Learning to Coupon (Beginners)
Learning to Coupon (Beginners)
Learning to coupon can be confusing and overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few resources that helped me gain a solid understanding of what I would need to do to start saving money.
A few questions to consider as we begin:
Start by writing down the stores you shop at most frequently. Do they have any kind of rewards program or app where they share coupons? (Many do but it’s okay if you’re not sure)
What are your goals for couponing?
To build up a tiny collection of your most-used items when they’re on sale?
To avoid paying full price on items and save a bit of money?
To get free things?
To be able to afford things that you currently can’t?
Some other reason?
How will you avoid spending more money while couponing than you normally would?
For example, will you set a couponing budget of $25 per week, or be extra mindful not to buy “great deals” on things you won’t actually spend, etc.?
The great thing about couponing in 2025 is that most of the coupons are on your phone, which makes it a bit easier to find it all in one place (typically the company’s app).
Depending on where you shop and your goals for couponing, let’s create a plan for you to be successful couponing. In Philly, a few common nearby stores to coupon include CVS, Walgreens, Dollar General, Target, ACME, ALDI, and Heirloom (Giant).
The stores I coupon the most are CVS, Heirloom (Giant), and Walgreens. I recommend choosing ONE to start with because each store has very different rules and it can be too overwhelming to try to learn all at once. I started with Heirloom, then CVS, and finally Walgreens. There’s a new ALDI near me so I may learn that next! Stay tuned…
So, let’s say you want to learn to coupon at CVS. (Not a CVS fan? Skip down the page a bit further!)
There’s no need to re-create the wheel because there are already so many good resources out there that exist to help you understand all things CVS! Here is an example video to watch:
Here’s another video, that helps put into practice different transactions to solidify your knowledge of how CVS couponing works:
If you like problem-solving and riddles/trial and error with a little serving of math, you might fall in love with couponing. Even if you don’t, there’s so many Youtube videos (or Tiktok/Facebook if you prefer) where you can follow step by step. Here’s a few that helped me learn:
Couponing Websites to Explore:
You can filter by store, can favorite stores you shop at often, and you can sort by “Top Deals” or by “Most Recent”. You can also see upcoming events posted.
You can filter by store, can favorite stores you shop at often, and it is sorted by date and category. You can also save certain articles.
Couponing Youtubers to Explore:
Please note that all the above links lead to platforms where they might have their own ad and affiliate links in place, and I don’t have any control over that as I’m not affiliated with them.
There are other resources I can recommend if you feel like you’re still not quite getting what you hoped to learn. Don’t be afraid to practice and to be open to making a mistake in your calculation. You may need to return a purchase if it’s messed up—that’s okay! Like any skill, couponing takes a bit of practice and time, but once you get it you get it! It’s worth the effort.
Still have questions or need clarifications? Leave a comment below!