Some Couponing Basics

We thought it would be helpful to have a basic lesson on couponing. Coupons can save you a lot of money on things that you already buy on a regular basis if you spend a little time each week organizing and planning.

Where can I find coupons?

The Sunday paper always has 1-3 packets of coupons. You can subscribe to the weekend edition of the paper for around $50 per year. Also, there are coupon websites everywhere. Typically online coupons for some reason have higher values than those in the paper. Most companies offer some type of printable coupon through their company website. So if you are need of something, it never hurts to check that company’s website to see if they offer you extra dollars off. Look for the words "special offers" or "promotions"--that is where you will find the coupons for the most part on their site. Some of the more popular websites that offer printable coupons on a regular basis are Coupons.com, SmartSource.com and redplum.com. CouponCabin.com also has coupons for specific retailers like Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Magazines also offer coupons so be on the lookout when your reading your monthly subscriptions. It's also very helpful when signing up for coupons online to use a completely different email account. That way you don't get a lot of junk email in my regular inbox.

Now that I have my coupons how in the world do I organize them?

Without some type of organization in place coupons can just become a big mess that is not very useful. The best thing to do is to figure out a system that works for you and stick to it. Don’t fall into the trap of cutting some coupons out and placing them aside in a drawer for “later.” That “later” will most likely turn into never and you just have clutter accumulating in your house and then coupons will become a headache and a mess maker instead of a money saving tool.

Personally, I like cut my coupons out on Monday mornings. I cut the coupons and put them into different piles based on the categories that I have in my coupon box (directions soon to follow…). If there are any amazing coupons I see when I cut my coupons out, I put them in a pile to use when I go shopping. I then make my shopping list and see if there are any possible coupons to use. Once you cut coupons out for several months you will start seeing patterns—like you know there will always be some type of Pillsbury crescent roll coupon (trust me there always is one) or a Post cereal coupon.

There are many different methods to use for organizing your coupons after you get them cut out. I have always used what I refer to as the “envelope method.” It is very simple it costs you a grand total of about $2 (the cost for a box of small envelopes and an index card holder box).

***First things first—whatever coupon method you use to store your coupons, make sure you place your name, address, and phone number somewhere on the container that holds all your coupons--just in case you ever leave it at the store. It can be very easy to forget your coupon organizer in your shopping cart or by the cash register so make sure you have it labeled! That way if someone finds it they have a way to track you down.

Envelope Method

I use large plastic index card holder box where I have small envelopes labeled with different categories. Each week I cut the coupons out and place them in their corresponding envelope. This method works best for me because it keeps my coupons organized and easy to find but also in a relatively small case that I can carry around easily when I'm at the store.

Here is a visual of what my coupon box looks like:

Labels on the envelopes that I have:

Air Fresheners

Baby products

Baking Products (flour, sugar, corn syrup, etc)

Beverages

Bread

Breakfast foods (waffles, pancake mixes, Pop-Tarts)

Candy

Cereal

Condiments (Sauces, Salad Dressings, Mayo)

Cleaning Products

Dairy

Dish Soap

First Aid (Band-Aids, Ointments)

Food Storage (Aluminum Foil, Ziploc Bags)

Frozen Foods

Fruit

Garbage Bags

Ice Cream/Frozen Desserts

Laundry

Lunch Foods (Granola Bars, Fruit Snacks, Deli Meat)

Make-up

Meat

Medicines

Miscellaneous (if I don’t know where to put something this is where it goes…coupons for batteries and pantyhose usually end up in here, among other things)

Paper Products (paper towels, TP, tissues)

Pasta/Pizza/Rice

Peanut Butter/Jams

Sanitary Products

Shampoo

Shaving Supplies

Soap/Face Wash/Lotions

Soup

Snacks (chips, nuts, popcorn, etc)

Toothpaste and Toothbrushes

Veggies

Yogurt

Other envelopes:

I also have a separate envelope for Restaurants which I store in my car. I put coupons that I get in the mail or from the paper in here. Most of the times that I would need to use these types of coupons I find that it is more convenient to store them in my car than at my house.

At the front of my coupon box, I have envelopes labeled for each of the stores that I might be going to—Harps, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, etc. If there are coupons that I know I am going to use in those stores, I put those coupons in the store envelope where I will be using them. I also place my shopping list in those envelopes for that corresponding store. And, after I go shopping I place my receipt from that store in that envelope.

Binder Method

You can also use a 3 ring binder with baseball card pages. A binder with a zipper case works really well for this. Then you can have 1-2 pages for each of your categories. Another thing you can do with this method is have a zipper pouch with scissors, calculator, and pens and pencils.

SOME OTHER STUFF

AHH....the dreaded coupon expiration date!!!

Most coupons have some type of expiration date. The majority of the time coupons are good for about 2 months and then they expire. So, what do you do with all those coupons in your coupon box or binder that are about to expire or have expired?? At the end of each month, I go through each envelope of my coupon box and get rid of all of my expired coupons. It is a little cumbersome but when you think of all the money you have saved during the month with coupons, it’s worth it. Maybe you can make it into a little game for your kids to help you to find all the coupons with dates before…(speaking of having your kids help out....)

Have your kids help out

You don’t have do all this coupon stuff on your own. If your kids are old enough, have them help you out with the coupon clipping. It can help them learn math skills, learn how to save money, how to be a good shopper, and how to budget their money. I actually learned how to use coupons when I was around 12 years old.. My mom was sick of each of us kids complaining about what there was (or wasn't) available to eat around the house. So, she came up with a great idea--she assigned grocery shopping to us kids for alternating weeks. We had a budget and then she gave us a list of things we had to buy like fruits, vegetables, meats but then the rest of the shopping was up to us. Of course, she was always right there to supervise us so we didn't spend all the rest of the money on junk food or things like that. I used coupons regularly because I wanted to get the most food with the money that was allotted and my brother and sister did the same. It was a great money lesson and I have lots of great memories doing it. My mom loved it too because she never heard us complaining about “having nothing to eat” to her…instead we went and complained to whatever sibling bought the groceries that week!

At the Store...

Make sure you bring your coupons with you to the store. You may see a great deal while you are there there that makes it even sweeter with a coupon that you have. Or you might remember something you forgot to put on your shopping list that you need and you have a coupon for it! Sweet! Also, Harps doubles coupons up to 50 cents—in other words, if you have a 50 cent coupon, at Harps it is worth $1. I have been able to get many ideas for free or next to nothing by taking advantage of the double coupons at Harps. Also take a look at weekly ads and see if there are any sales that you might be able to use a coupon with.

Planning your menu for the week

Another thing you can do is plan your weekly food menu based on some of the coupons you have. This will help you to save money by using the coupons and also save time by having your menu planned out for the week. Buy items for your children or your spouse's lunch using coupons you have for lunch type items (granola bars, lunchmeat, etc.).

Okay, that's all my brain can think of for now. I'm sure there are things I have missed so if you have any other suggestions on how you use coupons to help you save money, feel free to comment!