Could someone explain your process for couponing?

**severina** · 11-08-2006, 07:08 PM

I've always just cut coupons for the things I need and that I buy brand name (about three things!). Is there a better way? Do you cut all coupons you find in the hopes of items being on sale? How do you organize them? Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated...

**emily_hope** · 11-08-2006, 09:43 PM

I don't have an answer for you but I am glad you asked this question. I would like to see some answers.

**AmyMCGS** · 11-09-2006, 04:51 PM

I sit down most Sunday nights with the coupon inserts and the weekly sale ads. I compare loss leaders (basically front page deals) with coupons, and make out shopping lists accordingly. I do not shop every week for groceries, but, I still check the ads to see if there are any huge bargains that might make it worth a trip to the store.

When clipping coupons, I clip: anything for a brand we love- there are a few items that I only buy certain brand names of. Most things, though, I will buy whatever brand is cheapest, so if it's an item we use a lot, I clip a coupon for any brand. I also clip high value coupons of items we don't use for coupon trades or swaps.

I keep all of my coupons organized in a large coupon box that I purchased online. It had some dividers, and I've made a lot of my own to keep coupons divided into categories that work for me. It's big enough to also hold my "for trade" coupons, scissors, refund forms, etc.

I don't usually take the whole box to the store with me anymore, because balancing it with two small kids is too hard. It was good when I did, because an unexpected clearance sale + coupons from my box could add up to some real savings. Now, though, I just put the coupons I plan to use that day into an envelope and write my list on the envelope.

**nuisance26** · 11-09-2006, 07:50 PM

~My mom and my mil give me their inserts after they've looked through them. I cut just what I would use(no pets, hair dye, supplements) and put them loosely in a photo storage box. I get sale flyers from walgreens, Rite Aid and Acme.I go online to see flyers from other stores in my area. I list the loss leaders that I'm interested in and then go through my clipped coupons looking for matches. I've started to use a small photo brag book to take my coupons to the store. Taking my other coupons just in case made me spend much more time in the stores looking for deals and usually ending up buying things I really didn't need. I sort through my coupon box once a month to toss expired coupons. I probably spend an hour a week couponing & rebating. I'm not super organized, but it's working for now.~

**dmvezina** · 11-09-2006, 08:08 PM

I clip & keep any coupons for products that I think may go on sale cheap enough and that we would use. You have to know your prices though. Like the Pillsbury biscuits, cinnamon rolls, etc. They go on sale for ok prices, but the coupon is usually you have to buy 3 of them to get $1 off. I don't think that's worth it. But, I have a coupon for Nestle hot cocoa mix: .75 off one box. One of my stores has them on sale for $1 a box and this store doubles coupons. So, I will usually keep alot of them in hopes of a good sale. You never know! LOL

**Gotonenerveleft** · 11-09-2006, 08:41 PM

I do pretty much like the others here. I buy two Sunday papers from the largest city around (our local paper doesn't have many coupons) and clip all of the coupons. Some I set aside for family members. I also buy some online. I keep mine in a binder notebook in baseball trading card sheets. I have dividers for the different categories. So easy to take in the store and no more shuffling them around to find the one I need.

I also shop the loss leaders and CVS. There are always alot of coupons with high value that I will use to try something new or get things that are normally too expensive. You can really save money once you get going at it. Today I saved almost $60 from coupons alone...add that with sales and it truly makes it worth it. My total savings from just coupons is now up to $150 for the last three weeks, the money I actually spent for those weeks has been about $225. The store savings were about another $175. So I've gotten $550 worth of groceries for less than half.

Sometimes you can get free items with coupons. I ordered 20 Rotel tomato coupons off the internet. Paid a nickel a piece for them. They were for 30 cents off one can. Well our store triples anything under 39 cents, so they took off 90 cents...the cans were 85 cents apiece. They took off the extra 5 cents which took care of the nickel I paid. 20 cans...totally free to me! I've done other things like this too....I love a bargain and you can't beat FREE!

**monkeywrangler71** · 11-09-2006, 09:59 PM

1) I take every coupon I can get my hands on - from inserts (usually get 2 a month), in-store, direct from manufacturers, etc. I cut out everything, regardless if I will use it.
2) I sort out all the coupons that I will never use, regardless of how cheap the product gets (hair dye, fabric softener, baby wipes) I put these in the pocket of an accordian file and use them for coupon trades & trains. When the folder is too fat to close, I will start a train.
3) I take all the coupons that I will definitely use (tide, bounty) and the coupons for products that I might buy if there is a really good sale (charmin, cereal, shampoo) but would normallly buy a cheaper brand. I sort them in a coupon file that fits in my purse - loosely arranged by category (dairy, side dishes, personal hygiene)
4) I read the flyers every week and shop the loss leaders combined with the coupons.
5) I go through it occasionally to see what's in there, but generally I remember what I've got. I take them out of the folder as I pick the products off the shelves and put them in my wallet, otherwise I forget to use them all if I don't get them out before I get to the cash.

