New couponers start here, PART 1

Ok, I know I haven't posted CVS yet. My computer was down due to a nasty virus (which both of my computers got!) and I am just getting back up and on the internet.

I am doing a 4 Part series to New couponers start here all the month. Each week I will start you with a new scenario, store policies etc. Please comment with any questions

This week we are going to start mostly with what you already know and put a little bit of couponing backround into the mix, follow this step by step guide to get started:

STEP 1:
Make a list of commonly used items in your household and the price you generally pay for that item. The reason this is important is because you cannot know if you have a good deal if you just throw the items in the cart as you need them. Example: Healthy Harvest Pasta $1.49. This list will tell me that when I look at Krogers ad for this week that buying 10 at .49 each is a great deal and that I should buy as much pasta as I would expect to consume in about 6 weeks (this is usually how long it takes for another sale on the same item rolls around). There are coupons available for this item, however, if you don't have one it would be silly to pass up savings of an entire dollar for nearly 6 weeks!

STEP 2:
If it is a better price then you usually pay, and you don't have a coupon...buy it anyway! Getting your paper coupons together is going to take about one month!

STEP 3:
Get an accordian folder with tabs. Write the date on the front of your coupon inserts and file them by date.  This will save you lots of time clipping and you will see why as the weeks go along. Also get a small coupon folder for when you go out so you can organize them by the store you will be shopping at in case of multiple shopping visits in a week.

STEP 4:
I cannot stress this enough, MAKE A SHOPPING LIST!!!  And then go to google.com and type in "coupon database". Once you get to a good coupon database, do a search for the items on your list and see if you have any paper coupons, or if there are printables available for it. If you cannot find one, try switching brands that week to see if it will save you some money.


STEP 5:
Sign up for your store cards and online discount sites. Harris Teeter, Farm Fresh has a upromise card at the customer service counter, food lion, CVS, Rite Aid, Bloom. Also sign up for eBates, Groupon, http://www.upromise.com/, and http://www.savingstar.com/ and link your shopping cards to the last two and look into ebates and groupon.

STEP 6:
Familarize yourself with the coupon policies of ONE grocery store and ONE drugstore. This week I will be focusing on the rules of Farm Fresh and CVS.  I will have the matchups available for Farm Fresh this evening/early am and CVS by Saturday evening. With CVS I will be doing a scenario for you to start getting your feet wet. For Farm Fresh, I will go over their coupon policy thorougly

That's it for this week. Get your coupons and lists organized and read about Farm Fresh & CVS when I post those ads.

:)