A Beginner's Guide To Couponing

The rise of the recent television show 'Extreme Couponing' has led many Americans to look for ways to save on groceries. The prospect of only having to spend $25 on a regular $150 shopping bill excites a lot of people, but unfortunately, this is not going to be the reality for most of us.

First of all, do you really think that Wal-Mart can afford to get in the habit of giving out absurd discounts such as 75% off and remain a viable business? Of course not. Extreme couponers often do not use coupons in the manner intended, and some of them cut ethical corners to achieve their ends. Now you may be thinking, 'That's too bad for Wal-Mart, I want to save money.' Even if using coupons intended for six packs of soda on $.99 cent 2-liter bottles doesn't bother you, there's still some trade-offs that you have to make if you decide that extreme couponing is right up your alley.

You're going to have to start making your purchases and large quantities, even if you don't plan on using it for awhile. Does the prospect of owning a hundred tubes of toothpaste sound interesting to you? Also, you'll more than likely found yourself buying items that you don't need simply because you can get a deal on it. You weren't planning on buying more soap, but hey, it only costs .25 cents, so why not? This is one of the traps that most couponers get caught in. And of course, you'll never be satisfied, because you'll always believe that you could have gotten a better deal, if you just tried harder.

The most intelligent approach to couponing is to look at the coupon offers in the local Sunday newspapers, decide which products you need, and make your purchases accordingly. That way, you'll find yourself buying $100 worth of goods for $65-$75. While it may not provide you with the absurd savings that you would enjoy with the extreme couponing life style, it will allow you to know that you have used coupons the way that they were intended, and you will also be able to keep your mental sanity, which isn't a bad trade-off, in my opinion.

If you want to read a good article on couponing, check out Daria at savingtoberich.com by clicking here: http://savingtoberich.com/2011/07/mondays-money-tip-beginners-guide-to-couponing/ .