Couponing Part 1

I posted this back when we were all on Craigslist, but I thought it belonged here, too, for reference:

Couponing plays a big role in the amount of money I'm able to save. And while clipping and organizing them isn't my favorite activity, I do think it's time and effort well spent. For me, the payoff at the cash register more than makes up for the tedium. I look at couponing (and bargain shopping as a whole) as a competition, me vs. the stores. I've seen it written elsewhere that you have to look at couponing that way - to find the fun element in it - or you just won't do it. I tend to agree. Most people I know who don't use coupons complain about how much they hate clipping them, while still lamenting that they know they should use them. I say, try every which way you can to find something fun about couponing - make it a competition or a game. And if you can't, and know you'll never view coupons as anything but a chore, don't beat yourself up about it. Move on to other ways to save money on your groceries. You won't get the absolute best savings, but you can still make quite a difference in your food budget.

It will take a little time to work out the coupon system that works best for you, but here's mine as a jumping-off point:

1. Get a coupon organizer. I use a small, plastic, accordian-type folder that I got at Target for $1. It's actually a bill organizer, I think (although they make them specifically for coupns, too). You can find similar items at the dollar store, office supply store, all sorts of places. I've seen other storage items used as coupon organizers, too. Some women prefer recipe card boxes separated by index cards, others use 3-ring binders filled with clear plastic photo pages (the kind with 4 - 6 "pockets" per page). Personally, I think those are too bulky, but use whatever you're comfortable with.

2. Determine your categories and label. Tape over the pre-printed labels with your own if necessary. Use what categories work for you. The goal is to be able to find the coupon you want when you want it - not to let any one section get too full to manage easily. That's why I eventually created two separate categories for Beauty and Health. You also want the categories to make sense - to naturally go together, such as paper and plastic. I have my coupon folder divided as such:

Snacks & Misc. Food (food coupons that don't fit into any other categories, like produce or gum)
Frozen
Meat & Dairy
Breads & Baking
Breakfast & Beverages
Mixes, Spices, & Helpers (rice, instant potatoes, taco seasoning packets, etc.)
Canned, Jarred, Bottled & Condiments (soup, peanut butter, salad dressing, cooking oil, etc.)
Cleaning & General Household (like batteries, air freshener, etc.)
Paper & Plastic
Pets
Beauty (soap, shampoo, cosmetics, etc.)
Health (bandaids, toothpaste, vitamins, OTC meds, etc.)

3. Subscribe to the Sunday paper - or buy one at the store. (NOT from a vending machine, as these papers are the most likely to have had the coupons left out of them.) The Sunday paper is the BEST source for a steady supply of coupons. Clip them every week and put them in your organizer by category. You don't have to do it on Sunday, but vow to get it done some time during the week, before next Sunday's paper comes out. Do it while you're watching TV - it will take 20 - 30 minutes, tops.

4. Purge your expired coupons at least once a month. Since most coupons expire at the end of the month, a good time to do this is on the first Sunday. Before you put your new coupons in, go through each category and get rid of everything that has expired. This is also a great way to refresh your memory. Before long, you'll have a good running list in your head of which coupons you have.

5. Clip EVERYTHING you think you might use or like to try. I know this probably goes against what you've read elsewhere. Most articles on coupons advise you to only clip coupons on items you use regularly. But when stores double or even triple, you're missing out on a lot of savings on products that might otherwise be out of your price range. This is especially true of high-value coupons, which are most common on new products. I might not be willing to pay $3 for a small bag of fancy chips, but I'll sure take them for 75 cents after a 75 cent coupon has been tripled to $2.25. Another good example (for me) is canned French's Fried Onions. I love them, but I think they're way overpriced and unnecessarily increase the cost of a recipe. But they're practically free when triple coupons come along, so I stock up. And if a coupon expires before the next triple-coupon event, or you find the product is still too expensive, so what? You've lost maybe 6 seconds in clipping and organizing it.

6. Keep your coupon organizer in your car. Bring it inside to clip and organize, then put it with your purse so you'll remember to put it back in your car the next time you go out. Trust me, it's much easier than trying to remember it every time you want to go to the store - not to mention those impromptu "just a few items" grocery runs we all make. This way, you'll always have your coupons with you when you need them - not sitting home on the kitchen counter.

7. Lastly, be a coupon fairy. Do you have a coupon you know you won't use before it expires? Item still too expensive for your budget, even with the coupon? Put the coupon on the shelf next to the item - let the next person use it. The good Karma will pay off.

Tomorrow, Coupons part 2 - sources for coupons beyond the Sunday paper.