Getting Started on the Road to Being a Fabulously Frugal Mom!

If you're new to the world of couponing here is a crash course on how to get started.  It can all seem a little overwhelming when you first start so I thought I'd break it down for the newbies. 

There are 3 main sources for coupons:

1. The Sunday Paper~ There are 3 main coupon inserts that can be included in the Sunday paper.  I use abbreviations in my posts which include the date of the paper and the insert where you will find the specified coupon.  The 3 inserts are Smartsource (SS), RedPlum(RP) and Proctor & Gamble (PG). So if I post a deal and it says 5/16 SS it means that you will find the coupon you need in the Smartsource insert from the May 16th paper. Usually on Thursdays I post a link where you can go to see what coupons we will be getting on Sunday. Here is the link for this week. This will help you determine how many papers you want to purchase for the week.  If there are a fair amount of coupons that interest you, buy a few extra papers so that you can stock up on products.  You can typically get the paper for $1 at the Dollar Store. That significantly cuts down on the cost of buying multiple papers.
2. All You Magazine~ This is THE magazine for thrifty moms.  I just got my new issue today and there are over $102 worth of coupons in this issue alone. They also frequently include coupons for free products.  In the beginning of the magazine they have a coupon index where they list all of the coupons in the issue and what page to find them on so you don't have to dig. The other cool thing about this magazine is that almost all of the articles in it are about saving your family money. It is really a keeper. You can go on over here to snag your own subscription. It's one of the only magazines I will actually pay for.
3. Printable Coupons~ I provide links to coupons that you can print to maximize your savings.  Here are the main sources I use for this:  Coupons.com , RedPlum and Smartsource. It's worth checking in with each of these at least once a week to make sure you're not missing anything.

There a few other ways that I'll go into on my next coupon post. You may also want to check out this post which explains how I organize my coupons.  Don't hesitate to contact me for any other help you need.  I hope this helps some of you!