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If you found a dollar bill on the ground, would you leave it lying there or go throw it in the garbage? A coupon may as well be a dollar thrown in the trash if it goes unused. Coupons may seem like a lot of trouble in collecting them, but they do not have to be.

Just starting out as a coupon clipper may seem overwhelming and time consuming. It's like learning how to ride a bike. It takes time to master and accidents will happen. If you fall off your bike and skin your knee, you need to pick yourself right back up and start again. The first step you need to take is to develop a couponing system that will work for you.

The most popular place to find coupons is in the Sunday paper. Those circulars often have $60 or more worth of coupon savings. When that Sunday paper comes out, that is the best time to do your clipping. It's right there in front of you and you can just clip, clip, clip and then set the scraps in the recycling bin. Another place that is becoming just as popular to get coupons is the internet. You can also find coupons in magazines or get them in the mail. Seriously, take 15-20 minutes out of your Sunday morning or afternoon to clip out those coupons

After you have sat down and gotten the coupons clipped out, the next question becomes, now what? This is where developing a system that works for you comes into play. For some coupon clippers, a simple coupon organizer that easily fits into your purse. However, some people need a binder with baseball card holders to keep their coupons straight. You need to do what works for you. Setting your coupons into your organizer might take you another 10-20 minutes.

Now that you have all your coupons organized, it is easy to find coupons to match sales. There is no end to the savings you find when you are matching sales and coupons. If your store doubles or triples coupons think what that $0.50 coupon may become. Many stores even show the savings either in a dollar amount or a percentage amount.

A lot of people feel that it's a time consuming event to clip coupons. Initially, it may take you a little longer as you decide what coupons are important to you and what coupons match what sales. Don't lose steam though. Give yourself a couple of weeks or months and you will be putting it all together much quicker.

Now the question becomes are the savings worth it? When you hear the stories of people using coupons and rebates and getting items for pennies on the dollar, or better yet free, it is truly inspiring. There can be no end to the debate when you think about what you earn on an hourly basis. Someone earning minimum wage is probably making around $6-8 per hour. If a person spends $100 a week on groceries, they have to work 12.5 hours at $8/hour to pay for those groceries. That reduces the weekly paycheck that can be used towards other expenses. If a person saved 45 percent by using coupons and sales, that would save them, in this scenario $45 or about 6 hours worth of work. Honestly when you put it into perspective, what is one hour a week clipping coupons?

Learn more about this author, Becky Robbins.
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