MY ADVENTURES IN COUPONING

So, I started couponing maybe 6 months ago. And man, I had no idea what I was in for! Now that I have had time to learn the ins and outs, I would love to share my tricks and tips. So how to start.....

First you need coupons. I get one or two papers a weekend (but make sure that there are inserts in them, sometimes there are no inserts going out at all, and sometimes people steal them out of the paper). I also get my mom and mother in law to save me theirs (even though my mom takes out what coupons she wants, but never uses :p). In return for their inserts, I put them on my "coupon list," if I find something they use on sale, I just get it for them (with a coupon of course!).

So I have around 3-4 copies of each insert.

Now comes the binder. Oh lord the binder.....some people use the baseball card protector pages, and I tried that. But that means you cut out each coupon, file it where it needs to go, and then throw out all your hard work in like a month or so. Poop on that!

Which leads me to MY organization. I keep them organized by insert. I have a page protector for each insert. If you want, you can put all your copies in there, or you can rip the insert into individual pages and organize each of the pages together so you have all 3-4 of each coupon together (my preferred method because it makes it easier when I need more than one coupon).

Then I go to sundaycouponpreview.com (or you can sign up for them to be sent via e-mail each week). They have it organized with how much the coupon is worth, what its for, and.......wait for it.....the expiration date (yes that excites me)!

So I print the preview (put it in Word and shrink it down and such) and slide it in with the insert. I go through each of them and highlight which coupons I actually have. This means that I can see what I have in that sleeve and if its expired. Also, some of the coupon matching websites tell you to use coupons that you may not have gotten so its nice to know in advance before you go on a wild goose chase for a coupon that doesn't exist.

Now, this one doesn't have the exp dates, but oh well.....you get the idea. It makes for quick picking!

Now to the ads, I have not gotten the exact hang of how to quickly look at an ad and determine what deals I have coupons for...unless it says in the ad "free with coupon". So, I cheat. I LOOOOOOVE The Krazy Coupon Lady. They have individual tabs for each store (CVS, Walgreens, WalMart, etc etc). She has the weekly ad all listed with what coupons to use for which deals. She also has a quick look list of things that are great deals and she has a little icon next to the best deals which makes running through her list even easier.

Now to the list. I go through each section on the website, making a list of the things I want to snatch up and what coupons I need. I used to have an envelope for each store, but my mother in law gave me this little thing for photos (it holds about 15 pictures, but is perfect for coupons and lists). So, I make my list, collect my coupons, and wha bam. I am ready to go.

You should also be aware of the coupon policies at each store because some won't allow multiple stacks (deals plus mfg coupons plus reward bucks etc). Or have limits on how many of the deals you can get.

I also have a list that I found somewhere, but I will post the website when I can find it. It that has a list of items and what you can usually get them for, and the super stock up price. I added a column for the lowest price that I have gotten them for just so I can keep tabs on what the normal prices I pay are.

Also, don't be afraid to have a stock pile. It is nice not to have to go out and grab a 5$ bottle of shampoo, I can grab it out of my stockpile knowing I only paid like 1$ (or less) for it a while back and that I have selections.

 I know magnificent right?!

Some other tips:

CVS's magic coupon machine prints out coupons randomly and they can be stacked with your mfg coupons to make even better deals. So scan your card every time you walk in, and keep scanning it until it says "no more offers, check back tomorrow"

If you see an online coupon for an item that usually has a travel size (if there is no disclaimer on the coupon saying it cant be used for travel sizes) and print that bad boy!

Leftover coupons, I also have a index card box from school days, I have a colored card for each month, then I have a card that has a specific expiration date, for each date, I list the coupons that are behind that card, so I can flip through the cards to see if there are any coupons that I can use.

There are lots of websites out there, don't limit yourself to one! If you find a site you love, BOOKMARK IT! For some reason my mom likes http://www.couponmom.com/ I can't quite get the hang of it, but try it out!

So, good luck on your couponing, more tips to be posted when I can think of them!