Coupons Coupons and more smart shopping

Coupons are the safest, easiest, and legal way to save money when it comes to shopping. Whether they are the clip and save coupons or the virtual coupons every little penny counts. When I was a little girl I would remember my mother giving me a fist full of quarters on Wednesday and Sunday and telling me to go get her an LA Times so that she can clip her coupons. When I brought the paper home she would walk across the breezeway to a neighbor's house and a gaggle of women would sit there and clip coupons, trade coupons and gossip about what was going on in our apartment complex. My mother and her best friend were avid coupon collectors and would find coupons in the most inconspicous places. It wasn't outside the norm for my mother and her best friend to wait outside the local newstand at midnight and wait until the Sunday paper was about to head to the dumpster and ask for the inserts.

Needless to say frugality has been a part of my life for as long as I could remember. We never wasted food and we never let coupons EXPIRE!!! Coupons made for great Christmas' at our house and I can say that I can't thank my mother enough for not only raising six kids alone but making sure that we didn't feel we were missing something as kids.

So now onto the topic - Coupons! You can usually find coupons in you major newspaper for the state that you live in; Washington Post, LA Times, and so on. You can also find coupons in magazines that have product advertisements. Now I do not suggest that you go out and buy a ton of magazines, but it is always good idea to periodically pick up household or fashion related magazines because that is where you can find great coupons. You can also print coupons from online databases. Some require that you sign up to be notified of new coupons, but most only require a zip code so you can get coupons that are for stores in your area.

Now when it comes to collecting coupons you want to keeps the following things in mind.

• Be aware that you will have to change some of the products that you use.

Not all products offer coupons and saving money is the goal so you may have to switch brands. This by no means mean you will have to by some inferior brand and a generic version of your beloved product but you may have to make the big switch.

• Get organized

You don't have to go out and buy some fancy coupon organizer. You can use envelopes and separate them by category, or by month. You want to be sure that you are using the coupons before they expire. We are not aiming to lose money we want to save it.

• Be patient

When you first become a coupon king or queen you are going to be bad at it. Over time you will be good and with enough practice and dedication you will become an expert. There is nothing that you start new in life and it is a breeze. Believe me you will become addicting to saving money and getting free stuff.

• Buy in bulk when necessary

Growing up in a house with 6 siblings we always had a nucleur fallout supply of canned goods and toilet paper. We went through both of them quickly. My mother always made sure that the new stuff was put in the back and the older items moved to the front. First in First out (FiFo). If you are a smaller family you don't need 10 tubes of Crest. The only case where I would see that is going to be necessary is if you will donating it to a charity or church. Seriously other people would like to come to the store and buy toothpaste!!!

• Finally - Have Fun~

I love saving money. I love sorting coupons and my two kids really enjoys the benefits they reap from coupons, so the help me clip and sort them. Getting the kids (and husband if you have one) gives them a sense of belonging and contribution to helping the family budget. Before long the kids will start to pick up your sprend thrift ways and enjoy saving as well.

In my next post I will outline how to stack coupons and use register rewards to get huge saving and free items from stores. If you are looking for great sources for coupons please see the links provided below. As always thank you so much for stopping by and don't forget to vote, comment and follow. HAPPY COUPONING!!!