When I was married couponing was my saving grace. It saved us close to $100 a month on groceries. Some months it was the only reason we were able to make ends meet. I couponed because I had to. Now as a single mother, money is tighter, but so is my time. The thought of couponing can be overwhelming when you barely have enough time to get dinner on the table before you’re off to one thing or the next. How in the world do you squeeze in the time to coupon when you have so many other things going on at the same time? Here are a few tips that have helped ease the burden of couponing while still allowing me to save money.
Look around for a good deal and subscribe to your local newspaper. I was able to get a whole year subscription for $19.95 and I saved at least that much on our first trip to the grocery store. Even if you pay full price for the paper you will make up the difference in the coupons within the first month or two.
The next step is to get organized. Find what works for you. I bought a zip-up binder at a back-to-school sale for less than $10 and filled it with baseball card sleeves. These are the perfect size for most coupons. I divided the binder into sections (i.e. Food, Baby Supplies, Health and Beauty, Restaurants, Etc.) Then as I clipped my coupons I just slipped them into the appropriate sections.
Beware of the couponing traps. Only clip the coupons you will really use. Just because there is a good deal doesn’t mean you have to have it. When you do that you end up spending more than you would have in the beginning. The goal of couponing is to save money, so be careful of this common coupon trap, or it can be very counterproductive.
It can be a pain to bring your whole binder to the store every time you go grocery shopping. Make a list before you leave based on the coupons that you have. It is thrilling to watch the numbers go down at the register. You will be amazed at the money you can save and it only takes a little time each Sunday to clip the coupons and get them into your binder. It’s a great way to save a little money at the end of the month and once you get the hang of it it’s actually kind of fun!