posted by admin on coupon series, coupon storage, coupons, M2C couponing series

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I told myself that I was not going to blog about couponing. But here I am…blogging about couponing. There are just SOOO many coupon blogs out there now and frankly I don’t think I am that good. However, I have received so many emails about how to get started with coupons and I really want all of my friends to be able to save a little bit of money like I have been.

• It is very difficult to be brand loyal and take everyday couponing to the next level.
• It is sometimes time consuming to coupon and does require a certain level of organization and discipline.
• Your menu will always be changing but the up side is you get to try a lot of food you may not have purchased before. Flexibility is key to couponing!
• Once you get into it, it’s VERY hard to pay regular price for anything and can be agonizing if you have to do it…maybe this is just me lol

So let’s get started!

Collecting and Organizing Coupons…The Mommies 2 Cents Way

I don’t have the patience or the energy to go out of my way to get coupon inserts so I buy them. But I make sure that the savings from the week more than covers the cost of my papers. I buy 4 papers every Sunday morning. I buy them from Walmart and they cost me $1.25 each. I have to note that if I hear through the grapevine that there will be a hot coupon that weekend or there is something I really want to buy then I will increase my number of papers to 6 but usually don’t buy more than that.

There are some instances when there will be one specific coupon that makes for a great stock up. It wouldn’t make sense to buy 20 newspapers so that is when I go to ebay or a clipping service. BE CAREFUL! Once news hits that a coupon is hot the price goes through the roof. It doesn’t matter how cheap you were going to get an item if you had to pay $18 to get the coupons. The point is, ALWAYS factor the coupon cost into the item.

So now you have bought your papers and removed all of the coupon inserts as well as the Walgreens and CVS ads. I also write the date with a sharpie in the front of the insert so it is easily visible. What to do with all of the papers?! I usually just put them into the recycle can that night and they pick up on Monday morning BUT if you don’t have a curbside recycling program, you can donate the newspapers to your local animal shelter. They use the papers to line the cages for kittens, puppies or small animals. They will appreciate your donation.

Another place to get coupons is printing them. Coupons.com is a great resource. You can print up to two of each coupon per computer. They change the coupons on the first day of each month and occasionally add new coupons throughout the month. It is best to check coupons.com every couple of days to see if there are any coupons you might want and print them out. I always go on the last day of the month and print any coupons I want because they might be gone the next day. Please note that photocopying coupons is not allowed. Each coupon printed has a specific code.

I have to admit that I have tried a million different coupon systems. When one doesn’t work, I move on to the next because I really wanted this coupon thing to work. You can keep them in a shoebox or you can clip every coupon and file in a binder. You can save the whole insert in folders or in a file box…it’s really about what works for you.

When I started couponing, I clipped every coupon and filed it by isle at the grocery store. To me this was a complete waste of time. I spent all of my time clipping and sorting and filing but no time was left for deal scouting, shopping or saving money! I must point out that this is a VERY successful method for a lot of couponers but it just didn’t work for me.

I then moved to a folder system. I bought a pocket folder for each insert type (Red Plum, Smart Source, etc..). Then I would put the whole inserts into them by date. This was a better system for me but I quickly realized that after 3 or 4 weeks my folders were unable to hold all of my coupons. They became too heavy to move around and they were ripping apart. This is when I decided to try the hanging file box. So far, this is the best method for me. It is organized, time saving and it looks neat and tidy, which I love!

I bought a cheap file box from Walmart with hanging files in it. Then I bought a box of manila tab folders. Each hanging file is labeled by month and insert. Each manila folder within the hanging file is labeled by week and insert type. This way if I need a coupon from the May 8th Smart Source insert I can easily find “5/8/11 SS” and pull the inserts. I also have a folder for printed coupons, blinkies, mailers, Catalina’s and store coupons. (I will have a post explaining what those are next time).

This works for me because I don’t like to shop spontaneously. I like to be prepared and know exactly what I am buying. I also don’t like to tote all of my coupons with me every time I go to the store. With two young kids in tow it’s just too difficult for me to carry 12 lbs of coupons and them into the store.

Now get out there and start collecting those coupons! Remember, having the coupons is the most important. You can always adapt you storage system as you need to but never ever miss getting the coupons. You can’t get the deals if you don’t have the coupons.

I hope this helped you at least get started. Don’t get overwhelmed and if you start to feel like it’s too much, take a step back. Take a break and come back to it later. Next time we’ll see if we can’t get you shopping!