Reader Jennifer e-mailed with this great question:

“Thanks for taking the time to put together this web-site. My problem is I don’t know where to start. I see all these great deal but yet I still find myself at the grocery store with NO COUPONS. I just need a jump start on how to get organized. Do you have any advice for me?”

I do have some tips for you, Jennifer (and for the rest of my readers who feel the same way)!  I was there not very long ago.

There are a few things that feel overwhelming when you first begin couponing:

• You haven’t had a chance to collect coupons yet. You may feel like you really can’t be a couponer until your coupon collection is completely organized and rivals the Library of Congress.  Not true.  Many of the deals that I post use printable coupons.  You’ll also discover that your collection grows quickly if you begin buying your Sunday paper each week.  (For tips on how to organize your coupons and other helpful hints, check out my Coupons 101 section.)

• You feel like you need to tackle every deal. Please don’t.  I post a lot of deals but each week I only try to visit one or two stores.  I recommend choosing one store to figure out first.  (If I don’t post the deals at that store, I can probably lead you to someone who does.)  Then choose a few of the deals that they post, clip or print the coupons, head to the store with a list and give it a try. (Once you score your first FREE after coupon item, I promise you’ll be hooked!)

• You are unsure when a good time is to use your coupon. Want to know when is a bad time to use your coupon?  Right away.  You may feel like it will get swallowed up in your coupon binder never to be seen again.  Have no fear. If you clip that coupon out and tuck it away in its rightful place, the time will come for it to re-appear in all its glory, I promise.  Reckless coupon usage can actually lead to spending more money out of pocket if you buy items that you usually wouldn’t buy. The best plan is to wait until that item is on sale and then plop that little honey of a coupon down.  (This is why following money-saving blogs is a great idea…we’ll do our best to remind you when you should dig out that coupon and USE it!)

• You are afraid that the big mean lady behind the cash register will send you to coupon time-out if you do something wrong. Now, I can’t promise anything, but I have yet to be sent to coupon time-out.  Have I been told I can’t use a certain coupon?  Yes.  In most cases, I have just taken the coupon back and that was that.  From time to time, if I know that I should be able to use a certain coupon, I ask to speak to a store manager.  But the reality is that probably 95% of my coupon experiences have been good (and I’ve used a lot of coupons!).  Don’t fear coupon time out. Simply put those coupons down and see how it goes!  That’s the best way to learn.

Here are my top three tips to get you started:

1. Buy a coupon binder.  You can use one like the one I started with here, or whatever suits your fancy.  Just make sure you have one!
2. Begin collecting coupons.  Buy the Sunday paper (I buy two!).  Print coupons that you think you will use.  Sign up for coupons to be sent in the mail.  Before you know it, you’ll have a great collection!
3. Choose one store and begin to follow the deals that I post.  Then give it a try.  You’ll realize that the world is more coupon friendly than you ever thought!

Do you have any other helpful tips for Jennifer?  Leave a comment!

Did you order that totally free dog leash from Snapfish when I posted it?  If so, I have some bad news.  It appears that most of the people who did so are receiving e-mails saying that they ran out of inventory.  From what I understand, you are being offered a free mug credit ($9.99 value) and you are being required to pay the shipping.

I have to be honest and say that I am a little disappointed that you are not being offered something of the same value with free shipping since it was their mistake.

My friend Mercedes at Common Sense with Money has some tips for you on how to get a better offer in return.  I highly recommend checking out her site here if you’d like to take some steps to contact Snapfish about this unfortunate event.

Let me know how it goes!

Wow.  I am so impressed with this.

Bargain Briana has just rolled out the Frugal Map.  Many of you have asked me about particular grocery stores in your area and if I know a blog that covers their deals.

The truth is that there are thousands of bloggers out there covering a large portion of stores, but finding them is sometimes tricky.

So I am thrilled with Briana’s vision to create a map that is easy to navigate and answers the question, “Who is blogging from my area?”

Check out some of the features that it offers:

• Frugal Map Function: Allows users to find a blogger near their location in an interactive map format.
• Search Function: Allows users to search multiple blogs across the Frugal Map Network.
• Hottest Deal RSS Feed: Gives users the most recent hot deals from the bloggers in the Frugal Map Network.
• Specific Store Landing Pages: Allows users a one stop resource for for store deals including blogger store deal links, resources, and FAQ for the particular store.
• Specific Blogger Landing Pages: Allows users to read more about their favorite blogs and connect with them via Twitter, Facebook, RSS, and specific store deal links.

The Frugal Map was just revealed yesterday and will constantly be updated.  I recommend that you keep going back and checking it out over time to see what is available in your area.  But don’t wait–go check it out now!

This morning, I want to share with you two new ways that you can help those who are suffering in Haiti.

• Jenny of Simply Delightful Designs has created a blog called Hope for Haiti.  Some wonderful prizes have been donated by various companies and bloggers which are then being raffled off to raise funds for disaster relief.  All proceeds will be donated to The Red Cross and Compassion.org.   (Thanks to Kingdom First Mom for the heads up on this!)

• Spirit Airlines is rewarding Free Spirit members that donate $5 or more to Haitian earthquake relief with 5,000 free Spirit miles.  Sign up for a free Free Spirit account, then make your donation. This offer is limited to the first 200,000 Free Spirit members that donate before January 17, 2010.  (Thanks to Carrie at Pocket your Dollars for the heads up!

Are you wondering how you can help those who have suffered from the devastating earthquake in Haiti?  I appreciated this post from Couponer’s United sharing some very specific ways that we can help.