Coupon Strategies – To Clip Or Not to Clip

If you are on a budget, one way you might be able to save money is by clipping coupons. You may have to spend some extra time clipping, sorting and organizing but there is a chance to have that time pay off in the long run. So where do you start? Some of the best places to look are:

• Newspapers – You will usually be able to find manufacturers coupons in the newspaper each week. However sometimes they will not be included with the paper. Typically the Sunday before a holiday you will not receive coupons with the paper. You can usually find the coupon insert schedule for the year by doing an internet search.
• Online – There are several sites online that allow you to print coupons. Typically they require you to install a coupon printer in order to print them. Not all stores accept printed coupons so you may want to check the store's coupon policy first.
• Direct from the Manufacturer – Some manufacturer have coupons available to print from their websites Or you can contact the manufacturer by e-mail, mail or phone to request coupons be sent to you.
• Store Cards – Some stores have loyalty or frequent shopper cards that you can sign up for. You may receive coupons by mail or have the ability to load coupons directly onto your card.
• Coupon Clipping Services – There are sites out there that allow you to order the coupons you want. They typically charge a small fee for the work that they do but that may be worth the time your saving.
• On Products – Sometimes you can find coupons on and in the packaging of the products you purchase.

Coupon Clipping Methods

There are lots of ways to get started, so you'll want to find what works best for you. Here are a few options to consider:

• Clipping only the coupons you plan on using
• Clipping all coupons and sorting them by category
• Saving all inserts by date order and only clipping as needed

There are even a few websites that have searchable coupon databases to let you know where to find the exact coupon you might be looking for.

Once you've clipped now what, what do you do with all the coupons? Again you'll want to find what works best for you. You can find inexpensive coupon organizers at most office supply stores. They typically have tabs you label yourself. You could even go all out and create your own binder with individual pocked pages for ultimate organization and storage.

It may seem overwhelming spending all the time cutting, sorting, and organizing in order to save a few cents here and there but if you decide to go on this coupon clipping endeavor it could add up to substantial savings.