Let's Coupon! {part 3}

It's no secret that I love to save money so I have pretty much become obsessed with couponing. I've taken on this challenge to see how much money I can save each shopping trip and I love it. If you want to know how to start shopping with coupons, I mentioned in Part 1 the basics of couponing and in Part 2, I mentioned how I use my phone to coupon.

Today I'm going to get more into how I get ready for a shopping trip.

1. Make a list. This is simple. Just write down what you need. Later I will break down my list by store by who has a better deal.

2. See what's on sale. I do this by looking at ads in the newspaper I get or going to my store's app. Using an app is a great way to see the weekly ad and know when a sale starts and ends.

3. Try new brands. This has been a big thing for me. I really like certain brands but since I've started couponing I've really learned to try new things.

4. Check your coupons. After I've made my list and checked the sales, I go through all my coupons and the sites I like to print coupons from (like coupons.com). I see how many I have and write it down next to the item I want.

5. Know your store's coupon policy. Every store has one so make sure to check it. You never want to hand over 10 like coupons and are only allowed to use 5. I have found the more organized I am with my coupons, the nicer the cashiers are about scanning them.

6. Organize your coupons by store. Once I have my list for each store and the coupons all clipped, I paper clip them together. If I'm shopping at multiple stores in one day, I'll use a small piece of paper at the front with the store's name so I don't get confused.

Sounds pretty simple but please know matching up coupons with sales does take a bit of your time and I think some people get discouraged by this.  I usually try to do this when the boys are at school and the baby is taking a nap or after all the boys have gone to bed at night.

Now it's time to go shopping! One of my biggest tips for people who want to start couponing is do small shopping trips the first few times. Get used to matching up coupons to sales, finding the right items at the store and the right price, and using the coupons. Even if you just save 30% off on your total, it's still saving!

So do you coupon? Anything specific you'd like to know?