So Im getting my 3 newspapers tomorrow and DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO HELP PLEASE

[overwhelmedshopper]

I REALLY NEED HELP IM SOO LOST. Ok so tomorrow i get my 3 newspapers i ordered Iim in Southern California but my question is:
so most of these learning websites say sales go in cycles and usually the week the coupons come out are NOT the lowest price.
First question: when I have my Pile of coupons how do I know when to take them to the store and use them especially when they are for different stores
2nd Question: How do I actually Use the coupons. ok so you sort them however in sections: Health, beauty, food etc so when iM in an isle lets say beauty & health, how do you do this without being there for hours. you cant possibly sit there and search for this brand of razors and this brand of shampoo and this brand of body soap etc
I hope I make sense because I REALLY want to learn and need to save money. Thank you so much for taking the time to help a lost beginner..
Fern

[phinphana]

Do you have coupon filing system yet? some people cut all there coupons some just file for each week or do both.

I am kind na both. I use photo book for the coupons I need and think that I am gonna use on the book. and save the coupon-inserts file in the file box for the one that I haven't cut.

I used photo book for grocery stores and $1- accordion files for Drug stores and Target.

Then I keep my coupons in one tote that I usually keep in the car and bring in the house when I need to organized cut coupons and discard the expired ones.

There are a lot of thread of organized your coupons.

On my photo book coupons I categorized that suit my needs and you might need all the categorized let sat I got meat . cereal frozen , juice condiments and baby . I am not the best organised but it works for me so you might need to tried different kinds to find what works best for you.

[$Saving!]

First question: when I have my Pile of coupons how do I know when to take them to the store and use them especially when they are for different stores

Only store specific coupons that are not manufacturer's coupons do you need to concern yourself with regarding that question. MQ's can be used at all stores.

2nd Question: How do I actually Use the coupons. ok so you sort them however in sections: Health, beauty, food etc so when iM in an isle lets say beauty & health, how do you do this without being there for hours.

First of all, determine what type of coupon filing system you wish to have that works best for you.

Without your coupons being organized and you know where to find them to match sales, you will never use them well.

Do NOT go into any store without a premade shopping list based on that store's ad circular (you could look them all up online anymore, no need to wait for physical ad in your hands) Then take the coupons that match those sale items and put them in an envelope. I usually write the name of the store on the outside of the envelope, with a list of the items, their sale prices and my coupon value beside that.

I shop my list only! I'm not a grazer - I go in, buy what I have on my list, and check out.

But if you think you're going to browse around and might find some unadvertised deal, bring your coupons inside the store with you, but still shop your list first!

Hope that helps.

[isis]

First off, you need to take a deeeep breath and RELAX! Seems you are overwhelming yourself. Stick to a grocery store in your area by reading that store forum and see what others are getting cheap or free. Since you are just starting out, you may not have all the coupons other people have acquired to get certain deals. Next, pick a drug store. That is where you can purchase a majority of your health/beauty items cheap/free.

Get your coupons in order. I use the binder method, but you have to find a method that works for you. Doesn't matter b/c after a while you will remember what coupons you have.

I only look at the brands that are on sale. If I have a coupon, great! If not and its something I need, then I will buy one or two to tide me over until the next sale (and hopefully a coupon to match!)

It takes time to learn the ropes, and build a stockpile. It doesn't happen overnight. Don't stress if you miss deals, b/c they do cycle around again. Once you become more comfortable, you can branch out and add another store or two, if you choose. It will all come together!

[belinda2]

And don't throw away those inserts once you have the coupons you think you will use. File them. You'd be surprised how many times you'll go back over that same old insert. I usually take the inserts apart and staple like pages together and put in a file which has the date along with the index.

Cut out the ones you think you might use and put in folder or binder for carry along. Match the ads. I suggest you read, read and read some more any and all threads which interest you. There is no way to know it all quickly enough.

Shop as usual and spend a small portion of your budget on building a stock pile. You will read over and over about learning one store and it is good advice because you are also considering types of products, sizes, brands you've never considered before. Don't beat yourself up when you don't buy at the lowest price. You'll do better.

There are tons of videos on utube which are fun.

[overwhelmedshopper]

ok So when all of you get your Coupons on sundays.. Do you usually for the most part NOT use them That week because the items are NOT at the lowest prices.
So How do you all do this..
Do you sit on Sunday morning or sat night. and Look at Your Grocery store's weekly ad online and see what is on sale and then Pull out the coupons accordinly. but my what i dont get - is this going to be the lowest price for these items the sunday the coupons come out or do you wait? and how do you know when to wait until? I hope i am making sense.
I dont know which organization method Im used yet. It seems a lot keep the Coupon inserts separte from Rp SS and only cut the ones they use that week. I might try that
Not sure of binder or otherwise.. I have baseball card inserts at home so Im prolly going to have to try things and see what is easiest for me. Its not the organizing Im so worried about.. that will come in time
is HOW DO YOU ACTUALY DO IT.. Once you get to the store or before you leave whichever . with the actual coupons...
without looking for each item

[belinda2]

You should have a grocery list of items you need for you pantry. Do you need butter this week, milk, bread? Look at a store ad and see what is on sale, can you use it this week, do you have a coupon. Save your grocery receipts to learn prices and possibly build a price book. It takes time to learn the lowest prices in your area. You are trying to learn it all in one night and none of us have that ability.

