by Gena Sego

So, did you try doing some coupon shopping since our last post about couponing? If so, then you may be trying to figure out the best method for obtaining and organizing coupons.

I get my coupons from two main sources, the Sunday Newspaper and online coupon sites. I am a subscriber to our local newspaper now, but when I first started I would actually drive to our local gas station (Circle K) and pick up their double paper so that I could get double the coupons. On weekends when the coupons are really good, I still go and get this double deal, so that I will have 3 sets of coupons.

 

 

Why have so many of the same coupons you may ask? Because, part of the secret to trimming your grocery budget is to buy when items are cheap or free and stock up. I am not talking about converting your guest bedroom into a mini grocery mart; I am simply talking about buying 3-4 deodorants at a time when you can get them for .99 and then having them available when your family needs them.

 

Online coupons are another great source and I only print the ones I need, when I need them. Some of the best online coupon sites are www.coupons.com, www.smartsource.com & www.redplum.com. All of the coupon blogs can help you know when and where to print the best coupon deals. (Keep reading to find out what I mean!)

 

How about organizing those coupons? I used to spend a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon clipping and putting my coupons in a binder. However, even though I liked the look of the binder method, the amount of time it took to organize was wearing me out. Now I use a filing & box method combo.

Let me briefly explain first, the filing method. I have box file with latching lid that I have organized with hanging file folders with labels for my coupon sources. You can see in my filing box I have labels for All You (magazine), P & G, Red Plum & Smart Source. These are the names of the different places your Sunday morning coupons come from. Then within each hanging file I have folders numbered 1-5 which corresponds to the week of the month (accounting for those once and a while months when there are 5 Sundays in a month).

coupon filing system

When I get my paper on Sunday morning I simply pull out my coupons, write the date on it and file it away under the correct source and corresponding week of the month.

coupon flyer labeled with the date

file each dated flyer by week

Then when I am looking for ways to save money on one of my favorite blogs, I only go and clip the coupons I need based on where the blog tells me to find it. For instance, here is a sample of what my blog taught me this week:

This week you can get Stayfree Pads for FREE at Walgreens and CVS!! They are on sale at Walgreens for $1.99 and CVS for $2. Use the $2/1 Stayfree Product from the 8/26 SS. (source Couponcloset.net)

Do you see the 8/26 SS? That means that you can find the $2 off coupon in the 8/26/12 Smart Source (SS) coupon insert. So when I wanted to snag this deal, I went to my filing box and found my 8/26 insert and clipped my coupon. This method allows you to only clip what you need, when you need it. Now instead of taking hours to clip and sort, it only takes a few minutes. (Hooray!)

I also use a shoebox method as well. Sometimes you have coupons that you clip and end up not using or when you clean out your filing box you will have some coupons to clip that aren’t expired yet. So I file those clipped coupons in my plastic shoebox. These coupons are categorized based on what kind of item they are. As you can see I have labeled envelopes with sticky tab dividers to show me each category. It might be best for you to head on over to www.couponcloset.net and see how Carrie uses the shoebox method. She has a great little video here that shows you how it works: http://www.couponcloset.net/2011/08/10/my-coupon-closet-my-preferred-way-to-organize/

file miscellaneous coupons by item

 

Well, I think that is enough for today. I don’t want you to get overwhelmed with couponing, because it truly is a great way to stretch the family budget and be a wise steward of your finances.

“She sees that her trading is profitable…” Proverbs 31:18a

Feel free to ask questions here or share your tips on how you organize your coupons!

Read the next post in this series here.

 

{Gena Sego lives in Edmond, OK. She has been married to the love of her life, Bart, for 18 years. They have two teenage daughters. Besides being a Keeper of her home full time, she also works part time for a management-consulting firm as an executive assistant. A former Keepers team member, Gena teaches the Household Management Skill Session in the newly updated Keeper DVDs and facilitates Called to be a Keeper Bible studies in her local church.}

 

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