Are you in a Coupon Rut?

Every so often I get into a coupon rut where I let coupons pile up before sorting them. Sometimes I get lazy and don’t run to all the stores I intend to take advantage of the deals. It is ok, this happens to everyone! Don’t feel that you are the only one that gets into this so called Coupon Rut; it happens to us all. Many take weeks, months and even a year off. Bottom line, our lives can get busy.

If you have been on the couponing journey for a while, you will notice that the coupon community has changed, especially with more restrictions on coupons. Does that mean there aren’t any deals? No, there are still deals that come up every week! Make sure to do coupon match ups to sales ads every Sunday and Wednesday. Sunday is when Drug Stores sales ads are released and Wednesday is when Grocery Stores sales ads are released.

The difference in couponing, compared to 2012, is that many coupons are printables so you have to get use to printing the new coupons as they are released. It is important to print coupons as they are released as printable coupons will disappear after they reach their print limit or marketing budget. Many of the hot coupons will only last a few hours before they disappear.

Today there are more Extreme Couponers compared to 2012, so to score the deal you have to train yourself to get to the store before other Extreme Couponers arrive. Typically to score the best deals you have to coupon on the morning of the start of the new sales. To give yourself an edge, watch on Instagram to find out about the active deals. Use hashtags to see what others are finding in your area or nationwide like #targetclearance #walmartclearance #cvsclearance #hawaiishopaholics #extremecouponing #couponcommunity #live808tpr etc…

In addition, make sure you use smartphone apps to help with couponing – this is important. More and more apps are appearing each year with many being coupon apps. HERE is a list of coupon apps. The coupons apps are all very similar with a few variations from each app. For the most part, the list of coupons on the app will change or reset weekly. When you are ready to checkout, open the app, buy the product listed on app, scan the bar code of the product in the app, snap a picture of the receipt and you will earn the cash back within the app. Most apps have a minimum to earn before you will be able to receive your money, like $10 or so. Most apps will either be by paypal, a check, or select a gift card.

Now to the fun part – some basic tips to not have couponing take over your life. First and foremost, don’t let it become a full time job. Instead let couponing become a part of your life!

Here are some tips to get out of the coupon rut:

Take a step back – like taking a week off from couponing every few months.
Spend time to Get Organized
Limit the amount of stores you go to, so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Find a good balance – Most of us are moms, home takers, and more.
Think of buying what you can online. Many stores offer FREE shipping or FREE in-store pickup.
Remember price matching can save you from having to bounce to different stores.
Use ShopSavvy app to scan barcodes on items to find the cheapest price available.
Use apps like iBotta, Checkout51, & more to help save more money. In the digital age we live in these money saving apps are becoming more popular! We just have to get use to downloading the apps and scanning the apps for deals.
Find Coupon friends to help keep you motivated to coupon. With anything when you form a group or have a good friend who shares a similar interest you will stay in tune and continue to motivate each other. I recommend the Grocery Swaps and Coupon Swaps where you can meet others in the Coupon Community.
Share your deals with your friends. It is exciting when you feel you scored an awesome deal. Snap a photo and share on your Facebook and Instagram accounts. Your friends will comment with how did you do that? You might meet your couponing best friend this way and encourage other friends to save money for their family.
Being a couponer means you want to live a frugal lifestyle. It is important to remember there are many other ways to live a frugal lifestyle other than couponing, so be creative. What other ways can you live a frugal lifestyle? There is many like finding online shopping deals and more!!