10 Habits of Highly Effective Couponers (Part 1)
In this guide you will learn 10 Habits that will help you increase your coupon savings. The inspiration for this list comes from the book - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey.
I've also organized the guide into two parts - so in part 1, we'll go over the first 5 Habits.
Part 2 is available here: link
Habit 1 - Visualize How You Can Use Your Savings
Couponing can save a lot of money over time. If you have been couponing for a while already - you know that the savings can add up.
It's helpful to write down some specific goals for the money you will save from couponing. Once you know your coupon savings are going towards something you really want - then the couponing process becomes even more fun.
While you are cutting out the coupons from your Sunday Coupon Inserts - just keep the picture in mind of what you will want to use your savings for, as the savings start to build up.
Here are some ideas of what people who save money from coupons use the extra cash for:
- Extra Groceries - Buying some extra items because now they have more cash on hand
- FIlling Up On Gas - Putting gas in the car and knowing that your couponing skills paid for this tank
- Clothes - Going shopping for clothes for yourself or someone in your family - because you got all the groceries you need and there is money left over
- Paying Bills - Paying off some debt or paying another bill, and feeling good that this bill is getting paid from your couponing skills
We would love to hear your favorite goals when it comes to the money you are saving using your couponing skills.
Having a clear goal in mind can help motivate you to keep doing the small activities each week that enable you to be a smart coupon shopper.
We'll review those weekly couponing activities next. Even if you are familiar with most of these activities - it's nice to have a list to review once in a while.
HABIT 2 - Set Aside Time
Most long time couponers already have a regular time during the week when they go through their coupons and plan their weekly shopping.
It’s also common to have that schedule disrupted because of visitors from out of town, important school events, someone getting sick, or just having too much going on during that week.
There are a few things you can do which will make it easier to keep your weekly time for coupon planning. Take a look at your last few weeks and think about a time when things are quiet at your home. Maybe it’s early in the morning during one of the weekdays, or it might be after dinner on a Saturday night.
There is often a rhythm to the mornings and evenings on specific days of the week. Once you have decided on a good day and time to schedule your coupon planning, put it on your calendar.
HABIT 3 - Keep Everything In One Place
Despite our best intentions - coupons can end up all over the place.
The best practice here is to take your coupon inserts out as soon as the Sunday newspaper arrives, write the Sunday date on the top of each insert, and then put them in a file folder inside of your coupon binder or a designated area on your desk.
Tip: If you are a Sunday Coupon Inserts weekly subscriber - your coupon inserts will arrive directly to your mailbox and this will save you from having to buy the newspaper each week.
HABIT 4 - Keep Your Eyes Open for Store Sales
As you know, you can maximize your savings when you combine your coupons with a store sale. It is helpful to keep your favorite store’s weekly ad circular on hand in order to pair your coupons with the advertised sale items.
Expert Couponer Tip: We suggest having multiple copies of coupon inserts on hand in order to stockpile products. For this reason, Sunday Coupon Inserts offers their weekly subscriptions in 2-Pack Combo, 4-Pack Combo, 6-Pack Combo, and 10-Pack Combo.
HABIT 5 - Stay Positive
Sometimes you will have a plan to build up a stockpile of an important item - you wait for it to go on sale at the store, and have your multiple coupons ready to go - only to arrive and find out that they are out of stock.
Keep a positive attitude and go directly to the customer service desk and request a raincheck on the out of stock product. A raincheck is a voucher provided to you by the store that will allow you to purchase the product at the advertised price once the product is back in stock. Most stores will still allow you to use your coupons with the raincheck, so keep those coupons handy - you can even staple the coupons to the raincheck to ensure you have them readily available.
Summary:
We covered the first 5 Habits of Effective Couponing. These included: 1) Visualizing your coupon savings, 2) Setting aside a regular time, 3) Keeping your coupons in one place, 4) Be aware of your favorite store’s sales, and 5) Staying positive.
We know that you are most likely practicing some or all of these habits. That’s great!
If you found any of these reminders helpful - let us know. Also stay tuned for Part 2 with Habits 6-10, which is coming soon!
Bonus Habit: Subscribe to Sunday Coupon Inserts
A nice way to give yourself more time and get your coupon inserts sent to you each week is to subscribe to Sunday Coupon Inserts. You'll receive the coupon combo pack that you choose, delivered right to your house, every week!
You are completely in control of your subscription, the number of coupon inserts that you receive, and when you start or stop receiving the coupons.
You will reliably receive hundreds of dollars in coupon savings delivered weekly directly to your door. Start saving big and sign up for a Weekly Subscription today!