Organizing Your Coupons

If you want to start couponing, you will need some sort of filing system. Couponing without organization just does not work. If you dont' know where your coupons are, you won't be able to use them to save your hard-earned money.


Envelopes
Envelopes are great for those couponers who don't use a lot of coupons. You can label several envelopes with different labels. For example, you could have separate ones for cleaning, HBA products, dairy and frozen, boxed goods, etc. I have also seen people use Ziploc bags and this might actually be better than using envelopes because your coupons won't fall out. The downside to using envelopes, or Ziploc bags, is that if you get really into couponing, it won't work anymore. It's just not that efficient of an organizational system for mass couponing.


Coupon holder
I originally started out with a small coupon holder that I bought at Target. I soon found out that this wasn't big enough for my needs so I invested in a bigger sized one at Target. These were both $1, by the way. There are several pockets to divide your coupons up by category. They came with stickers so that I could write whatever I wanted on the tabs. Coupon holders are nice for the person starting out, but when you get several copies of one insert or start really printing those Internet coupons, they just don't work as well.


Don't cut, put in folders
Now, there may be a different name for it, but for the life of me, I don't know it. This method of coupon organization is touted by many of the coupon websites such as couponmom.com and the grocerygame.com. How does it work? Well, each week when you get the inserts from the Sunday paper, you simply label a folder with the date and stick the inserts in there. Each week, you can check out one of those sites that will tell you which sales and coupons match up. The date of the insert will be listed and you just go to that folder and cut the coupon out. This is great if you are one of those people who make a grocery list and stick to it. The problem I have with this method is that I find unadvertised specials and clearance items all the time. If I didn't have my coupons with me, I would miss out on really great deals. Plus, where do you put those extra coupons, like the ones you get in the mail or in products?


Binder method
Some people use large binders with plastic insert pages that can hold baseball or business cards. I recently found that my old way of coupon organization was not working and that I needed something new. I decided to try this method. I had a binder that I figured would work until I could get a better one when school supplies went on sale. I bought one package of plastic sheets, but soon discovered that this was not enough and sent hubby out to get another pack. This seems to be enough, at least for now. I have it organized in the same order that my coupon holder was organized in. Which is good, because I only have 2 dividers right now. I am waiting on some good back-to-school sales to stock up on some. This method lets me quickly go to the coupon I want and I can easily see if I have more than one. Yes, there is an initial investment of at least the plastic pages, but I see it as an investment in my sanity. LOL. Especially with three kids, plus hubby, often tagging along to the store, being able to find coupons quickly is priceless. You may also find it a little embarrassing to walk into the store with it. Well don't be embarrassed. Look at how much money you will be saving. If it makes you feel better, find a cart outside near your and put your binder in there. No one will even notice it's there.


I hope this helps with any organizational problems you may have with your coupons. I am sure there are many more ways to organize your coupons. These are just the most popular ones. If you know of any other ways, please share by leaving a comment.

Preparing a List for Shopping - Using Coupons

The other day I was asked how I go about deciding what I am going to buy each week. I have to tell you that it really is a pretty simple process and does not take that long.

The first thing I do (usually on a Sunday afternoon) is make sure all of that day's coupons have been put into the correct section of my coupon holder. Then I look through an ad - usually Tops. If you look on the first page (sometimes the last page also), there are sales on there called the Loss Leaders. These are the deals that are supposed to get you in the door to buy other more expensive things, while you pick up the sale item. Don't fall for this though. Only buy things that are on sale, preferably when you have coupons for these products.

As I am looking through the ad, I circle things that are a good price. I know what I usually pay for the items I buy most, so I know whether or not a price is really good or not. If I think there might be a coupon, I note that next to the item also. After I am done looking through the ad, I look through my coupon holder and find the coupons that correspond with the sales. I then take a piece of paper (I try to use the back of a printed scrap paper so I am not wasting paper) and write down my list of items. I then attach my coupons to my list with a paperclip. I am now ready to go shopping. I also bring my coupon holder just in case I find a bargain that I didn't know about when I did my list.

So, there you have it. That's how I prepare for grocery shopping. How do you prepare for a grocery shopping trip?

Couponing and Stockpiling

It really amazes me the way some people shop. For instance, I was at Tops yesterday and I was waiting for a lady to pick up Domino sugar, so I could get some. She puts a bag in her cart and then looks at a coupon someone had left there. It was for $.50 on 2. Well, she reads it and then puts it back on top of the sugar on the shelf. Maybe it was because she would have had to have bought 2? Or maybe it was because she doesn't know that Tops doubles up to $.99, making that coupon actually $1 off the 2? It was $1.99 for a 5 pound bag of sugar and it was a really good deal anyways, even without a coupon. Maybe she thought that 10 pounds of sugar was a lot, not thinking that sugar lasts like 10 years! If she had bought 2 and used that coupon, each bag of sugar would have been $1.49!!!!

I think there are a lot of people out there who are still only shopping for that week's worth of food. This is the wrong way to go. You end up having to buy stuff that is not on sale. If you buy things and stock up when you have a good deal, you can wait until the next time something is on sale again before you have to buy it. I know this doesn't always work, but probably 98% it does. I very rarely buy something that is not on sale, and usually if I need to I am buying it at Aldi's if it is food and Walmart or Target for household and bath products. If you look at my Tops receipts that I post each week, you will see that very few things are on there that are not on sale (and most of the time with a coupon also), with the exception of bananas. If it's not on sale, I figure I don't need it.

