Collecting and Consuming Coupons - A Beginner's Guide

In today's current economic climate there is no question that every dollar counts. With all types of innovative and questionable money-saving techniques surfacing, one aged art form is often forgotten in the fray. Collecting and spending coupons is a great way to start saving. Many of life's most basic necessities are covered by coupons and for those savvy and thrifty enough this can mean huge returns.

Due to an increase in trying times more and more individuals and families are struggling to cover all of their bills. There is no doubt that life can become extremely expensive even if we have made every effort to live modestly. When stocking up for those difficult times or if you just want to put some extra cash back into your wallet coupon codes are a great vehicle to do so. In this beginners expose on coupon collecting we learn some of the best ways to acquire these offers and a few of the pitfalls to watch out for.

One of the most important aspects to successful coupon collecting is obtaining the actual discount slips. Without coupons or knowledge of deals it becomes very hard to put our savings plan into action. Since the most opportune offers are usually related to the grocery store this is a fantastic place to start collecting. Make sure you belong to your local grocers savings club, subscribe to or pick up there weekly/daily fliers and look around for alternative discount sections and racks. If there are shopping rewards at food stores you frequent make sure to investigate. Small independent magazines and newspapers many times have great deals so locate and check those out as well. Cash back and rewards shopping programs are very popular with companies now due to the fierce competition for new customers and available dollars.

After you understand how to accumulate these offers locally the next step is take your coupon prowess global. The internet holds an abundant amount of resources when it comes to securing deals and discounts. Iconic coupon companies like Red Plum, Smart Source and The Entertainment Book are easily found online. Other web-based businesses like Groupon, LivingSocial and Ebates are rapidly changing the views on how to save. Electronic coupons (E-coupons) are becoming wildly useful and accessible and download sites like CellFire, PGEsaver and ShortCuts are the perfect places to pick up even more savings. Once you have gathered a number of coupons it will be time to put them to use.

Getting the most out of your coupons is not as simple as just taking pieces of paper or a card down to the store. If you want to become exceptional at coupon collecting it will take patience, practice and performance. Lots of organizing and coordinating should be expected. One of the first rules of is to always read the fine print. Notes such as expiration dates, size limits and quantity constraints are all details you want to check for. Do not let the coupon issuers trick you into buying more of their products without giving you a huge discount. Shady coupons are ones that require you to purchase 3 or more expensive items while only getting a small amount back for your spending. Unless the goods are a vital part of your life these particular offers are the first ones we should be avoiding.

Also look out for the ones that only offer a small amount of money off as compared to the overall price of the product (hint: $.025 is rarely worth it). You want to look for coupons that are a $1.00 off or more or ones that have a value of at least 50% off the original price (buy 1 get 1 free coupons are usually good examples of this). Finally, always remember that just because you have the coupon does not mean you need to spend them immediately and especially if they have long expiration dates. Waiting for additional mark downs and sales as well as extra discounts to double up on can create even more savings for you the buyer. The coupon world is complex and as you get more comfortable with your tracking, spending and saving the benefits will reveal themselves more and more.