Save Money With Coupons

Everybody loves to save money. In fact, most of us really NEED to save money. One really good way to save is to use coupons consistently. I'm getting ready to do a bit of shopping, so I'm prepping my coupon notebook today and thought I would share some of my important information.

First, organization is very important when you want to save money. If you aren't organized, you'll get irritated. When you get irritated, you'll decide it just isn't worth the hassle. To keep my coupons organized, I have a 3 ring binder with a zipper. Inside the binder is a series of categories that are separated by tabs. Each category is filled with photo insert sheets to hold my coupons. I also have my coupons separated into FOOD and NONFOOD categories. Play around with a few different ideas to see what works best for you.

Second, you have to get your coupons. The Sunday paper is usually a good place to start, but you can also get coupons online or at the grocery store. You can sign up with companies that will actually mail you coupons for their products. You can even buy coupons on Ebay or other services. (Keep in mind that when you purchase coupons in this manner, you are actually paying for the person's time to cut those coupons out. You are NOT paying for the actual coupons.)

Well - one of my favorite tips is to check the website of your favorite grocery store. I visit Kroger frequently. I have a Kroger Plus Card. Kroger has a program called P&G eSaver. You can go to the Kroger website, click through to the eSaver program and then register your Kroger Plus Card with the program. After registration, you "clip" coupons that are downloaded directly to your card. All the coupons are for P&G products, so they are pretty popular. That isn't all, though. The really neat thing about the eSaver program is that you can still use PAPER coupons in the store. You buy the product, use your paper coupon, and the system will automatically 'use' your electronic coupon when you scan your card. You get DOUBLE savings this way. I just love this because I can look at my list of coupons and match up my paper coupons with the list. I end up getting great stuff for free or nearly free because the eSaver program lets me double dip my coupons. It's wonderful. (Lot's of stores participate in the eSaver program. There's a list on the website that gives the participating stores. )

I'm not sure if other stores have programs like this. I know Publix has printed store coupons that can be stacked with manufacturer's coupons to increase your savings. Beyond that, I'm not sure what individual stores might do. However, it's easy to find out. Just check out the website or call the store directly.

Now if I could just convince the Dollar Tree to start taking coupons...