“You Do WHAT With Coupons?” Beginner Level

Welcome to couponing! Want to lear how to save money and join the game that is couponing? You have come to the right place. EasternShoreMom.com has carefully constructed this level-by-level guide to saving money to help you along your way.

What is a coupon?
A coupon comes from either the manufacturer of the product or the store you are purchasing from. This is an incentive for you to buy their product. You can tell a manufacturer coupon usually by the number below the barcode, it will begin with a “5″. A store coupon will have the store name on it typically and does not begin with a “5″. What is the life cycle of a coupon? One of my favorite blogs has a wonderful explanation of how a coupon is born, redeemed, and everything in between. Click HERE for the article written by Southern Savers.

Is there a decoder for the symbols and abbreviations on this blog?
Yes, there is. Go to the EasternShoreMom Coupon Dictionary to learn the abbreviations and exactly what they mean.

Where can I find coupons?
Manufacturer coupons- The most common place to find manufacturer coupons is in the Sunday paper. You can also find manufacturer coupons online at the websites listed below. Another source for manufacturer coupons is directly from the manufacturer on their website or by requesting coupons from them.
Here is the list of coupon websites for manufacturer coupons:
www.smartsource.com
www.coupons.com
www.redplum.com
Store coupons- These coupons can be found on store websites or inside stores in coupon booklets. You can also find store coupons in the store’s weekly ad. Publix, for example, puts out two coupon flyers each month with store coupons inside. They also offer store coupons inside booklets found sometimes in the store from the manufacturer. Target is one that offers coupons on their store’s website.

What is “stacking” a coupon?
“Stacking” a coupon is whenever you use ONE store coupon and ONE manufacturer coupon on one item. You cannot use more than one manufacturer coupon or more than one store coupon on an item, but you can combine the two for additional savings.
Here is a list of the stores that you will most often use this method:
Publix
Target
Walgreens

How do I organize my coupons?
The first several weeks you will spend gathering coupons from you local paper inserts & printing coupons off the internet. You will find yourself burried in coupons if you don’t have a method of organization. To start out with, I  organized my coupons in a basic accordian file, check file, or oversized check file. You can sort your file by category or alphabetical. This is a good way to start organizing because you get used to clipping your inserts, learning where your coupons are, and exactly which coupons you have.

How do I get started?
Read over each store’s coupon policy in the Store Specific Coupon section of EasternShoreMom to better understand each stores policies.

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