A few of my friends have asked me my
couponing process- I do want to say that there is no right or wrong way to do this- I guess you figure out what works best for you.
When I first started this whole obsession, I cut my coupons and filed them away in a small
accordion coupon file (you can find them for a buck at Big Lots or drug stores) which works fine for beginners, and it kind of gets you started on organizing a coupon file. Now that I am a psycho coupon fanatic, I have upgraded to a 3 in. 3 ring binder. I bought a binder, baseball card pages (the plastic pages that hold cards in a binder), and clear plastic page
protectors- if you end up wanting to do this- wait for a good coupon for Office Max or Staples before you go buy this stuff- it adds up! On the
KCL website, you can print a table of contents and the pages/dividers for each section (
here) so you can always have your coupons at a turn of a page! I also threw in a couple double pockets for my "store specific" coupons (Target,
Walgreens etc.) and other coupons for restaurants and activities.
Here is my personal coupon ritual:Sunday night- get my papers, and take out the inserts. Go through the inserts and take out the pages of the coupons I want. (I toss the pet ones and ads). If I am up to it, I will cut them then- usually while I catch up on my
DVR'd shows of the week :) or even let the kids help me- they love it! OR I do this the next morning after the boys go to school. Monday morning, I also check my websites and print any new coupons. Then I file them accordingly! I try to file duplicates in order of expiration (the nearest expiration date in the front). This sounds like a lot, but you will get the hang of it quickly!
Since I get my email on my phone, I get updates from the sites I follow so I see when new coupons are available, and I print them/file them later that night after the kids are asleep or anytime at my leisure.
Before I go shopping (by the way- I don't make 10 trips to 10 different stores! I try to get it done in one outing) I make my lists. I reference the stores advertisements (the circulars you get in the mail- they come Mondays and Wednesdays for me- or you can see them online) to see what promos are going on or what is on sale. Then I match up my coupons! I make my list according to what I need to purchase (if the coupon is for $1.00/2- I make a note that I need to grab 2 of that item) and write a circled 'C' next to the things I have coupons for. I also make a small pile of the coupons I will use at that trip. I will also write down any deal or match-up I have seen online. I DO NOT go shop every week! I try to make a good grocery trip once (maybe twice) a month, and a Target,
Walgreens or
CVS trip when it's absolutely needed or will save me a lot. If a sale pops up mid-week (this happens!) I
may make a trip if it's really worth it. Last week, Target had a random sale on Hefty zipper bags. They were originally 2.99, marked down to 1.00- I had some .55 off coupons so I went (during my sons baseball practice- not really making a trip, I was out already) and picked up 6 boxes for less than what 1 would have originally cost! To me, that is worth it!
I know the absolute best way to save the most money is to not focus on one store. I am totally guilty of doing this- I just can't bring myself to driving around with a car of 3 restless kids while I go and get 10 boxes of kleenex here, and 5 cans of soup there, just to save some money. If you have the time (more importantly, the patience) then by all means- do it! To maximize any savings- always remember it's best to use coupons on items that are on sale/special promotion or clearance!
My last point is this- don't give up! I really got overwhelmed the first few times I went shopping with my file of coupons. I didn't read the fine print (do that!) and the checker handed back a few coupons that wouldn't work. But once I saw how much I saved, it was all worth it. Also, try not to get too coupon happy. I know when I first started I tried to use as many coupons as I could, just because I had them or they were going to expire. Now, I have learned to save the coupons and wait for the best sale or scenario to come about. If they happen to expire before I ever use them- oh well- it wasn't meant to be!
-Ambra
