Making Coupon Clipping Work

Making coupon clipping work can be a bit difficult if you have never done it before. Oh sure, it is rather simple to save fifty cents here, or a dollar there, but to really make it worth your time takes a bit of work. Luckily, there is a rather simple process that you can use to do this. While the process may be simple, it does take some time and effort on your part to really make it work. Just make sure that stick with it to get the most out of it.

1. When and where to look. One of the most important aspects of making coupon clipping work is to know when and where to look. Typically there is one or two days of the week when you should do your searches, and those days are Sunday, and Wednesday. You search on Sunday because that is when the Sunday edition of newspapers come out, which have the most coupons in them, and on Wednesday because that is another popular day for coupons to come out. As to where you should look, you should be looking in newspapers, magazines, in stores, on lines, in your junk mail, and frankly everywhere that you can think of.
2. Organize your collection. You should also take the time to organize your collection of coupons at the same time that you are looking for them. This will help limit the possibility of losing them, and also allow you to determine which coupons are no longer any good. Come up with some kind of filing system that works for you. A common one that is used a lot is to organize the coupons by category (dairy, deli, deserts, frozen foods, meats, etc.), and should be stored carefully. When choosing your container make sure that you are careful to choose a container that will allow you to divide the coupons appropriately, and will also be easy to transport.
3. Take them with you. Coupons will do you absolutely no good if you don't take them with you when you go shopping. An ideal type of container would be a binder similar to those used for baseball cards, which would allow you to flip through the pages quickly and identify each coupon as they come up.
4. Look for in store deals. When you go to the store, keep an eye out for in store deals. These deals can greatly enhance the value of your coupons, and allow them to stretch your money further. For example, often time stores offer a double coupon deal or sometimes even more. Other stores, such as the Kroger chain, offer reward points that can often be used in conjunction with coupons.
5. Repeat the process. Keep repeating the process each week. As with anything, the process only works as long as you work on it, so you will need to keep it up. Don't stop with just one grocery trip, but rather week after week, month after month. Don't skip over any of the steps either, or you will quickly find the process falling apart.