When you first start couponing it can seem quite overwhelming. I learned a few really important things when I first started and it could have saved me a lot of time and effort if I just would have new it from the get go! Below you will find some coupon mistakes that ever rookie makes. That way hopefully I can help you save some hard earned cash!

Coupon Mistakes that Rookies Make

Printing off each and every coupon

Oh! Oh! Here’s a coupon! There’s a coupon!! Everywhere there are coupons!! We all have done it before. It’s like we go mad or something and have to print off every available coupon out there as many times as our computers, or multiple computers will let us. Think about it. How much ink are we going to use before we figure out that we have coupons everywhere that have expired because we thought we would use them. Envelope after envelope in our folders, binders, purses, or pockets and the next thing you know you turn around and they have all expired!

When first starting out with couponing go easy on the printing. You need to watch the sales. Think of the items you need and print accordingly. Don’t jump at the first coupon you see and think you have to build a stockpile from it. You will learn as time goes on what you can use and what works for you.

Don’t Forget To Calculate For Gas

I don’t know about you but there is nothing better than the thrill of a new deal. There’s just something about walking out of a store with an armload of bags and hardly paying anything for it! One thing though that is often overlooked is how much is it costing to get to the store, and how much running around are we doing. If you pass by the store on the way to work then hey you don’t even have to worry about the gas! On the other hand, if you are driving to a town 15 miles away every other day to get a good deal on toilet paper, then maybe you are not getting as good of a deal as you thought. Gas is always in my mind and calculated in when I am bargain hunting!

Register Rewards (Walgreens)

These can be a wonderful tool in couponing, but if you don’t use them correctly they can get the better of you. There are a few things to remember when using RR. The first thing I always remember is store’s have their own reason for giving out rewards. They want you in the store! If your in the store you will probably pick up something else. It is convenient. You don’t have to stop anywhere else it’s all right there. In the couponing world this is a big mistake. Most of the other things in the store cost more than they do somewhere else.

Another thing that comes to mind that I learned the hard way is that RR don’t roll. Now what in the world does that mean? Well let me see if I can explain it. Let’s say you have a toilet paper deal that you are going in for and you want to do it twice. You need the toilet paper and you have the coupons. Well you can go in and do the deal once and then go back in and do it again and you can keep getting your RR from the deal. What you don’t want to do is try to use those RR from your first deal and use it to help pay for the same exact deal. If you use the RR from your first deal and try to use them in the exact same deal the RR will NOT print again. You always need to use the RR on a different item. I don’t know if I explained that well enough or not sometimes I tend to ramble! 🙂

Building A Stockpile

 So, you are learning to coupon and you want a big huge stockpile. Think for just a little bit if that is what you really want. Do you have the space to store it? Will the products go bad before you can use them? Do you even want the items or are they just free things that you will never use. Imagine having 1,000 cans of soup. What would you do with them? Who is gonna eat them? If you don’t have anywhere to stick this stockpile where in the world do you think you are going to put it? You will end up shoving things in closets and under your kids beds! Make use of your coupons and get yourselves some great bargains but don’t go overboard. Check the shelf life of an item and make sure you will be able to use the item before it expires.

Get Organized

At some point or another if you really start couponing you will need to figure out a system. There are many ways to do it and I will probably write on it at some point, but for now you will need a system. Some use an organizing system where they keep all the inserts together with the date on the front of them and search them for specific deals. I keep all my coupons in a binder. Trust me after putting the binder together and checking for expired coupons you usually know what coupons you have in it. I use the baseball card inserts at this time and have them organized in categories like frozen, breakfast, personal care, and such. Them main thing you don’t want to do when couponing is have piles and piles sitting around your house. Figure out a system and if the system doesn’t work you can always change it. Don’t stress to much about it! Couponing should also be fun!

Generic items

Don’t forget about generic items. Our main goal in couponing is to save money! There will be times when the better deal is the store brand. If there is an item you just don’t like the store brand (that’s how I feel about Kraft Shells and Cheese) then by all means buy the name brand but if you don’t mind the store brand and it’s cheaper than you tell me! What is the better deal?

Do you have any common coupon mistakes that rookies make that you have learned over the years??