Today’s commandment is short and sweet. It’s really common sense, but it bears repeating anyway.

Even though I have collected and posted some great tools to help you save, there is one tool I can’t give you. The good news is you already have it. Your brain! By learning all the things I could possibly teach you, combined with your own experience and knowledge, you will be very successful in your couponing journey.
By familiarizing yourself with coupon rules and regulations, as well as individual store policies, you will ensure that the process of couponing goes as smoothly as possible.  

Why is your brain so important? Well there will always be deals that I miss (I am certainly not perfect) and if you are prepared with all your knowledge, you will be able to make good decisions when it comes to unadvertised deals.  

So how do you go about readying your brain for battle? Aside from subscribing to my posts and following them on Facebook (hint hint) you can use the tools available in the side bar to aid your learning. A great place to start is the Beginner’s section. You will also want to visit the page regarding store policies. I highly recommend printing these out and keeping them with your coupons that you bring shopping with you. Also keeping up with the Coupon Database and Printable Coupons in the side bar will help you monitor sales. I will also be sharing with you a spreadsheet created by The Krazy Coupon Lady that contains a price list for everything you would find in a grocery store and the corresponding “best” stock up prices. It’s a fantastic tool, and eventually you will have a good grasp of the recommended stock up prices. You will find that you are able to mentally calculate if a given deal meets your bottom line.  

So remember- I may be your Sherpa up the mountain of savings, but only YOU hold the key to unlock the knowledge.