People have told me that I am wasting my time cutting out coupons that I won't use, but I actually enjoy cutting coupons. I'm not crafty, so I enjoy the opportunity to get the scissors out and cut something up.

**MandiDawn** · 11-10-2006, 01:00 PM

I tend to use alot of name brand stuff that I just dont' feel I should skimp on (dog food, femiine prodcuts ect) so I always cut out those coupons.

The stuff I dont' care about name brands (shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper) I cut out any and all for these items. then I look through the sale ads and combine the coupon with the sale. So although I cut out 5 coupons for Pantene and only one for Suave, if Suave is on sale, then that's what I use. I might use the Pantene next week if it goes on sale, or they might just sit in my coupon book till they expire if it never goes on sale.

**frugalfriend** · 11-25-2006, 11:59 AM

Have you heard of a website called The Coupon Mom? I use it all the time and it helps so much! You can look up the coupon deals for your state and stores that you shop. She matches the coupons with the sales. This has saved me a lot of time, since I used to do this myself. Very time consuming! I get a lot of free and low cost items this way. Some things are not necessarily a good deal, you have to look for the items you would already buy. Also, a great resource for the items that are not advertised. There are hundreds of things on sale but are not in the weekly ads! She runs this site in hopes of people donating some items to charity.

Happy couponing!

**Nantahala** · 11-25-2006, 12:16 PM

I am going to start using the VCO at couponmom.com because my current system isn't fabulous.

I wanted to start this weekend but it looks like no inserts.

**dmvezina** · 11-25-2006, 02:43 PM

I use CouponMom as well!

**frugalfriend** · 11-25-2006, 03:42 PM

Hi Dawn,

Do you use the virtual coupon organizer too? I forgot to mention this earlier. Sometimes I need a certain item at the store and I will check to see if there is a coupon for that item available. The database keeps track of every coupon that is current. It is so cool! Also, I only cut out the coupons that I will use right now. No more hours of cutting coupons! All coupon circulars can be kept in a storage box in date order (I use a Rubbermaid clear one) with the most current ones on top. Eventually you throw out the ones on the bottom as they expire. I write the date of each circular with a black sharpie on the cover. Then I go directly to that date when I want something and cut only the coupon I will use now. Coupon Mom even tells you which circular the coupon is in, ie: Valassis, Smartsource, P&G (Procter & Gamble).

**redmaples** · 11-25-2006, 06:13 PM

I don't clip coupons very much, but I do use coupons a lot.
I use thecouponclippers.com to order multiples of a lot of coupons.
I more than make my $$$ back this way. Another plus is that I don't spend all the time sorting & cutting & getting a stiff neck!
A few examples: Boca veggie products had .75 coupon off one. I buy these products all the time & like to keep a variety stocked in the freezer. I ordered 20 coupons...because they doubled to 1.50 & a the best price I can get on a box of boca (2.50) is at a store 30 min away. the coupons probably cost me about $2, but saved me $30. this same store alao has the best price for van de kamps fish filets (also $2.50) and the coupons again were double .75.

So, my strategy is getting high valued coupons in multiples & buying in bulk of the most used items. One week I might stock up on coffee & tp. another might be boca & fish. A few weeks ago I bought 8 boxes of fruity cheerios because they cost each .54 w/ dbl coupon & sale combo.

As for organization I have this nifty mini binder type w/ a spiral binder that I bought at one of the dollar stores years ago. I will try to get my coupons in there every week before shopping. it is small enough to fit into my purse . It opens like a book with a pocket on both sides of every page & categories arranged alphabetically. Much easier than the envelope type organizers.

**dmvezina** · 11-25-2006, 07:24 PM

Yes, I do use the virtual coupon organizer too.
It does make it alot easier. My only problem is the stores she doesn't have listed, it's more work! LOL

But, I would think eventually the one other store I go to may be added some day!

**AprilKD849** · 12-03-2006, 07:53 PM

I play the grocery game at thegrocerygame dot com. The message boards there are very informative, and the lists are as well. I don't have time to sit and figure it all out myself, and this site takes the guesswork out for you. If you read through the boards, you can learn a lot.

April