Coupons - What You Need To Know

Some of my deals will include coupons and if you've never dealt with them before, you might want to read my introduction below.

I currently have a Sunday news subscription to the Austin American Statesman, purely to get the coupons each week. I pull out each insert, write the date on the front in large, black marker and file it away. When I find a deal, I look for the coupon and cut it out.

Some people clip every coupon right away, organize them, and carry them all to the grocery store. That's more work, but then you never miss a deal because you left a coupon at home.

There can be up to 3 inserts in each newspaper. They each have their own brand name: SmartSource (SS), Procter and Gamble (P&G), and Red Plum (RP). When I refer to a coupon, I'll identify it like this:

$1/1 Cheerios - SS 7/22

...which means the coupon is $1 off 1 box of Cheerios and came out in the July 22 Smart Source insert.

You can also find most coupons on eBay. Of course you have to make sure you can get the coupons fast enough to use them for the sale. There are a lot of printable coupons available and you can almost make do just using these. I haven't found a local store that won't accept them yet.

Coupons may or may not be worth it to you. We don't eat a lot of processed foods and at least half of coupons are for these foods. But there are a lot of coupons for cleaning products and toiletries. It helps if you are open-minded about the brands you use.

Don't forget Randall's doubles coupons up to 50 cents and triples coupons worth up to 39 cents. Although, if you have 5 of the same coupon, they only double or triple the first one.

Also, try not to fall into the trap of spending money just to save some money!