Times are hard and everyone’s looking to save money. Couponing is one of those ways we can do it, and luckily, we can coupon even without leaving our house, even internet shopping. Read this post from a reader to find out more.

Prices are rising across the board, while unemployment rates are growing. It’s only normal to want to assert some control in these situations and the best way to do that is through slashing the costs of day-to-day life. For instance, you can reduce your gas prices; reduce the price of services like landscaping, cable and even for your utilities. However, you also have to consider the general everyday items that you need. This includes food and maintenance items.

Moreover, there is only so far that sacrifices can go. You need to maintain a regular life while still saving some money. You can’t stop eating – or even worse, start eating poorly – and stop maintaining your home and yourself.

But how should one do this while still staying comfortably within the budget?

Well, there are many ways. And couponing is at the heart of them – click here to learn more about couponing.

Types of couponers

There are different levels of couponing, of course. Some people are saving more, some less. It is important to know the types of couponers if you want to start yourself.

Here they are:

5 steps of couponing

This may sound awfully complex, but it’s really not. Here’s how to do it:

Gather coupons


For this operation, you will need plenty of coupons. However, it doesn’t mean going crazy with it. Get copies of the same coupon and when you find a good deal, you can easily maximize how much you save. You are going to use them as cash, so it’s best to gather them properly. Here are some good sources:

Organize

When you get all of these resources, you will need a way to organize them properly. Where can you keep them? How can you keep track of all of them? The trick is to find a system that works for you.
You need to have a good idea of what products you have coupons for and when they expire too. A pile will just confuse you and hamper your chances of success.

A popular choice is the coupon binder, which is a binder mostly for baseball cards, but you will use it for coupons. It will hold all of your individual clips, neatly sorted out by product and first letter. It’s a simple system, but it also has a few disadvantages.

Of course, it is amazing because you can carry it to the store and see if you have a deal for a specific product. You can make notes too. But, you will need to commit to filing and it’s going to take you a while. You will have a harder time finding near-expired coupons and remembering them too. It is a commitment.

Another popular choice is the whole inserts as a way of filing. This way, you do not clip anything until you’re ready for shopping. It saves a lot of time and it’s easy to maintain. You also don’t have to take all of them to the store. However, you also don’t have the advantage of making decisions easily at the store. You will also need a system for loose coupons.

Now all you have to do is go shopping.