Couponing advice

For those of you that are brand new to couponing, or those of you that have only been seriously couponing for less than a year please let me give you some words of advice.

Couponing should be fun. Make it fun or it can become stressful and you aren't helping anyone when it is stressful. When you spend so much time on it that it's interfering with your every day activities you know you've gone too far! Take a break, think about the purpose behind why you coupon shop and then start over again.

In the beginning couponing can be very overwhelming. It takes tons of time to learn and understand everything that comes with couponing such as different store policies, etc. I suggest that you take 2-4 weeks just to familiarize yourself with everything before you begin shopping. This gives you time to start collecting your coupons, get them organized and read coupon blogs.

Remember that the whole point to couponing is to SAVE money. It is so easy to get off track here! Trust me, I know from experience. In the beginning I was getting such great deals that I didn't think I could pass them up. I got what I like to call a "coupon high"...I learned quickly that I still had to stay in my budget. Know your budget BEFORE you walk out the door. Make your list, know what you're buying and how much you'll be spending. It honors the Lord when we stick to our budget! Also, remember this...you don't have to get every deal. All the deals will always come around again.

A few other pointers. I actually pray before I shop. I ask the Lord to help me have self control and stick to my budget, I pray that the kids would behave, I pray that the store is well stocked with the items on my list and I ask that the Lord would would open my eyes to see the marked down items. It always amazes me that this works! Just this week I was shopping and noticed laundry soap marked down to a ridiculous price. I had two coupons for that soap and got it for just over $1 each.

Lastly, I pray for my cashier/s. I pray that they are having a good day, that my load of coupons won't overwhelm them, that they scan my coupons accurately and that I would be able to share my money saving tips with them.

I hope these tips help you. If you have any other tips for beginner couponers feel free to leave a comment below!

~Heather