Couponing 101

Well,
Someone said I should start a blog - hehehe  -  I already have a blog =) 

Here are the coupon pointers I have - in order of importance

#1 Do not buy what you do not need unless it is free.  There are tons of great deals out there - but if you go chasing every snappy coupon you will lose time and money.  I used to coupon things that I wouldn't typically buy - and my family did not eat healthier, we did not really save any money, and it took a lot of time which was wasted in the end.  When I first started couponing this was my mistake and I was discouraged by my lack of success. 

#2 Determine how your family will eat regardless of coupons.  We all have some standards of healthy foods.  Decide BEFORE you find all the great deals that will tempt you away from your resolve what level of health you will need.  Can I show you how to get name brand, kids will LOVE it, cereal for 50 cents a box, steadily - YES, will your family be better off? Maybe, maybe not.

REMEMBER, I said these are in order of importance - now for the tips =)

#3 - CLIP EVERYTHING on the day it comes out.  Yes this will take about 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon, but it will pay off.  The reason for this is because there are some coupons (because of step 1 and 2) that you KNOW you will use - perhaps you know you could use 15 of these coupons - and if you clip on Sunday, then you can make a quck trip to the local gas station and get 15 more papers.
GET the advertiser - look through the ads and circle the good deals on the items that you would normally buy - then match your coupons to the good deals.  You may find freebies =)  Colgate toothpaste is ussually free at Krogers (get the smallest one) Cereal is ussually 50 cents at Giant Eagle.  Price match P&G items from Walgreens and CVS at Walmart and use your coupons for the cheapest cleaning, deoderant, tp, and detergent.

#4 - Make a binder - use a 3 ring binder and the 9 card baseball holders or whatever you have handy that will work so that you can see the coupons you have available to use.  Organize your coupons by date and type. 

#5 Use the knowlegde of others - I use google reader to follow several blogs and coupon sites that update daily.  Using google reader allows me to quickly scan through my subscriptions and see if there is anything I need. I typically scan through this once per day as I check email or get on facebook. 

#6 Be a loyal customer - Pick a store you LOVE that has GREAT deals and shop there like CRAZY. 
Kmart is my favorite 'wal-mart' type store.  Their prices are very competative with Walmart and they offer a great rewards program.  You get 10% of all purchases back on your card - sometimes more - watch the store ads (online or in the local paper)  to pick up even more points on things like dog food, clothing, and office items. 

Giant Eagle is my favorite gift card store - they give points based on how much you spend.  When I buy books from Amazon - I get an Amazon GC  - and rack up points.  We get 30 gallons of  FREE gas each month (fill up the car and fill up 3 gas cans as well.)  I have saved over $1,000.00 this year in gas costs.
Giant Eagle is also my favorite couponing store - but this is because of my personal preferences for their produce, organic foods, and other great items.  They also have the best 'check yourself out' and this allows me to take my time and get everything just right.  Giant Eagle doubles coupons up to 99cents
Kroger and Meijer also double coupons up to 99cents have become very picky with coupons in the last year - and their self check out leaves a lot to be desired.  I have had some negative experiences at these stores and I would not recommend them for regular shopping trips - but that being said they often have the BEST deals - if you can get them to do them. 
Walmart will price match any competitor ad - this can be VERY useful - save gas - but we don't shop Walmart for reasons of conscience.
Carnival foods will accept coupons and regularly have the BEST prices on meats in Heath. 
Aldi has good prices - but they typically do not beat out Walmart.  I have seen several times when Kroger, Mejier, and other retailers consistently beat Aldi prices.  Aldi has good prices consistently - but other retailers consitently beat them on certain items - including butter, cheese, cereal, milk, juice, bread, meats, rice, spagetti noodles, and canned goods. 

These are the best tips I have right now - feel free to comment if you have a tip that has worked for you  =)