Couponing is becoming much more popular. Lots of reasons-crappy economy, a certain tv show…..people who have never done it are gawking at our stockpiles of free stuff and saying “I want free stuff!” I love love love free stuff. Just ask my husband. At least twice a month we have this conversation: Him-“we don’t need all that ‘insert name of free item.’ “Me-“But it was free!” Him-“Doesn’t matter, we don’t need it.” And then we either use it or donate it. Sometimes he’s right (all the granola bars & Cheezits I just gave away) and sometimes I’m right (the 30 jars of spaghetti sauce he said we’d never use, and we did, in much less than a year’s time!).

But as a result of the economy, the tv show, or whatever else brought you here, you’ve decided you want to save money. And possibly become one of those supercouponers. Or do you? I’ve received lots of requests for assistance lately and as I promised some of you, I’d do a “Back to Basics” series of posts. For beginning couponers, how to get started, what to do, where to begin. Because in the beginning, it can be overwhelming. So here it is, the first post in that series.

What I’m going to do, is present you with some questions to ask yourself, and tell you what you need to become a supercouponer. Really look at it, decide if this is something you want to pursue. It’s not all or nothing. You don’t have to be a supercouponer or not coupon at all. Even if you just get one newspaper a week or just use printable coupons, with smart spending you can save a significant % at the grocery store. There are often simple freebies to be had with one coupon or none at all. I don’t want to scare any one off, thinking they have to get multiple coupon inserts to gain from this blog.

First, the TLC show is a very unrealistic depiction of what it takes. At one end of the spectrum, they show someone spending 80 hours a week doing this. I don’t know anyone who does that, nor would I ever! At the other end of the spectrum, they show shoppers getting 5 or 6 carts full of stuff all in one transaction, as if it were that simple.

Know that building a stockpile of free stuff takes time. You find one product category one week, another the next. I never get it all at once. This week for me it was greeting cards, wipes & diapers. I have enough to last several months. Next week it will be snacks and soft drinks, and I’ll get enough to last several months. The week after that, who knows? You decide what your stockpile price is for a commodity, and when you can get it at that price, you stockpile. Stockpile prices are highly personal-it has to do with how much you need or want that item.

As far as time spent clipping & couponing, I probably spend 5-10 hours a week total. This includes checking out my favorite deal site, clipping coupons and doing matchups. I usually try to keep to two shopping trips per week. One trip is my regular weekly shopping trip for my household, during which I score whatever deals I can. Another trip is spent just getting free or supercheap stuff. Five to ten hours each week may sound like a lot, but I have figured that I am saving about $100-$150 on my weekly groceries, so $10-$20 per hour is ok with me. That’s my return, that’s what I’m getting for my time.

To be a supercouponer you need the following: about five hours of time each week and access to multiple coupon inserts. That’s it, really. From there, it’s just a matter of learning the deals in your area, at your stores, and stacking those deals. I never recommend that people buy multiple newspapers. I read of women buying ten or twenty papers, and that means you’re already $20-$40 in the hole each week, before you’ve clipped anything! I don’t want to have to make up that much ground. Ask family, friends, coworkers, neighbors. Put a bin out in your workplace breakroom, preschool, church, school with a sign that says “Please leave your Sunday coupons here if you don’t use them.” You’ll be surprised at what you get. Ask at your local newsstand, library, school, mini market–ask what they do with them on Mondays. Ask your local news carrier. I never recommend dumpster diving either, but some people do it. Whatever fits you.

Find a deal site or a blog or two that you like and follow them. Most will spell out all the deals for you. Non-couponers and supercouponers do the same deals, supercouponers just do them with stockpiling in mind. Stay tuned for the rest of the Back to Basics series–tell me, what would you like explained to you?