Step by Step Couponing Guide for Beginners

*This post contains affiliate links. For more info, please see my full disclosure policy here*

So you want to learn how to coupon but are not sure where to start? Couponing can be a very intimidating and overwhelming subject for most people. However if you are serious about saving money and spending next to nothing on a lot of different items keep reading!

I started couponing back in 2014 when I saw one of my good friends post her haul on Facebook. I immediately reached out mostly because I was curious but also because I was hoping to learn something.

After my first haul (pictured below), I was addicted! I spent less than $16 for 20 items that was a 65% savings!

In this article I will list a step by step couponing guide and some of my top tips to make couponing a much less intimidating subject and get you on the road to the grocery store with coupons in hand.

Step 1: Use Social Media/ Blogs

I follow a lot of local Facebook and Instagram pages that post awesome deals and that are super informative. I also like to subscribe to blogs that send me deal match-ups (click here for my  Coupon Lingo Cheat Sheet) directly to my email.

Simply search “Coupon” or “Deal MatchUps” on your Google, Facebook or Instagram to find blogs and local social pages that will post awesome detailed deal scenarios. These can be very helpful for someone with a full time job that may not have the time to sit down to look through all the ads to find the best deals.

Step 2: Getting the coupons

So once you have checked a few deal matchups online, now it’s time to get your coupons or inserts. Below I list a few ways I get my inserts/ coupons.

Inserts are the coupon books that come in local newspapers which contain the coupons.  You can have as many as 4 inserts in one newspaper sometimes even more. In order to create the stockpile of your dreams you will need more than one newspaper with multiple inserts.

• You can subscribe to your local newspaper to be able to have more than one newspaper delivered. You can also purchase them from your local grocery store or the dollar store, depending on your location. To start off I would recommend purchasing a few newspapers so you are not overwhelmed.

Tip: Check your newspapers before purchasing them, sometimes the newspapers do not have inserts in them so last thing you want to do is purchase your newspapers and find out at home that there were no inserts for that particular week.

 

• You can print IP coupons online. I like to look on Coupons.com for high value coupons at least once every week. You can search by brand names or categories and you can print up to 2 coupons per computer. I also like to use pickupthevalues.com which has less coupons but for well known brands and you can print 2 per coupons per account.

 

• Also keep your eyes open for peelies, TP or blinkies when you are shopping, there are a lot of good coupons right near or on the product!

Step 3: Sorting and Clipping

Once you have all your newspapers, you will want to take out all the inserts and start organizing them by type.

I like to take this opportunity to look through the inserts and see if there are any coupons on items that I usually always buy for my family. I will usually clip these and put them in my coupon organizer, As you can tell mine is a little worn out, I purchased mine from Amazon 4 years ago for $10, not a bad investment.

Also don’t forget to look through all the ads that come in your newspaper. You may spot a deal that you have a coupon for!

Tip: Do not clip all coupons in your inserts, when I first started couponing I used to cut all of them and put them in a binder. This took so much of my time and I hardly ever used all the coupons.  

Step 4: Organizing

Personally I like to file all of my inserts instead of clipping them. However, I recommend finding a system that works best for you and your lifestyle. The main key is to stay organized!

I file my coupon inserts by insert type and date. I will write the type of insert (SS, RP, P&G) and the date that it came out on the tab of a manila folder.

Then I will file them in a filing crate, like the one shown below.

To save money I do recycle the manila folders, I just use liquid paper or white-out to remove the old date and write in the new date.

I like to keep 3 months worth of coupons and the current month. So that means that every 3-4 months you want to set some time aside to clear out any old expired coupons.

Tip: You can mail expired coupons to overseas military bases for up to 6 months past their expiration date. Just google “where to send expired coupons” and there will be detailed instructions on how to do this.

Step 5: Planning

Once your coupons are all organized, it’s time to plan your shopping trip.

I highly recommend planning your shopping trip and clipping your coupons in advance. This will help you stay organized and avoid wasting time trying to plan your trip in the middle of the chip aisle.

Gather all the screenshots (from Tip 1) for deals that you came across throughout the week and notate them in a notepad by store along with the coupon that you will be using and the insert that it’s in (so you can pull out of the coupons to clip for your trip).

Also take this time to write any additional items that you need to purchase on your shopping list. I personally like to use the Flipp app to see if a particular item that I need for my family is on sale. I will also try to match it up with a coupon if any, any savings is good savings right?

Tip: I use coupon databases to locate the inserts that the coupon is in. My personal favorites are Coupontom.com & Southernsavers.com. You just type the product and it will show you the coupon insert type and date that it came out.

Step 6: Know your Stores Policy

Nothing is more frustrating then getting to the cash register to check out and they limit you to 4 coupons of the same item in one transaction, it can throw your whole game off. I like to be aware of coupon limits and coupon policies like piggybacking so that I am fully aware of what I am allowed to do or not. All coupon policies should be listed on the stores website.

Step 7: Be Nice!

Cashiers and managers will be more than willing to help if you are nice to them. It’s important for new couponers to understand specific policies that may not be outlined on the stores website. For example some stores will vary by location on how many of the same coupon or “like” coupons they can use per transaction, even if it’s the same store. 

Step 8: When to Stock Up

It is very easy to jump on the couponing bandwagon, but don’t just buy an item because it has a coupon, only buy what you know you and your family really need. Unless it’s free 😊 or ridiculously cheap, these are always good for DIY gift baskets for your family and friends.

My rule of thumb is less than $1 for an item after coupon, depending on the type of item of course. You can also keep spreadsheets on the best prices to stock up on for specific items. Just google “stock up price” and there will be many resources to help you decide if you should stock up or not.

Step 9: Shopping!

Finally time to shop! Once you have your shopping list in one hand and your coupon organizer/ binder in the other it’s time to hit the stores. Another key point while shopping in the store is to stay organized, I can not stress this enough. If you stay organized and have a plan the shopping trip will go much smoother.

Also I recommend shopping on your own without your kids if you have any, at least for the first few times until you get the hang of it. As they may not be as patient while you gather your coupons and look for specific items and can add confusion and stress to the shopping trip (I speak from experience).

Make sure you are keeping track of your items as you shop (non coupon items, participating items, etc.). For example if you shop at Kroger during the B5S5 (Buy 5 Save $5), you need to make sure that you are buying the participating items in increments of 5 to get the sale price. This can get confusing if you can’t remember what was a participating item and what was not while you are checking out.

Step 10: Be Patient

Couponing does require some consistent hard work and dedication. It will take time and patience to become familiar with the coupon world. But if you get a good system going and stay organized you will definitely benefit from the savings. 

Check out a few of my favorite deals over the years below! Let me know if you have any additional tips or tricks on couponing in the comments below, I would love to hear them!