Monetary Monday - Clipping Coupons: Step by Step

Apparently some people think clipping coupons is a huge hassle.  I beg to differ.  I am offering my evidence on how clipping coupons is NOT a huge hassle and is a money saver.  There is a German saying that basically states "If you don't respect a penny, you don't deserve a dollar."  While I am not one of those Couponers who will save as much as she spent, I do save money and enough to make it worth while.  Sunday Newspaper costs $2 at the stand but you can get much of the coupons free online.  For the sake of examples I am doing the newspaper.  I paid like $1 for the Sunday paper to have it delivered for the year. 

First you must fetch the paper from your driveway.  If its wet where you are get to it before the moisture does. 
















Next you want to open up the news paper.  Find the comics and set the aside so your children won't destory the paper looking for them.  Look for your coupons.  Be careful, sometimes there is extra, so be on the look out and search the whole thing. 








What you are looking for will look something like this:
Red Plum as you can see is online at redplum.com.  Smart Source is also online at smartsource.com.











Now go through your coupons and clip the ones you like.  You don't have to clip them all.  Now you might think you might not want to buy something because of the price, even with the coupon, but if you like it clip the coupon.  Frequently there will  be sales and you can get the item for a steal.

These Bob Evans side dishes for instance I wouldn't normally buy.  But once I saw them on sale or 89cents.  These are great for the dh to take to work with him. There are other things I only buy brand name stuff because we have some dietary restrictions and I know they are something we can eat.  Not to mention some stuff, just tastes better.  Not all but some.  Like Walmarts Mac and Cheese is da bomb. 

When you are through you should have a nice pile of coupons like this:

I saved over $6 from this newspaper.  I also get coupons from the companies themselves by being on mailing lists.  I follow couponing blogs, a few clicks of the mouse and I have a coupon in my hand. 






Once you have all your coupons you need to do something with them.  I organize them by date.  The ones expiring first up front the ones expiring last in the back.  So April, May, June and anything later than June and then in the very back ones that have no expiration date.  This makes it easy when I go shopping to pull out the expired ones quickly. 






All that took me less than 15 minutes.  And I don't have to do it again for another week.  Every few months my fil will bring a bag of coupons over.  That takes me a bit longer, but more than worth it in the end.  If you go through your tuesday ads when they come you can find some fantastic deals.  I don't spend that much time but I save $5-$10 every time I go shopping.  That's $20-$40 a month.  That might not seem like a lot to some people, or perhaps not worth it (an hour a month for $20-$40.  My dh doesn't make that much an hour at work!) but considering thats a fast food dinner for your family, or a christmas present you otherwise could not have bought or savings for those outrageous heating or cooling bills.  $20 a month means $240 a year in savings. If you can look that savings in the eye and say its not worth it then I don't know where you are shopping, but I would like to shop there too.