Couponing 101 with the Couponing Queens

Tired of paying full price for groceries? Tired of seeing the prices of food and household items rapidly increasing? Want to save money but don't know how? Follow our tips on couponing! We save thousands of dollars each year and you can too!

Step 1: Organization is the most important step! To get started we suggest a 3-inch binder with a table of contents page, category sheets and baseball card holders. Pre-made binders can be purchased from our web site.

Step 2: Know where to find coupons. Purchase a minimum of four Sunday papers. Also pick up the "Town Talk" and Red Plum Circular ads. Printable coupons are available from www.thekrazycouponlady.com, www.target.com, www.bricks.com, www.swagbucks.com, Delaware County Magazine's new coupon page, www.delcocoupon.com and more. Electronic coupons are available from www.savingstar.com, www.cellfire.com, www.zavers.com, and more. Sign up with local stores for mobile messaging coupons and purchase coupons online through clipping services such as www.couponclippers.com.

Step 3: Know the types of coupons. Manufacturer coupons are distributed by the manufacturer and store coupons come from the store itself. Catalina's print out from the register after you make your purchase and electronic coupons can be downloaded to your store loyalty cards. Blinky Machines can be found in aisles of grocery stores and Tear Pads can be found above a product in a supermarket, super store or pharmacy. Peelies are coupons that can be peeled off of the product packaging.

Step 4: E-mail address and Loyalty Cards. Register a new e-mail account strictly for your coupon web sites that you will frequently use. This way your personal e-mail does not get bombarded with coupon e-mails. Sign up for loyalty cards for supermarkets and pharmacy stores. In order to maximize your saving, you must use a store loyalty card where applicable. You can sign up on the store's web site or at the customer service desk at each store location.

Step 5: Avoid Coupon Fraud. You may not know that you are committing coupon fraud; information on coupon fraud can be found on our web site.

Step 6: Couponers purchase all name brand items but be open-minded about purchasing brands you wouldn't normally pick up.

Step 7: To maximize savings, "stack" store and electronic coupons with manufacturer coupons on top of sale items.

Step 8: Each store varies, so learn your local store's policy on coupons. A Store Coupon Policy Booklet comes with the purchase of our binder.

Step 9: Make your shopping list with our coupon match-ups listed on our web site and Facebook page.

Step 10: Know what your total bill will be prior to checking out, along with any special coupons you will receive at the register if applicable.

Step 11: Take your coupon binder with you! You never know when you are going to find great deals on clearance items or unadvertised sales.

Step 12: If particular sale items are not available, get a rain check!

Step 13: The first few weeks of couponing may be overwhelming, but once you are comfortable and saving 75 to 100 percent off of your shopping bill, you will have a very rewarding stock pile. In turn, you can start helping others and those in your community by giving back at little or no cost to you. For more details, visit www.couponingqueensofdelco.weebly.com, search for Couponing Queens of Delco on Facebook or follow @CQofD on Twitter. Please e-mail us about hosting fundraisers, couponing parties or consultations at couponingqueensofdelco@hotmail.com.

SOURCE: Delaware County Magazine http://www.delcomag.com