After a few years off from couponing, I have dived back into the fray wrought with paper cuts and uptight cashiers.
My Coupon Queen Mother got me started in the madness back in 2005. I faithfully clipped, sorted and filed my stacks of coupons in a binder with plastic pages for about THREE years and built up a massive stockpile.
Life is still crazy, and we’ve added one more wild kid to hinder the experience, but we have gotten delusional enough to try it again anyway.
So… with feet dragging I committed.
What’s funny is, as MUCH as I DIDN’T want to coupon again, it really didn’t take long for me to get caught up in the excitement of saving the family so much money each week.
It really is crazy.
What is awesome about couponing is that it is one BIG area of your budget where there is opportunity for flexibility… simply based on your shopping choices.
Your house payment and car payment or your cell phone don’t have that same luxury unfortunately.
I am not an expert on coupons, by any means. I honestly have the mindset of getting the most bang for as little effort as I can get away with putting into it.
Because of that I think I am streamlining it as much as I possibly can… spending designated, minimal time on it each week while still resulting in significant savings.
If you are like me and you don’t want your whole life to be taken over by coupons, here’s what you do…
Are you ready??? :)
First of all, here’s a quick rundown of the Coupon Basics for you if you are just getting started…
STEP ONE: Buy a Sunday paper EVERY week. You can choose your preferred method of filing. There are mainly two popular methods…. “Clipping and filing each coupon” (see here ) and “Filing by inserts” (see here.) Try calling your paper and asking for any subscription deals. Just by asking for an expired promotion, I was able to get 2 papers delivered for a year for just a buck each! Woot!
STEP TWO: Go to the coupon site of your choice {I have a few listed below} and click on the grocery stores in your area and make a list of the deals you want to purchase that week.
STEP THREE: Start stockpiling. It will take a while, but eventually you should get to the point where you are ONLY BUYING THE SUPER FAB DEALS every week.
This is key… You should not shop with a list of what you need, but with a list of what’s on sale.
Okay, that’s how to DO IT, but how do you SAVE YOUR SANITY?
Here’s what works for me. Maybe it will work for you too…
Couponing hard core can VERY quickly spiral into utter craziness. So for me I decided that I am going to really try to focus on only getting things I need and will use. I don’t want to stockpile 5 bags of sugar only to pull them out months later rock hard. That means I’m only adding free or super steal items to my list. That means less coupons I’ll be pulling and clipping and less items I’ll be trying to find and then paying for ultimately.
Plan your week around the best coupon strategy and schedule for you. Pick the best day of the week to shop and then work from there. Just like the meal planning and prep… split tasks up onto different days so you aren’t left feeling overwhelmed with the monstrosity of the job.
At the very least, try to make your list and pull and clip your coupons one day and do your shopping another.
One of the biggest part of the process is the clipping part. Instead of cutting ALL the coupons using the Binder Method, I just file them by date in a file box using the Insert Method. Then I make my list and only clip the coupons I will actually be using that week. This saves an ENORMOUS amount of time.
My box has a nifty little compartment in the top where I can stash my organizing supplies. :)
With just a few steps, you can get your Coupon Box super organized in order to make coupon clipping time as PAINLESS as possible.
First of all you should write the date of the insert plainly on the outside cover. You can find the date is the teeniest, most miniscule print ever known to man on the binding edge. You don’t want to have to strain you eyes every week to see what date insert you’re looking at, so write that date big and bold.
I also write the DATE on the post it label in pencil and attach it to the hanging folders.
As time goes on, I’ll be able to erase that date and change it to a newer date.
I label the file folders with the NAME of the insert… Smart Source, Redplum, and/or P&G, and stick them inside the hanging folder.
Now when I’m looking at list of which coupons to clip, I can find Redplum 1/29 {for example} in a flash.
I paperclip each store’s coupons and put them and all my lists together in this super cute little Old Navy pouch I got at Goodwill.
I also have post-its, a pen, and a calculator in there ready to face whatever mathematical situation that gets me stumped. :) It happens more than you would think. Blast those 4/$5 deals.
But, where do you find all the deals?
Coupon deal sites have literally exploded in the last few years, and there are TONS of great sites that will give you all the info you need to know… for FREE! I have been using Southern Savers and The Grocery Game to look for super deals at my stores. They show you how you can pair up the store’s sales with coupons to get amazingly cheap stuff!
