Reality of Couponing

I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT SAVINGS!

Okay here is the honest truth about how much you will save with your coupons. Is it possible to save 75% or more off your grocery bill using coupons, Yes! Can you walk into a store and walk out with a few items paying little or nothing... Yes! Okay I got my coupons and my list of what my family needs I am going shopping will I save 75% off.. ummm NO!!

It takes a lot of time, effort, organizational skills, and math skills to achieve what extreme couponers do. It does not happen over night and it is not just about cutting coupons. You have to know your rock bottom prices, you have to know the coupon cycles, and you have to know about the product, policys, coupon limitations, and of course you have to think long term! As a fellow extreme couponer said (and I am sure that everyone will agree) "To coupon like I do takes a lot of devotion and well coupon match ups."

Rock Bottom Prices means the lowest possible price that you can get this item for realistically. You will learn that although Frosted Flakes is $4.99 a box. When they go on sale for Buy one get one then the rock bottom price will now be $2.50. But if there are manufacturers coupons (as they usually are since the coupons are put out to go with upcoming sales or vice versa) for lets say 50 cents off your Rock bottom price will be $2.00. Then if there is a store coupon to go with that for lets say $1.00 then your rock bottom price is now $1.00 so now you know your rock bottom price is $1.00.

Coupon Cycles are explained in a separate file here on this site. Basically coupon cycles are the way that coupons work. When and why coupons come out. For instance we all know the best time to buy Christmas decor is right after Christmas when those lights and other decor gets major mark downs. Same rule follows for every item in your house. Spring time is known for cleaning so during those months you will find good deals on cleaning supply and after those months you will find better deals. Right after Summer or right before is the best time to stock up on bbq sauce and spices. Same thing goes with produce, clothing, summer items, and so forth.

About the Product is basically knowing about the sizes and getting the most for your dollar. When your favorite product comes out with a new flavor, packaging, or even a new line all itself there will be a coupon meaning you have to be aware of these things.

Policies also explained in a separate file are very important to know. These are basically the rules or each store. Knowing these rules will save you a lot of time and effort. It is also important to follow these policies so that couponing is done correctly.

Coupon limits are on the coupon itself some limit you to only 4 at a time can be used with only certain sizes or flavors or types. YOU must follow and know these rules in order to not only be a good couponer but to make sure that this is all comes together as planned because the last thing you need is a problem in your transaction to mess up everything that you have planned.

Long term thinking is when you think long term. Basically buying in bulk the items that you can or will be ussing and buying them at the rock bottom price. Stocking up is important because the last thing an extreme couponer wants is to run out before the next good deal comes rolling around.

There are two other major key factors which is what takes a lot of time to get right.

Getting your List together involves a lot of work matching up the coupons with the sales and so forth can be difficult. There are a lot of free information sites that offer help that takes the guess work out of this and in return will save you a lot of time and effort. Stocking up and knowing when to stock up and knowing about all of the things listed above will help you with your list. But you have to remain in your lsit to get the full savings. You may have to change or alter the way you shop.

Getting you numbers right has to do with knowing your policies, your coupon, the store, the price, the sales, and the match ups. WOW! Figuring out what quantity you would need to buy to get the best savings. How much you need to stock up. Figuring out before you even get to the store what you will be spending. This part takes a lot of knowledge that you can only get after you have been doing this awhile there is no miracle article to read, no class that can teach you this, and definetly can only happen if you put in a lot of effort. Getting your numbers down is a skill and a game to many extreme couponers

It takes time to save 100's off your bills. That is the truth and anyone who tells you different is not being honest with you!

When starting out it is more realistic to say you can score some free or really cheap items with little effort. But remember that you do have to invest money to get those items for free at those stores.

HAPPY COUPONING!