How to start couponing

Well, college life is over and it was fun. While many students live off their student loan and tax refunds, it's now time to develop a budget. This blog isn't about how to organize your money, however. It's how to save money, and lately I have been watching shows like "Extreme Couponing" on TLC. Now that the real world is at my doorstep, I find it useful to put some of their theories to the test. This may be a learning experience for me, so keep checking back.

First, though, while exploring coupon websites I saw something was common among them. Couponing just isn't snipping coupons and putting them in an organizer. In fact, I found many couponers took this hobby to a serious level. I'm just starting out, however. I don't want to get overwhelmed, so I might take my time at this. After all, how hard can it really be?

A YouTube video I watched explained couponing to be more of a craft. These individuals have store policies, grocery lists, store advertisements and coupons all in a secluded binder. Many of these couponers are organized in their coupon strategies. For instance, they organize their coupons with tabbed dividers and place their coupons in baseball call holders. When they go into the store, they have preselected their coupons in order to make it easier on the cashier. Also, this assists them in making sure they get the greatest value for the goods they buy.

I've noticed on TLC's "Extreme Couponing" most of them go where the store has a saver's card. This is important because it increases your savings. In addition, if an individual knows how to price match well, these are additional savings with your coupons. When stores choose to double coupons, the savings double as well. However, while they make it look simple on the show, I realize there is more thought and planning that much go into the process. Many of these people put literally dozens of hours/week into searching and cutting coupons. I'm not that extreme, and I don't have that kind of time.

Furthermore, the amount a person saves with coupons and ads is amazing. In a struggling economy, it's important to save money for your future. Jobs aren't steady now, and coupons may allow more money in your bank account. So, that's my strategy for now. I'm going to start clipping and saving; hopefully in that order. In a few weeks, I'm going to be moving a bigger area that has a few more grocery stores. Maybe I can find one with a saver's card and experiment with this.

After all, how hard can clipping coupons be? Seriously, it should be easy. You clip, you save. I just need one good strategy to get me couponing and I'm off to a great start!