A MUST read for new couponers!

If you are a new couponer, Stephanie Nelson's book "Coupon Mom" is a must read. I first saw Stephanie on The View. I remembered seeing her with a giant table of foods I bought all the time saying, "All this was FREE." I thought it was a scam or something was fishy...so I did not pay attention to it since "nothing in life is free" was always a philosophy I went by. When I decided to start couponing, her website kept popping up, and I am so glad it did. I have used her philosophy to coupon from Day 1 and her method is what has motivated me to keep going because it is so simple.

Instead of cutting out all your coupons, organizing them, losing them, not being able to find them...etc...she uses a method of keeping the entire circular from the newspaper, labeling them by dates, and then using her website to match deals with coupons. SS 3.13 means the coupon is located in the SmartSource circular from March 13 and RP 1.30 means RedPlum Jan 30; these are the two main circulars each week. So simple! When it comes time to shop, I print off my coupons, and cut the ones out I need and off I go. Extremely simple. I did not want to start couponing because I did not want to spend all day Sunday clipping; now I spend maybe 5 minutes a week clipping what I need.

You can get started without her book; I did. Just head on to Coupon Mom and watch the videos on how to get started. In 4 minutes you can learn her philosophy from the videos. I read this book after 2 months of couponing, but I still was able to learn a lot. She actually started couponing as a way to save money since she went from her marketing job to a stay-at-home mom; also, couponing was her way of trying to end hunger locally. Her main goals are to help you save money and to help you learn how to get products for free or cheap to donate. You can help yourself and help others using her method. :)

I recommend getting this book if you can. I borrowed it from my church library, so check your local library first. If not, look on Amazon or Ebay and see if you can find a cheap used one. It is a great investment, especially if you are a new couponer! She explains all the basics to you. I also recommend you watch the video clips of Coupon Mom on The View, Good Morning America, etc. You will really get a feel for her strategy and how it works.

Happy couponing!