For the maiden post of this blog, I'm going to talk about something that my mother taught me - coupon clipping. It's something that always been done around me and I continue it to this today. I'm so addicted to it that if I go to the grocery store without coupons, I feel like I'm being ripped off.
If you've never been into coupons or have tried in the past and haven't been successful, here's a few things to think about.
* I save from $5-25 each week on groceries
* Coupon clipping & sorting takes about 1/2 hour. If I was being paid to do it, I'd be getting paid $10-50 an hour!
* I recycle my expired coupons and coupon adds so that nothing is added to the landfill.
How to start Coupon Clipping
1. Find coupons
- Free coupons in the grocery store
- Online sources
- Newspaper adds
- Free flyers
2. Get a coupon organizer.
From file boxes, to small organ folding pouches to coupon folders to specialty organizers, find one that will work for you. I chose to go with Hannah Coupon Organizer because it's expandable and I can add and change the tabs around easily. Some people like the stability of a card box that they can set in the shopping cart. Find what works best for you.
3. Clip & Sort your coupons.
Start with clipping only those items that you already use. You can add a few things that you'd buy if they were cheaper, or would like to try. Sort coupons by category, using the categories in your organizer. You can also make up your own categories if there are a lot of certain items that you usually buy. For example, Instead of just a "snack" category, I added a "salty snack" tab (chips, crackers, etc.), "sweet snacks" (cookies, fruit snacks) and "candy" category.
4. Add your coupons to your organizer.
I've organized my organizer so that the categories are in order of the store layout. When I first walk into the store, I am in the produce section, so that is my first coupon category. Next is meat, then dairy, then breads, etc.
Within each coupon category or tab, I also sort the coupons by order of expiration date! This has been the key to helping me continue to clip coupons and save as it takes less time to keep it all updated. Initially the set up will take a little more time, but maintenance of your coupons is reduced.
5. Go shopping!
I usually tuck my grocery list inside the coupon organizer so I don't lose it. At the store, I prop up my organizer against the child seat flap (standing upright so that the leg holes are covered) with my purse underneath. This helps it so the organizer won't fall out and raises it up farther to see better.
When I come to a part of the grocery store, I look for coupons that I can use. Generally, the items that are already on my grocery list or what's on sale at the store. I feel very frugal when I can use a store sale or coupon along with a manufacturer coupon. When I find a coupon that I can use that day, I put it in the front of my coupon organizer under the tab of "use today." I also added a tab in the back for "file" because sometimes I pull out coupons and decide I don't need to use them. That way I just shove them under that tab and keep going.
At the checkout counter, I hand the coupons to the cashier. Trial and error has taught me not to lay the coupons on the conveyer belt. Same goes for on one of the food items on the belt, sometimes they get blown around or the cashier doesn't see them.
6. Maintain your coupons.
Repeat the steps above. When you put in a new batch of coupons or right before you go shopping, take out the expired coupons. This is when sorting them in order of expiration date really comes in handy! Add in your new coupons and go shopping again.
This may sound like a long process and a lot of work and it can be. But after you've done it a few times, it'll become second nature. You can clip and sort coupons while watching TV or on the phone, or whatever every day activities you have that you can multi-task in. Start small and just remember that the savings will become larger the more you do it.
Do you have any coupon tips to share? Please leave your tips, suggestions, stories or even coupon angst!
Good luck and happy clipping & saving!