{The Grocery Game is not free, but for right now I have a 6 week free trial. It’s basically $10 every 8 weeks for one store and $5 additionally for every other store.}
Two other sites to try are A Full Cup and my friend Christina at Centsible Savings.
And there you have it. I think I can honestly say that I think it IS possible to coupon with great results and still maintain whatever sanity you managed to start with. :)
What are your favorite coupon saving tips and deal sites?
Are you pro-binder or pro-insert method??
I find it quite shocking that I am right here back in the throes of it all again. If you had told me a few months ago I would be writing this post right now, I wouldn’t have believed you. :)
*Sometimes I link up at these parties… Weekend Bloggy Link up, Tatertots & Jello, House of Hepworths,Bowl Full of Lemons,Organize & Decorate Everything, Not Just a Housewife, Funky Junk Interiors, Somewhat Simple, Shabby Creek Cottage, No Minimalist Here, Skip to my Lou,Today’s Creative Blog, the 36th Avenue, Thrifty Décor Chick, Home Stories A-Z, Five Days Five Ways, How to Nest for Less, and Someday Crafts. You should check ‘em out!!
I so wish we had these possibilities in Canada. It’s rare to even find a coupon that is good enough to impress someone to use it. lol
Thanks for sharing your tips on using coupons. I really need to get better at this, I think my biggest problem is trying to plan my meals based on what is on sale instead of trying to buy what I need. When you say file by date is that the date that you got the coupons or when they will expire. I started to use the binder method but I am finding that it takes me a lot of time to clip and file each coupon by section. I like your method might give that one a try. Another thing I need to do is start shopping at different stores I only stick to one store and try to use coupons there. How do you know when is the best time to use the coupon and get the best deal? Sorry so many questions we are trying to cut our grocery bill down by using coupons but I really suck at it. Thanks
I file by the date the insert was in the paper. There are tons of coupon deal sites like SouthernSavers.com and grocerygame.com that really help you with that! It makes it so much easier!
I’m a binder gal because I like having my coupons in categories. I also don’t waste a ton of time clipping coupons. I do get one paper, but often I buy bulk coupons for things I know I will use from clipping sites. They come to me already clipped and that = a big boost to my sanity. :)
Renee, Thanks for sharing your tips at the Open House party. I have just started couponing in a small way so this info is a big help. xo, Sherry
I am the daughter of a Coupon Queen myself. Agree that it’s important to shop with a list of what’s on sale, not just what you need! My husband likes when I coupon because we have more food around. :) I like your idea of having a separate pouch for store/restaurant coupons. I try to keep them in my wallet so they’re handy when I’m out and about as opposed to being useless because I’m in the store and they’re on the couch. :P
I am so glad you wrote this post! I have been thinking I need to get back into couponing! I did it for about 6 months, and got such a huge stock pile that I stopped, and now I am trying to convince myself I need to start back up. I love your method and I am so excited to try it out. I previously cut out the coupons and sorted them by category and it took absolutely forever! I have used these sites: thekrazycouponlady.com and fabulesslyfrugal.com I am excited to try yours out! Thank you so much for this post!
WOW! I love this post!! Thanks so much for sharing girl! I’m featuring you tomorrow! See, aren’t you glad you added this? I SURE AM!!
Thanks for the post! Like you, I was a serious couponer before. After taking a year break to have a baby, I am trying to get back into it. I never thought I’d run out of my huge stockpile of deodorant, hair products, etc., but I have, and I hate to pay for them :) It’s somewhat time consuming, but it saves me lots of money and with 5 kids now, I seem to be burning through everything so fast. I go back and forth between the binder method and insert method. The insert method is less time consuming, but when I clip the coupons, it helps me see and remember what I have. I like to refer to hip2save.com, thekrazycouponlady, and a few local gals like momsneedtoknow. Good luck in your coupon adventures!
[…] some quick tips for couponing? Renee over at Living, Laughing & Loving shares her knowledge on how to coupon with the best of them! This post is HELPFUL beyond […]
I’m a binder gal. I only clip and file the coupons I think I’ll use. I keep the rest of the insert intact in another large pocket in the back of my binder. The newspaper inserts don’t have much in the way of coupons for things my family uses. I do better with printable coupons.
Wow, that is serious couponing! Sadly in the UK they’ve discovered the rule ‘not in conjunction with other offers’ so we are actually unable to coupon the American way. But I am always so impressed by how much discount one can get!