I know that couponing can seem daunting and overwhelming but the benefits are really life, and budget, changing! So I thought that I should post about how I have started and maybe it can help you in your journey. To begin I did a lot of reading, and I mean a lot! I googled and searched and talked to lots of people online, and then decided that it was something that I wanted to try. Now if you have watched TLC's Extreme Couponing and that is what you think this is going to be like you are mistaken. Yes you can get great deals and lots of stuff for free but what you see on TV is NOT the norm BUT you can have great success!
Where to Find Coupons:
There are so many places now that you can find coupons, some are for as much as $10.00 and others are for as little as $0.25 but the way that I look at it is no matter what the amount a penny saved is a penny earned :)
TEAR PADS: Have you ever really looked around at the drug store or grocery store, these little gems are everywhere now! I have found a lot of my best deals have been from using tear pads. When you find one that you like take a few, not the whole pack share the wealth. Some stores have the same ones but there are variations so keep your eyes open at all locations. My favourite places to find them are Sobeys, Metro, SDM (Shoppers Drug Mart), and Rexall. Now Loblaws (Loblaws, SuperStore and Independent)also has them but they do say that they are for any Loblaws Inc Store only. BUT with those coupons you can use them at Walmart as they take all competitors coupons and they add match.
INTERNET: There are so many places on the Internet now that you can get amazing coupons. My go to sites are Save.ca , Websaver.ca ,Gocoupons.ca , Brandsaver.ca . For these sites you sign up pick out your coupons and they mail them to you, they are very fast in getting them to you. Then there is a waiting period until you can have them mailed to you again. You are allowed one account per household and email. There are also many places that you can go to to print coupons online, there are sites that are dedicated to printing online like SmartSource.ca and LivingWell.ca but also lots of company's have coupons right on their websites. Company's also tend to offer free samples or coupons if you "like" their page on facebook. There are lots of sites, like mine, that are dedicated to frugal living just a little google work and you can be loaded with information. A good idea might be to open another email account and have it specifically for couponing that way your everyday email wont get filled with you couoon, organization is key.
NEWSPAPER: The newspaper does offer coupons, but unlike in the US it is not every week. There are inserts every few weeks on the weekend papers.
OTHER: You can find coupons in lots of different packages in all sorts of different products, you just have to keep your eyes open. For example there are cereal boxes, juice containers, and taco kits and don't forget magazines.
There are also many companies that offer free samples, these are great as they are free plus a lot of the time they come with a coupon to try the product.
Once you set your mind to try couponing you will start to see them everywhere and it can be very exciting when you find a good one. One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to be patient! You really want to know your prices of products when they are full price and when they are on sale. Know you "best prices" that is when you want to use coupons. This will maximize your savings and keep your out of pocket cost low. Another trick is to look for the smallest size possible, now I know to most that goes against what we were taught when trying to save money but hear me out. When you go for the smaller size you will get the bigger bang for your coupon and that is when your out of pocket will be very little if anything. For example I was able to buy the smallest size of Listerine and make $0.12 per bottle, if I had bought the larger size I would have been out of pocket. Travel size can be your best friend, they can be your money makers like the shaving cream that I made $1.04 off, for each container I bought.
Just remember to take it slow so that you don't get overwhelmed, couponing is fun so have fun and enjoy it!
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