There are so many things to remember when you start couponing!  I learned how to coupon through trial and error… sound familiar?  Here are my biggest mistakes I made as a newbie couponer.  Have any to add that can help our new couponers not make the same mistakes?

- Forgetting rainchecks – I still do this from time to time!  I haven’t started a new habit that seems to help…. a highlighter!  I bring a highlighter with me shopping, and if an item needs a raincheck, I mark it on the shopping list with the highlighter immediately.  When I am at the register, it is easy to glance down and have highlighted items jump out at me – raincheck!  Rainchecks are crucial to couponing.  Remember!  If the coupon was active (not expired) when the raincheck was written, it will be considered active when you redeem the raincheck in the future.  Another tip – clip the coupons directly to the raincheck so you don’t have to search for them later.

- Collating coupons – I didn’t collate my coupons, which led to a lot of extra time clipping coupons.  How do you collate?  Simply take all your coupon inserts and put the same pages together.  All the first pages placed together, all the second pages together, etc.  When you cut the coupons, if you have 3 inserts, instead of cutting the same coupon three times, it is one cut.  Some people suggest stapling the sets (all the first pages, etc), and that will help when you remove one coupon from the page.  Just make sure you don’t staple through a coupon!

- Using a coupon simply because I have it -  Coupon inserts are designed to appeal to the general population, not you specifically.  Which means that you won’t use all the coupons in each inserts.  Only buy what you normally eat – just at the best price.  Yes, that $3 coupon off some random product is a great deal, but is it something you want and will use?  Don’t pay for something you don’t actually want, no matter the bargain.

- Double checking receipts - Mistakes on a receipt are not that uncommon!  Don’t be a victim of a computer oversight or glitch.  Make sure that the items rang up for what they were advertised to, and that the correct amount of coupons were scanned.  You may be surprised!  I couldn’t figure out why my transaction totals would sometimes be more than I expected… until I did some investigating!  You can have a receipt corrected at customer service.  In a hurry?  That’s ok – just bring it back in the next time you shop.

- Purchasing a newspaper at the store and discovering it doesn’t have any inserts! – Be very careful when you purchase newspapers from the store – the inserts may be different or totally missing!  Before you purchase, make sure that the inserts you are expecting are actually in the paper.  If it is available in your state, order multiple papers directly through the newspaper or on the Coupon $ense website in order to ensure that you receive the inserts you are paying for.

-    Rebates – I used to shy away from rebates.  I forgot to turn one in once, and was so upset that I had overpaid for the items!  I then shied away from rebate items… which offer a ton of extra savings!  When you go shopping, bring along a rebate folder.  Simple two pocket folder with envelopes, stamps, the rebate forms, etc.  After making your rebate eligible purchase, quickly finish the rebate process and drop into a mailbox as you finish your errands.  If I take a rebate receipt home, the odds go down that I will actually process it.  Sound familiar?

- Internet coupons, downloadables, direct mailed and blinkie coupons – I was too nervous in the beginning of my “coupon career” to utilize all the coupons that were available to me.  Ease into couponing – baby steps are great!  But do remember to add in all the different types of coupons.  An easy way to keep track of them?  A folder with baseball card holders, organized by category.  Simply add any direct mailed coupons, internet coupons you have printed that you think you will use, catalinas and blinkie (in store) coupons to your folder.  Flip through when you are making your shopping list.  Don’t forget to purge the expired ones occasionally!

-  Being intimidated by the store coupon policies - know the rules!  Once I finally broke down and read the store’s coupon policy, it made my shopping experiences so much easier!  There is a lot of turnover in the cashier position, so they may often not know the policies!  Make it your responsibility to know it and conform your transactions to the appropriate policy.  Bringing along a copy of the policy never hurts either.

- Not watching the message boards – I was very overwhelmed with the idea of checking out the message boards!  But once I caved and checked it out, I realized that it could have made my life so much easier!  There are complete transactions, extra deals and lots of tips and tricks available.  If only I had looked earlier!  Be willing to ask questions, and eager to see what others have posted about their bargain finds!  My savings went up substantially after watching the “Great Deals” board.

More than anything, know that there is going to be a “trial and error” period for all new couponers.  Hang in there, work on increasing your savings over time and have a positive attitude about learning something new.  Before long, you will be able to write your own list of “the biggest mistakes I made”.