many items as you have coupons. Stocking up on things when they are free and dirt cheap makes you not have to pay full price for them later on.

-Be organized when you go to check out. Have all the coupons you plan to use with the products so you know that you have everything in order. Know how much your coupon total is so that you know how much your total should drop after all the coupons are scanned.

Stockpiling Tips:

-Spend the money on quality shelving units to store your stockpile, cheap plastic ones do not last. While the metal ones are more expensive they are for a reason and you will get your moneys worth from them. Just wait for them to go on sale and then buy them to save money. We have cheap plastic ones right now that I totally regret buying because they are bending and as soon as I find a sale on metal ones I am getting some.

-Be organized with storing your stockpile. Make sure to put new stuff in the back and use the older stuff first. When things expire it is like wasting your time even if you got it for free, when it expires you have to then replenish stock that if you had used the older stuff first you would still have a stockpile of it.

-Keep track of what you have, I am pretty good at remembering how much and what I have of what item(my husband tends to think I am crazy because I can tell you with in 1-2 of how much of what we have when someone asks but if you ask me where I put my car keys it will take me about 10 minutes to find them lol) This does not always work for everyone so another way to keep track is by keeping a notebook of what you have.

If you have any other tips please share them:)