Like many coupon queens in the making, one of your main priorities on your couponing expedition is to save money on things for baby. While it may take a bit of footwork to actually snoop out the best deals – the time invested is worth it because it equates to keeping money in your pocket. And, the best part is that you can save money on baby, but also your everyday expenses.

When I first began my couponing extravaganza, I decided that I would clip just about every coupon that I could find to save money on routine baby expenses, such as wipes, pampers and formula. But, I became so clip-happy that I clipped coupons that didn’t really apply to my needs. So at the end of the month, I’d have a huge pile of expired coupons and very little savings to show for them.

While this led to saving $.90 here on wipes and $3 there on diapers, the savings just weren’t enough to justify hours upon hours of coupon clipping each Sunday. But after trying many methods of maximizing my couponing efforts, I learned the real tricks of the trade. And, I’m here to teach you what I wish I had known way back when I was a beginning coupon junkie.

Stockpiling

When you find an item for free or very cheap, it pays to create a stockpile. If you find baby wipes on sale for $1 or less, buy as many as you can afford/have coupons for. Rather than spending $3 on just one refill, you can buy 3 tubs for the price of one regular priced refill.

For example, right now Target is having a sale on their Huggies wipes. They’re priced at $2.39 in most states. And, you can use three coupons to make the transaction super cheap.

Here’s how by using just printable coupons.

1. Use $1.50 off of two coupon (manufacturer coupon)

–          This brings the price down to $3.28 for two or $1.64 for one

2. Use a store coupon for $0.75 off of one.

–          Because you’re purchasing two items, you can use one coupon for each. Combined with the coupons above, this brings the price down to $1.78 for two or $0.89 for one!

If you can create a baby wipe stockpile by using your coupons to purchase 10 wipes for this price, you’re able to purchase them for $8.90 as opposed to paying $30.

As you can see, when you can snag an item for free or very cheap, it pays to stockpile. Not only are you stocking up on the product you need, but you’re piling on the savings because

Clearly, if you’re able to snag the item for a steal, snag lots of them! Not only are you stocking up on the product, but you’re piling on the savings as well. You have the luxury of waiting until the item hits rock bottom prices before the need to purchase again arises. This gives you more time to stock up on valuable coupons for the item, and may even result in a free purchase!

Get more of the Good Stuff

Buy two copies of the Sunday paper so you can get two versions of the same coupons. And, ask your non-couponing friends and family members to give you their coupon inserts so you can save even more money! Often times, busy neighbors which you’re friendly with are the best targets as they don’t have the time to actually use the coupons, so they just toss the inserts in the trash.

Another way to get more copies of the same coupon is to use a coupon clipping service. For example, www.CouponCarryout.com has two notable baby product coupons. Currently there is a coupon available for Pampers boxed diapers and Pampers wipes coupon for $2 off. This coupon is a Target coupon. But, they also have a near identical manufacturer coupon also for $2 off. If you stack up on these coupons, you can save up to $4 on just the two item purchase. Purchasing 10 each of these coupons will help you build a better stockpile.

Systematize your Clipping

Only clip your coupons when you’re going to use them. Use a small bin to store the weekly circulars and write the date the circular was released on the first page of the booklet. Then, each week go analyze your weekly store ads to determine the best deals and sift through your circulars to clip only the coupons you’re going to use on your shopping trip that very day.

By using this method you’re able to clip and match coupons for 15-minutes each Sunday as opposed to spending hours just to sift through unusable coupons. You may also want to invest in a portable coupon organizer to help you categorize your coupons while in the grocery store – trust me; it’ll make your shopping trip go by smoothly.

Everyone has their own little tricks and tips for getting the most savings out of their coupons. And, while I’m always open to trying new methods, the two mentioned above have been my go-to “clipping” method for years. They’ve saved my family thousands of dollars and it’s a fairly simple system, so why change what isn’t broken?!