Getting started

I'm going to be blogging about a game called couponing. Couponing is a sport that has recently gained a lot of popularity and media coverage, but most people don't understand how the game works. There is a learning curve to this game that may escape the casual coupon user, and I would like to help you to begin playing this exciting game.

To start off with, think about the stores in the area. What stores do you shop at because you save money there? What stores do you consider to be overpriced and rarely shop there? Now turn that list upside down. Those stores that you consider too expensive may just give you the greatest deals and offer the best loss leaders and deeply discounted sales and those "cheaper" stores may just become too expensive for you once you get the hang of this coupon thing.

If you are anything like the average American, you probably make a grocery list each week, buy the items on your list, then do it all again next week, buying many of the same things week after week, paying the price the store is charging should the item not happen to be on sale. You may have tried this couponing thing before, clipped a few coupons from the Sunday paper, took those coupons to the store, only to realize the store brand was cheaper than the item your coupon is for, even after the coupon was applied. This game will probably take a little extra time and work than what you are doing now, but the money you can save will reward you for your efforts.

The objective to this game is to match the coupons you have to the sales and promotions the store is offering to get you to come in, hoping you'll buy all your needs while you're there. There are various types of promotions that stores use, and I will be talking in detail about several of our local stores as I get going with this. Some things you need to keep in mind is that there are no grocery or drug stores in our area that double, so it will be difficult to obtain some of the deals you may hear others talk about on TV or online. We can still get great deals on groceries, health and beauty, and household needs by stacking store and manufacturer's coupons and utilizing the other promotions the stores use. You will probably find yourself in multiple stores each week because each store is going to try to lure you in with different bait. Use this to your advantage.

The most important factor to saving a lot of money is to stockpile. You want to buy the items you use when they are at their lowest price, and you want to have enough of that item to make it until the next time that item hits it's lowest price, provided you have the storage space available. Your stockpile can be as big or as small as you are comfortable with. By stockpiling when the things you use are at their rock bottom price, you will be paying the price you want to pay for the items you use, not the price the store wants you to pay when you need that item. A lot of this depends on the sales cycles. Things like ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, and hot dogs begin hitting their lowest prices in late spring up until about the fourth of July, cereal and snack foods go on sale with back to school sales, baking supplies of every kind go on sale in November and December, potato chips, crackers, and pop go on sale between New Year's Eve and the Superbowl. You will be able to spot these sales cycles fairly easily because the coupons you have in your possession and the sales ads will reflect where the cycle is currently at. Some items cycle as frequently as every 3-4 months. The best way to have enough coupons available to you when that great sale hits is to obtain multiple copies of the coupon inserts. I will be explaining a few ways to do this inexpensively soon.

When the manufacturer puts out a coupon, there's a very good chance that sometime before that coupon expires, there will be a good sale on that item. When you get the Sunday coupon inserts, you need to save those coupons, waiting for the corresponding item to go on sale, not just clip a coupon or two that are for items you need this week or using a coupon for an item just because you have a coupon. I will eventually talk to you about saving and organizing your coupons effectively. 

If you find in the beginning you aren't really saving any money, don't worry. When I first started couponing, I didn't really save any money, but I had a lot more stuff for the money I was spending. This is partly because you will still be buying your weekly needs as you are building your stockpile. Eventually, as your stockpile grows, you will find yourself in the stores a lot less, buying mostly fresh foods and loss leaders, and spending a whole lot less money.


As you begin to play this coupon game, you'll need to change the way you think about grocery shopping. Yes, you'll be making more trips to several stores throughout the week, spending time clipping and organizing your coupons and making lists, but you should be HAVING FUN DOING IT. Think of couponing as a sport, a sport that will save your family a lot of money.

Learn to coupon in Cedar Rapids, IA and surrounding areas!

You may have recently seen a show on TLC called "Extreme Couponing," and you may be wondering how those shoppers were able to get so many groceries, health and beauty items, and household needs for so cheap.  Couponing isn't quite as easy as they may have made it look, especially in Iowa where the stores do not double coupons, but there is a lot of money to be saved.  Follow me, and I will help you how to play this game called couponing!