How Do Beginners Start Couponing?

Being able to save a significant amount of money and yet enjoy your shopping passion is made possible by introducing coupons. People can now shop in a more relaxed way without being panic-stricken due to a not-so-impressive family budget. If you are a complete beginner in this field, you probably need some help to understand couponing musts. Keep on reading and find some key practices to bring couponing down to a fine art.

Learn the basics of coupon lingo

Prior to indulging yourself in the secrets of couponing as a successful money-saving strategy, it is critical to know and understand coupon lingo. Being unknowledgeable in this field can prevent you from using all the benefits of couponing in the way coupon connoisseurs do. While the lingo contains numerous terms, here are a few essential terms and abbreviations each beginner should know:

• BOGO – This is an abbreviation meaning Buy One Get One For Free
• Double Coupon – The term refers to the coupons that get the double value in grocery stores.
• Triple Coupon – The Triple Coupon gets the triple value in grocery stores.
• Free Item Coupon – This coupon entitles you to a product completely free of charge.
• IP – The abbreviation stands for Internet Printable Coupons. After printing the coupon downloaded from the Internet, you can use it for your purchase.
• Peele – This is a coupon you get after purchasing a product and you can use it for your next purchase. The coupon should be peeled off the package, which explains its name.
• MEG or MQ – This is a Manufacturer’s Coupon.
• Stacking – When a store allows you to combine its specific coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon, this is called stacking.

First, get some coupons

Once you master coupon lingo, you can focus on the next task. It involves finding the best coupon sources. Initially, it will take some time to understand the practices underlying the coupon search, but as time passes, you will get increasingly better at this. Eventually, it will be impossible not to notice positive changes in your home budget, which is one of the key reasons why beginners start couponing in the first place.

A comprehensive couponing guide suggests exploring online coupons, newspaper coupons, and installing coupon apps as unmistakably efficient steps to take. The internet is an ample source of online coupons if you have enough time and patience to search for them. On the other hand, buying Sunday newspapers is a way to receive your set of coupons on a regular basis. Finally, installing applications on the subject can be a powerful means to introduce you to the best couponing strategies you will want to apply.

Organizing your coupons is a must

Whether you are a beginner or an advanced-level coupon connoisseur, it is important to keep your coupons organized at all times. Only this way can you be sure you will not miss any of the available deals and be deprived of a chance to save some money on your purchase.

Most often, people use envelopes or coupon binders for proper organization. Also, there are some special coupon boxes you can use for the purpose, too. Whatever you choose, remember that it is essential to organize your coupons in a way that will enable you to easily follow the best deals. This can be the best strategy to save money before starting over in NYC, investing in your own business, or whatever you can think of.

Planning purchases is the next step

Figure 5Plan every purchase carefully. Alt. tag: A woman writing a plan for purchases in her notebook.

Unfortunately, having coupons does not mean you can buy whatever you want and whenever you want. If your aim is to save by doing shopping in this manner, each and every purchase has to be carefully planned. To achieve this, you need to follow several basic steps of the process.

Firstly, you need to decide what items you need or simply want to buy. Once you have made the selection, the next step is to conduct a thorough coupon search. Read the ads to see where you can find a real bargain for the products you are planning to buy. These ads are available in the above-mentioned newspapers or online. As one might expect, the final step is to finally go shopping.

On some occasions, you might come across a minor difficulty. Namely, stores can sell out all the items on a discount before you get to the shop. Then, it is an intelligent choice to get a rain check. The rain check guarantees the favorable discounted price for the product as soon as it arrives at the shop again.

Some tips for beginners in couponing

Figure 6 To master couponing, follow some simple tips and hints. Alt.tag: The words special offer written in colorful letters because when beginners start couponing, these are the words they start looking for intensively.

Some of the helpful and highly useful tips for beginners in couponing are the following:

• An expert in couponing has an email account created only for the purpose of coupons and various discounts. This helps you to stay organized and easily follow the discount trends on the market.
• Subscribe to the newsletters of your favorite stores’ websites. This will keep you informed on all the novelties and special offers.
• Spend some of your time to search the Internet as thoroughly as you can and register on all the relevant websites when it comes to couponing.
• Make a plan for your purchases week by week. Firstly, make a list of the items you need, then check your neatly arranged and organized coupons and finally get down to planning. This is the strategy that brings the results in the long run.
• Do not forget to look for some additional discounts at the shops. Very often it is possible to combine coupons with discounts, which is a real bargain, isn’t it?
• Finally, make an effort to write to the manufacturers whose products you buy on a regular basis and ask for a coupon yourself! You will be surprised how often they are willing to show appreciation for your loyalty to their brand. Understandably, there are those who do not see this as a manner to retain their satisfied customers. However, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Author’s bio

Linda Walsh is a Geography teacher and a genuine shopaholic. She has studied closely and eventually mastered couponing as a chance to enjoy shopping and yet not break the bank. In her free time, she is a copywriter who focuses on most effective couponing strategies as well as most common couponing issues.