what I have learned about couponing

Since I have been couponing, only for 1 month now, I have learned alot!  Here I am  going to share a few tips and tricks with you that I have found from different websites and just exploring the web.

When starting out couponing, start slow. If you try to do too much at once you could get overwhelmed and end up not saving much at all.

Always have more than one coupon with you. That helps when there are really good sales going on.

That brings me to when to use the coupons, you save the most money when you match up a coupon with a sale. If you have a buy one get one free(BOGO) coupon, then try to find another coupon for $ off 1. For instance, if you want to buy Dove body wash and you have a BOGO coupon, try to find a coupon for...say .50 off 1 because you can always use them together. (Known as stacking) A good example is Walgreens(Wags) has Dove deodorant on sale for 4 for $15.00. I have a coupon for BOGO plus I have a coupon for $2.00 off one. So the scenario goes like this:
Dove 4/$15 Which makes them $3.75 each
Coupon 1-2 Bogos = Saves 7.50 plus owing $7.50 plus tax(With me so far?) :)
Coupon 2- 2-$2.00 off one- I have 4 coupons but I only need 2 because the other 2 are free, so that is $ 4.00 off 7.50
Total after coupons(OOP)= $3.50 plus tax
So we paid only $3.50 for 4 Dove deodorants.  Not bad huh? We went from $15.00 for 4 to $3.50 for 4. Now that's what I call savings!! That is how Stockpiling starts.
WAIT!! Not done yet, just when you thought it couldn't get better, it does!  When you shop at Walgreens you earn Register Rewards(RR) to use the next visit. (Some do more than one transaction just so they can use register rewards on their purchase, I have not been brave enough to do that yet.) Now because I bought the 4 things of Dove deodorant, I also received $5.00 in RR for my next visit.( You can look at it like Monopoly money) So you can look at it this way..... I paid OOP $3.50 for my deodorant but I MADE $5.00 towards my next purchase. That is what is called a money maker!  I pretty much got my money back for what I paid, plus a little extra!  These are the deals that we love!

CVS is another good one to shop at. CVS gives out "Bucks" just like Walgreens on certain products as well. When starting to shop as CVS be sure to purchase a reusable bag and tag and have a CVS card. (Free to sign up for). Have them scan the tag with your card before each purchase, and after 4 scans of the tag, you get a dollar back for your next purchase. Also, be sure to scan you card in the Catalina machine to see what kind of coupon you can get out of there...some can be great!  I know of people who have gotten $10.00 off Physicians Formula makeup which is an AWESOME coupon!

Coupons can save you the most on Health and Beauty items, you will find grocery (food) items that you can use but its is best not to be a certain brand lover to use these coupons. If you only use Kraft dressing then you maybe missing out on a FREE bottle of dressing by another company. So keep your mind open to new products and you'll save a ton of money!

When I started couponing, I kept reading that people were "purchasing" coupons. I thought" Why would they purchase coupons, that's crazy!" Well, after I began, I understood why they do. I don't feel like buying 4,5,6 papers every Sunday just to get multiple coupons, its cheaper to use a coupon clipping service, that way you get the coupons you want and not have to pay $10.00 for Sunday papers and only use a few coupons out of them. When purchasing coupons, they are only .05-.10 a piece and they can be purchased from Ebay or other clipping services. At the bottom I will post links to several sites to check out that will help you in your coupon endeavors.

These are just a few hints to help you to get started.