I've been doing this since April and have a nice stockpile. This week I'll be buying Casade dishwashing det using the q coming out in the P&G insert. I'm looking for the Casade trial package and with the q it will be free. Because none of my local stores have double coupons I'll be shopping at 5 different stores picking up loss leaders matched with q. I buy only what is on my list.

I need milk and bread and have a q. I need fruit but no q. Stick to your list. Some of your questions can be answered by reading other threads. There is a ton of info on this site.

[overwhelmedshopper]

thank you .. to all of you so much. I really truly appreciate your time you have all put in to answer me.. wow so Belinda. 5 stores really..
What does loss Leaders mean?c
ok so I guess when I get my coupons tomorrow morning. I FIRST go online to my grocery store and see what is on sale and match it to the coupons I feel better from all of you thanks.. I guess I get so excited saving money and I was watching tons of couponing videos .. so yea Melissa thanks I needed to take the deep breath.. .thanks all of you.. i guess time is the answer

[suesaving]

Loss leaders are items stores usually put on sale at a really steep discount to get people in the store. They count on the fact that you won't be able to control yourself and will buy something else while you're there. That's how they make their money back. In fact, they may discount a loss leader so low that they actually take a LOSS on the item. Hence the name.

Take a deep breath and take your time learning. There is a LOT to learn about coupons. Even those of us who have been doing this forever have things we can still learn. If you have specific stores you will be shopping, check out the Store Deals forum under Show me the Deals (look for it on the main HCW forum page). You will find a thread for just about every single store chain there is... and often the moderators for the forum and members will compile a good deal list for each week. You can kind of see what they're all excited about and how they match up the coupons and the deals. They'll be glad to help you with store-specific questions too.

Hang in there! You will pick it up in no time!

[tndee]

I haven't been really using coupons until this year. I've changed my organization method several times until I've found one I'm comfortable with. I don't shop every week, so I look at the papers and decide if I need to go to stores for items that are either so cheap I can't pass it up or for items that are on sale.

After I get my paper, I look at all the inserts. Since I don't get over 3 papers at any given time and sometimes only get 1 paper, I normally find it's easier to just cut all the coupons out. I then sift through the clipped q's and lay the ones aside that I wouldn't normally buy. I have no pets, babies, or children, don't wear make-up, don't color my hair. So, all those q's would go in my "not going to use" pile which I then sort by alphabet and put all the a's and b's in 1 envelope, c's & d's, etc. With my envelopes sorted by alphabet, I can easily find a coupon I might want trade or if something changes and I want to buy something different it's easy to find the q.

Now, I go through the sales circulars. I make a list of what's a good deal and what I need from each site. I then paper clip my list with my q's that I'll be using to the front of that paper. I do that with the other papers. If I'm not getting any reward bucks from CVS, Riteaid, or Walgreens to make the item even cheaper, then I just take the paper with me to Walmart and price match. Often, I'll take Walgreens, CVS, Riteaid, and Food Lion papers with me to Walmart. I put my none price matching stuff in the back of the check-out and tell the clerk up front that I will be price matching once we get to "the orange juice, etc". I always tell them up front that I have coupons too but I don't usually hand them the coupons until I've got my price matches completed and they're about to total.

When I'm a little tight on what I can spend, I always stick to my list and only take in what coupons I plan to use. If I have some flexibility, I take in my other coupons and purchase things we would normally use but that I can get at a good price since I have coupons. I started my this coming weekend Walmart list today. I have 11 $1/1 Jimmy Dean q's that I traded for on here. My husband loves the breakfast bowls and they run around $2.24 at our Walmart. Though they won't be on sale, the dollar q's make them a good buy, we have a freezer, and this is pay week. So, I'll purchase them. I also want to make a specific recipe cake and need a can of icing. I have a $0.40 q off Pillsbury frosting. Since I don't know whether Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, or Duncan Hines will have the cheapest price, I'll take my Pillsbury q but I'll compare prices first and not use the q if a brand I like just as good or better is actually the better deal.

I'm not a major stockpiler or anything, but even my husband will hardly go to a store without having coupons anymore. We haven't kept up with what we've saved this year, but we can see the difference coupons and price matching has made for us.

I know this is a long post, but I really hope it helps. I learned so very much from this website. If you have a Facebook account, liking HCW on their is good too. They keep you updated about printable coupons and bargains galore!

Happy savings!