I'll try to keep it simple...

So the past few weeks/months friends have been amazed by my steals and deals and have been asking me to help them out and get them started in the world of couponing! So i figured it was about time to write this all out for you guys!


Step 1 - 

• Buy a Binder. A five star type zipper binder would be best, so things don't fall out and it holds up good! But any will do.
• Get Baseball Card holders
• Dividers
• Page Protectors [i use those for over flow coupons and to put my coupon/story policys in]
• Some sort of labeling system. I bought a cheap hand help old school labeler [the hand gun type].

Step 2 -

• Start buying Sunday papers! We buy 3 cause my husband likes to read and i like the coupons, so he gets a Sunday Republican, Boston Globe, and The Harold. It might sound like alot of money but you make up the difference in savings!! And see if family members will give you their coupons inserts!

Step 3 [optional]-

• Get a printer. Any printer will do. Doesn't have to be fancy! Just one that will hold up for you when you start printing all your IP's [internet printable coupons]. You could also use a public librarys computer/printer [although you will prob have to pay per page printed] or a family members printer.

Step 4 -

• Start organizing your coupons! 

• My binder is set up like this:
• Take a Divider Label it GROCERY
• Now take your baseball card holders [i have 3 in this section + 1 page protector]
• Then label each pocket w/e you want. I.E. Frozen, Drinks, Cereal, Snacks etc etc [i make mine more specific only cause its easier for me i.e In the cereal section, Quaker, GM, Kelloggs etc.]
• Next section and new divider Label it Health - you will have your Meds, toothpaste, toothbrushes, fem. hygiene etc. i only use one card holder and one page protector
• Beauty - I have 1 card holder page. Pockets are labeled Razors, Lotion, Skin Care, Shampoo/Conditioner, Shaving Cream, Deodorant, etc.
• Next is Household - I have 2 card holders. Cleaning, Plastic [which is sandwich bags, trash bags etc.], Lysol, Glade, Fabreze etc. [but like i said before you can do whatever you want, this is just what makes since to me!]
• Now i know not everyone has babies/kids and animals but i do, do i make a section for Baby and Animals. And Label those as you wish. Diapers, Formula, Wipes, Dog food, Cat Food, Treats etc.
• In  for the back of my binder. I tried to find a copy of all the store and coupon policy's of the stores i shop at, printed it and put them in page protectors, so i can refer back to them if need be! If your a Target shopper you might want to keep a copy of their coupon policy in your purse, cause they are known for giving you a hard time as to what they are allowed to do and not to do!
  

Step 4 -

• Printable Coupons! There are many places to get Printables often called IP's [internet printable]. Here is a list of places to get all sorts of coupons from. You will need to sign up!

1. Coupons.com
2. Smart Source
3. Red Plum
4. Coupon Bug
5. Target Printables [which can be combined with a manufacture coupon] 1 & 2 
6. Pillsbury
7. Betty Crocker
   
8. Coupon Cabin [this one has coupons and codes for different retail stores etc.]
9. Hot Coupon World [on the side bar is the Target Coupon Link, CVS Price Book, Coupon Data Base etc etc. Take your time and play around on the site].
10. Old Navy Weekly once a week they reload coupons, some big value coupons $75/$100, $50/$100 etc etc, but you need to hunt for them and its not easy, but i figured i would just throw that in.

Coupon Policys [sorry most are from other peoples blogs] -

• Target 
• WalMart
• CVS 
• Walgreens [WAGs]
• Rite Aid
• Stop and Shop [cant find one]
• Big-Y [cant find one]
  
• Shaws [cant find one]

Stop and Shop -
S&S is my Fav. Grocery Store of the three in my area!! They are so lenient and don't give you a hassle when using any amount or combination of coupons! Watch for their $1 double coupons on the back page of the flier!! This means you can use 1 doubler w/any $1 Manf Q! Sometimes it stats you need to spend $15 to use the 3 or 4 Doublers. You can also use Big-Y double coupons [found usually on the back page of their flier [some weeks there may not be any]]. Ive used 4 S&S Doubles along with 6 Big-Y Doubles all in the same trip!! Also if you use S&S's scanner system you can save even more! It gives you additional savings as your shopping! I find that using the scanner saves me time! I scan and bag as im shopping then all i have to do when i get to the register [i use self check out] is scan the bar code and my list loads in the computer then i scan my coupons!

Abbreviations you'll need to know to make since of peoples blogs [taken from Lindsay @ frugalandfabulous]:

• $1/1 - a coupon for $1.00 off one item
• $1/2 - a coupon for $1.00 off when you buy two items
• Catalina - any coupon that prints by the register for money off your next order (used by Stop and Shop & Walgreens "RR" is an example of this)
• CRT - Cash Register Tape/Store Coupons
  
• DH - Dear Husband/My husband
• ECB - Extra Care Bucks (basically CVS cash)
• KBB - Kmart Beauty Book (found in Health & Beauty section)
• MFC - Manufacturer coupon
• LMK- Let me know!
• Rolling- Using ECB or RR's to buy something that will generate more ECB (and spending little to no money OOP)
• OOP- Out of pocket (what you actually spend)
• RR- Register Rewards (like Walgreens Cash)
• SCR- Single Check Rebate - Rite Aid's rebate system
• SS- Smart Source (Coupons from Newspaper)
• S&S - Stop and Shop
• Wags- Walgreens
• WYB - When you buy
• YMMV - Your mileage may vary (this may or may not work for you)

My Fav. Blogs:

• Frugal and Fabulous 
• Babies and Bargains 
• Deal Seeking Mom 
• Coupon Cravings 
• Attention Target Shoppers
• Hip 2 Save

[those are only a few... want to see more look at the side bar on the left of my blog]


(Rookies if there is anything im missing PLEASE let me know!!)

*Hope this helps you guys get started. i know its not the best, but i tried=)