Couponing and stockpiling go hand in hand in my opinion. In order to save the most money, you need to buy enough of the products on sale to last you until the next time they are on sale. Along with saving you money, this also provides you with food and other products during times of crisis, like natural disasters or lay offs. Having a stockpile is like money in the bank. There for you when you need it most. Plus, no more running to the store just to buy "one thing". If you plan and keep your stockpile up, you will always have the stuff you need. For instance, my husband needed a new toothbrush the other day. Instead of running to the store to get one, I told him to shop the stockpile. I have about 5 or 6 toothbrushes down there that I had gotten cheap or even free, along with other household and bath products. I would say I have a stockpile of at least a year of most HBA products.

As a side note, knowing how much of each product you use is essential to building a great stockpile. If you aren't going to eat something before it goes bad, don't buy it. If you know you use 3 of a certain product each month this will also help you stock up enough to last you until the next sale. Sale cycles are usually 12 weeks, but may vary depending on if there are any holidays.

Do you have a stockpile? What kind of things do you always keep in there and how much of a supply do you have? Please let me know by leaving me a comment.

How Do You Organize Your Coupons?

Different people have different preferences as to how they use their coupons and how they find the deals. In this post, I want to explore the different ways to store coupons.

I store my coupons in a slightly larger coupon holder. I do this because this holder fits in my purse, so I am less likely to lose it. I like to have my coupons with me because I often find clearance prices on products or even unadvertised sales. If I left my extra coupons at home I would not be able to take advantage of these surprise deals. Some people keep their coupons in a 3-ring binder with plastic inserts that you would normally put baseball cards in. I haven't tried this yet because I usually have a child sitting in the cart. So for the time being, this is one method that would not work for me.

Other people don't even cut out their coupons. They put them in a large accordion-style organizer and write the date on the first page of the inserts. They then use couponmom.com, afullcup.com, or the coupongame.com to find out what coupons correspond with which deals. These sites also tell you the date of the insert, so you can find the coupons easily. You then just clip out the coupons you need and take only those. This is especially great if you are on a budget and using cash, since you can figure out right then how much money you are going to need.

How you store your coupons is really about preference. Whatever works for you is the way to go. It may take trying a few different ways, but you will find a way that works best for you.

Couponing Classes

I have been asked about maybe doing a coupon class. I was wondering how much interest there might be in a class. I would really like your input. Even if you are not in the Twin Tiers region of NY, you can still comment if you'd like.

Would you attend a class on couponing if it was free? What if there was a small fee like $3-$5?

When would be the best time to have a class? Weekdays or Weekends? During the day or at night?

What kind of things would you like to learn about? Would you just like to learn about couponing or would you like to learn about frugal shopping in general? What about other frugal things you can do to save money for your family?

I would love to have any input you would like to give me. Thanks.

Words of the Week Wednesday

I came across a wonderful blog recently = Frugal Dad. He is very insightful and the content is always really well written. Today he posted a collection of 122 ways to trim your budget. This is an awesome collection of different tips from readers and also from him. There are some on there that I haven't even heard of before!

I thought I would share with you the ones pertaining to food shopping and couponing and then you can go read the rest of the list yourself. You can read the rest of the list here.

Some of the tips include:

• Using two coupons when you buy something Buy One Get One Free
• Sign up with various manufacturers and stores to get coupons and special offers
• Spend about 10 minutes a week cleaning out your coupons and getting rid of ones that are expired. I usually do this on Saturday before I get a new messload of coupons on Sunday.
  
• Don't just rely on coupons from the newspaper. Other good sources include the internet and magazines.
• Don't forget that places like Family Dollar take coupons also. They usually have really good prices on cleaning products and when combined with coupon it's even better.
• Keep your coupons in your car, or better yet, your purse. This way you always have them with you if you come across a great deal.
  
• Knowing each store's coupon policy will save you a lot of headache and help make planning your shopping trip more efficient.
• Know your prices. Knowing what you usually pay on the things you buy the most, will help you know if that sale price is really a good deal or not. Just because it is on sale doesn't mean that it is a good deal. Make it a point to know what the normal price for commonly bought products is at either Walmart or Target. Using a price book (just get a small notebook) might help you find the cheapest. What I did was I kept track of everything on my receipts in a spreadsheet for a while. This told me not only how much I was spending on certain things, but also where I was getting the best prices.
  
• Use couponmom.com or afullcup.com to find out what coupons match which sales at what store.
  
• Don't buy things unless they are on sale. To be able to do this, you need to have a stockpile. When you get a good deal on things, stock up so you can last until the next time they go on sale.
  
• If your store doubles coupons up to 99 cents, you can make out pretty well with those 75 cent coupons. These become $1.50 off and can make your product cheap or even free.
  

**Hints in purple are the ones I added.

I hope you liked this list. Go check out Frugal Dad's blog for even more tips on saving bunches of money. Do you have any couponing or other frugal tips you would like to add to the list. Leave me a comment letting me know.