COUPONING!!!

So it was a long, lazy day in our household yesterday. I started back to school today a very long day at that after getting off at 7am. I made it through and am now relaxing on the couch with my Maddie. This is my long week off so cleaning,prepping dinners and grocery shopping it is. There is never a dull moment for me and maddie while daddy is at work!!

So that brings me to my favorite topic, coupons!! I want to help you all SAVE MONEY THE RIGHT WAY! Me and madds always use coupons as often as we can and have recently started our journey with extreme couponing(we're just starting so were not experts yet).

Tips for couponing to your benefit:
*First find out your grocery stores and all the local stores coupon policies. You can Google this or call the store for information(Every stores policy is different) you want to find the one that will benefit you the most.
*Find out which stores DOUBLE coupons! This is the best way to save, again refer to the coupon policy to find out this info. You may need to be a value card holder to get these benefits, and some stores offer extra discounts and special coupons for card holders! For example around my area Harris teeter and Giant double coupons for card holders, offer extra discounts and special savings for card holders only.
*You can also email companies and request free samples for you and your friends and coupons, usually companies are more then willing to send you coupons and free samples!
*Once you get all you basic information together, get yourself a binder with trading card holders to separate your coupons. I like the "find another check out lane" download you can get for you coupon book, but you can also make your own.
*Gather your coupons! Ask your friends and neighbors for their Sunday coupon inserts
(proctor&gamble, unilever, smart source, redplum etc.) You can subscribe for just Sunday papers which have all the good coupons. Check out your local free newspapers they have coupons at times. You can also find coupons online at www.coupons.com , www.groupon.com and many other websites.
*Clip double or triple coupons they will come in handy, some stores take manufacturer coupons(in the paper), online coupons(that you print), catalina coupons(what prints out at the register) and flashys(the coupons that are in the little things in the aisle) all at the same time combined(refer again to your stores coupon policy, you see how important this is?)
*Once all your coupons are printed, cut out, and sorted, put them in your coupon book all matching coupons can go in the same pocket in your book.
*Now you can look through your sale flyers to find out what is on sale(its always best to use the coupons on sale items because that's a double discount!) I make my meal plan and grocery list from the sale flyers and coupons that I have available. While shopping I do always check the price per ounce, pound, etc compared to the store brand similar item just to make sure its not cheaper(sometimes even with a coupon the store brand is still cheaper)
*Just to forewarn you, coupon shopping and finding the best bang for your buck does take some time and prolongs your shopping trip but it is all worth it in the end!
*** During my last trip to Harris Teeter my total was $151 after coupons, VIC member pricing and specials savings for being a card member my total was ~~~~$73.00!!! Now this is not at all extreme couponing but I saved quite a bit of change!!

Here are a few useful links

How to request coupons from companies: 
http://pinterest.com/pin/45739752439457135/

Grocery tips
Www.grocerysavingtips.com

Coupons
Www.coupons.com