I am going to start a weekly session that will help you learn how to coupon.

Week One is the Basics

First and foremost

Throw out everything you have been doing. Instead of shopping for the things you need now, you are really shopping in advance. These are the steps I used to get started.

Get some Coupons. I am not saying you have to get a lot, just start with 2. You can work your way up. Get some from family or friends. Some people even go to a recycle center. If you want the paper delivered for cheap email me..

Here are the top places to find coupons:

• Sunday Newspapers – These are the biggest sources of coupons. To find additional copies, check recycling bins or ask your family/friends if they are using theirs. There are anywhere from none to three inserts per paper.
• Free Samples – Signing up for free samples is a great way to get some higher dollar coupons. I’d advise creating a separate email address for “freebies.”
• In-Store – You can often find coupons called “blinkies,” which are the little machines that spit out coupons by the products they are for. There are also “tear-pads,”as well. You can sometimes even find “peelies” right on the products themselves.
• Printable Sites – Two of the big printable sites are Coupons.comand Smartsource.com and Red Plum These coupons rotate week after week and sometimes even have maximum printings that when the limit is reached, they are pulled off the site. So if you see one you think you might need, you should print it. (You can usually print two per computer.)
• Blogs – Blogs are a great place to find coupons. I stumble upon several at my fellow blogger’s sites throughout the week. I compile them throughout the week and post them on Mondays. Look at my list of Favorite Blogs.
• Search Engines – If you are looking for a specific coupon, just type the brand name followed by the word coupon and you might be able to find one that way.
•  Join Groups/Surveys – There are some groups you can sign-up for that will offer/mail you coupons from time-to-time. Some are:
  Vocal Point  Upromise Ebates
  
• Join stores Mailing list – Go to Publix and Winn Dixie they have Baby clubs and various coupons. You may not have babies, but a lot of them will give you the $/$$ that are important.
• Manufacturers Websites – More and more manufacturers are hosting coupons on their own sites now. If you use a lot of a particular item/brand, check their website to see if they offer coupons. If they don’t, email/mail them and request some. I’ve gotten a few this way. Go here for the companies sites!
• Magazines – By far, the magazine with the most coupons lately has been All You magazine, which you can only get by subscription or at Wal-Mart. The price of the magazine is well worth the coupons inside. Make sure you check your magazines to see if there are some inside.
• eBay – There are several coupon clippers that sell their services and send you coupons for a fee. Just type in the product and the word coupon to see what’s available. Be sure to go through Ebates to earn 3% more.
• Forums – There are several great forums out there to check into. The top ones I’ve found are Iheartpublix.com, HotCouponWorld.com and AFullCup.com. You have to register at each of them, but it’s free.
• Store Websites – Make sure you sign-up for your local store’s loyalty programs and register at their websites so you can get emailed coupons. You can also sign-up to have them pre-loaded at Shortcuts or Cellfire and Now Saving Star
• Coupon clipping services – I recommend Coupon By De De She is cheap and fast, my two favorite things.

The first order of business is to get coupons. Next week we will go over Organization.