The Truth About The Couponing Craze

One of the easiest and most obvious ways to save money for your family is by couponing. The hobby of couponing has been around for decades, but has recently grown in popularity thanks to TLC's show Extreme Couponing.

So, everyone knows coupons save you money, but how do you get started? How do you make the time? How can you realistically be successful at couponing?

"I know how to coupon, I just don't have the time."

I can't tell you how many times I have heard this from strangers or even members of my own family. It used to piss me off because they must think I have all the time in the world, but over time I've realized two things: First, "Extreme Couponing" does give the wrong impression that couponing is as time-consuming as a full time job. Secondly, if these people really knew how to coupon, they would have the time for it. So instead of being rubbed the wrong way by their naive comments, why not help them? How much time you spend couponing is entirely up to you. I am in my mid-twenties, a wife, a mother, a college student taking 5 classes including clinicals and night classes. You would think I wouldn't have time to coupon, but here is the beauty of it - it really doesn't have to be that time consuming, and it is super simple to find the time you do have.

On Sundays, when my family is watching television, I take 15 minutes and cut out coupons from the paper. Or, when I've got supper on the stove, I sit at the table and cut them out in between getting up to stir or check on dinner. When I'm waiting on a class to start, I open up my laptop and check the grocery ads. Instead of spending 15 minutes on Facebook, I'll spend half that time on my favorite couponing website.

"What is online couponing?"

There are several useful websites that I visit to help me with couponing. And while we are on this topic, set yourself a limit to how many of these you visit. I really recommend finding only two that you like, and only visiting those two. The more you go to, the more time you will spend couponing and remember you don't want couponing to consume your life.

My favorite is southernsavers.com. This website helped me so much when I first started out, and it is so reliable. On there you will find grocery store ads, which coupons from Sunday's paper to use, how much the item will cost with the coupon, where to find free items and links to printable coupons from manufacturers. There are plenty of resources on this website, and it is a great tool for beginners. There is even a section to ask questions and get advice.

Staying Organized

This is where couponing truly begins. You MUST be organized. But if you tend to be a messy person, fear not - this is a simple step. I suggest buying one paper per person in your household over the age of 5. It may sound unnecessary, but if a coupon can be redeemed to make an item free, it's a good practice to have enough of those coupons to get that item for each member of your family. Also, the cost of a Sunday paper is usually $1.50, but if you go to Dollar Tree, where everything is a dollar, you can do some immediate cost-cutting.

Once you cut your coupons put them in a some form of a binder. Some people like accordian style, wallet-sized pouches, but eventually you will need a three-ring binder with baseball card holders, so it is simpler to start out using one, that way it is all you have ever known. I use dividers with labels to section my coupons into cold foods, pantry, paper goods, hygiene, detergent, medicine and special coupons (restaurants, crafts stores, etc.).

The last step in staying organized is important because it also saves you time. Pick two stores to shop at: One grocery, one drugstore. I strongly suggest Bi-Lo and CVS. In fact, many people in the couponing community refer to CVS as the "Coupon Virgin Store," and it is for good reason. Both of these stores have simple policies, which you can find by clicking their links. Before using coupons, my family spent between $100-$150 a week on groceries at Bi-Lo. Now we rarely go over $50.  I also used to hate CVS with a passion, and thought it was terribly over priced. Now I'm in there at least once a week, and I never spend more than $5, if that. Every week I get free make-up there, and I usually get toothpaste, detergent, mouthwash and soap for less than $2.

There are other tips and tricks to couponing. This was a bit of a crash course. It truly is simple and it is not as time consuming as everyone believes it is. I probably spend one full hour a week total on couponing. Eventually it became a way of life, and now I don't even think about it. I just think about how much money I'm saving my family, and how much more money I have in my pocket to save for an emergency or a vacation.

You don't have to be a hoarder, a stay at home parent or a person who requires rules to be bent for you, such as the people on "Extreme Couponing." You can work long hours and still coupon. This is a hobby that can easily fit into your schedule and your lifestyle. You will see the benefits of couponing as soon as you start. So this Sunday, start clipping!

*Please leave any questions or comments below and I'll be more than happy to respond!*