There’s been so much hype about couponing in the news recently. The “extreme couponing” craze is in full swing, but not all of us can or want to invest the time in to be extreme. If you’re looking to save some money in a reasonable amount of time, we caught up with local Coupon Expert Holly Syx from igobogo to get some tis on fitting coupons into our lifestyle. Read On!
- Get to know your store’s coupon policy, and follow it closely. Some stores double, some stores allow competitor’s coupons, some stores don’t even accept coupons. Be aware of correct coupon usage at your store to avoid hassle at the register.
- Couponing is a great way to save, but saving money at the grocery store actually begins with the store’s weekly ad. Familiarize yourself with your store’s ad each week, and stock up on the things you buy when they are on sale. Focus on Buy 1, Get 1 Free sales, $10 for $10 deals, in season produce, etc. Download this free Printable Grocery Price Chart to find out if the sale is really a deal.
- Once you have looked at the ad THEN you want to add coupons. Matching coupons with sale prices is the trick to getting the best deals on groceries. Find a coupon blog that covers your stores and does the coupon matchups for you. This will save you tons of time.
- Plan your trip before you leave the house. That includes having your list ready and coupons clipped. There is not much that is more stressful than trying to get your coupons and list together while you are in the store especially with the kids along. If you are organized with your list and coupons before you head inside you can get in and out with no trouble at all.
- Do not clip all your coupons unless you want them to rule your life. Seriously…You will never use them all, and you will only end up wasting your time for the most part. Some folks clip all the coupons & sort them in a binder by category. That’s cool if you have time to do that. However, I’ve found that the easiest way to organize is to just place the coupons by insert date in a file box. Yes, you may miss a few deals by not having a binder with you at the store, but you will save tons of time. Time is also worth money.
Make couponing fit your lifestyle, and not the other way around. We all want to save a little (or alot), but we all have different ways to do it. Some may eat only organic, others may grow all their own food, still others may like to snack on junk food, others may not. There are plenty of coupons to go around no matter what you buy (yes, even on organic foods).
Make sure to see what Holly is up to on iGoBOGO.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter (@iGoBOGO) for current deals.
