Getting started

So you know you want to coupon, but you don't know how or where to get started. After browsing so many websites, I will try to make this as simple as possible, because there is no sense in adding any extra work into our already busy lives. 

1. BUY A SUNDAY PAPER. This is where you will find the best coupons. My word of advice is to buy multiple papers, I typically buy 4, possibly more if there are 3 or more inserts. 
2. ORGANIZE. There are multiple ways you can organize your coupons, whatever way works best for you, is the way to do it. There are two popular ways to organize your coupons:
• BINDER METHOD - This is the 3 ring binder that holds multiple pages of baseball card holders usually separated into categories that make sense to you. My categories include: Baby, Baking, Cereal, Condiments, Dairy, Dogs, etc.However you may decide to organize by the store layout at your favorite store. It's whatever makes sense to YOU! This is probably the best method if you like to search for deals yourself, because you can easily see all the coupons you have for any given category, however cutting all of the coupons and organizing them can be quite cumbersome.
• WHOLE INSERT FILING - This method is one in which you keep the inserts whole and simply file them appropriately, usually by date. Most coupon/savings websites will list the date of the insert, i.e. - SS May 22. So once you know where the coupon is, you simply go to that insert and cut out the coupon needed. This is helpful for items that will be FREE, but you don't use. I typically donate them to someone who will use them. 
3. SEARCH. This means start looking on your favorite websites for the best deals!
• www.stockpilingmoms.com This free website is a great one with lots of good info for Walgreens, CVS, Remkes, Meijer and of course Kroger. 
• www.thegrocerygame.com This is a paid website in which you pay $10 for 8 weeks of deals for your specified store, since I only shop at Kroger I only see the Kroger deals. 
• www.iheartkroger.com This free website is my inspiration for this blog. I like going to a website and knowing it's only Kroger deals I am looking at. This website is based on the deals in the Kroger Atlanta division, but I find that some deals also apply to our area. 
• www.moneysavingamanda.com This free website is put together by none other than the Extreme Couponer herself, Amanda Ostrowski. She was on the TV show and often has good info and little tidbits to keep an eye out for in your next shopping trip.
4. MAKE A LIST. As I am searching for deals I always keep a notebook handy, because I want to remember what deals are going on, as well as where to locate the coupons in question. You could make an Excel spreadsheet, copy and paste your items into Word, or just go old fashion like me and write it all down. One thing to make sure is to write down the item size and a good item description, you wouldn't want to grab the wrong item. 
5. CLIP YOUR COUPONS. Now that you know where your coupons are, and what you plan on buying, start clipping! Since I buy items in multiples, I go back to my handwritten list and write down the quantity I will be purchasing based upon the number of coupons I have. This is extremely helpful when shopping, so you don't grab too many and in turn pay too much for product. 
6. GO SHOPPING! This is the fun part, you get to see your plan in action. One word of advice is to always make sure you watch the cashiers while they are scanning your coupons, and double check your receipt. I have run into several instances where they didn't scan every single one of my coupons.

Questions???