A few friends have inquired about my couponing method so I thought I would share it with the world. I sent an email to a couple of girls a few months ago that covered my method and was just going to post that email, however, it is nowhere to be found so I'll start from the beginning. I hope you find this helpful!
Let me begin by saying that I do not consider myself an Extreme Couponer (As Seen On TV) nor would anyone consider me a hoarder. I use what I like to call "The Working Woman's Way to Coupon". Although I am no longer working I will pretty much stick to this method as I do not want to spend all of my new found time couponing, nor do I have the space (or desire) to stockpile a bomb shelter that could feed a small country for 20 years. I am feeding a family of 5 (dogs included) and buy accordingly.
Where to get coupons and how to organize them:
I get most of my coupons from the Sunday paper. There are also websites you can go to and print coupons and I'll explain how I do that later. I don't search for coupons for every product I buy. I also pick up store coupons each time I go to the grocery store. Every grocery store does their coupons differently. I shop at Publix and they have coupon flyers throughout the month and seasonally located towards the front of the store or at the customer service counter. Go online to see how your store does coupons.
Each Sunday when the paper comes, I pull out the coupon flyers. You will generally find Red Plum, SmartSource, and Proctor and Gamble (on the 1st Sunday of the month) in your paper. Take all of the flyers out but DO NOT clip a coupon. Instead, purchase a cute 3-ring binder (about an inch or bigger), some dividers with pockets (I have 12), and one of those small accordion file things (see below for a picture; I don't know what they are called.) Put the date on the front of each flyer and slide it into one of the divider pockets.
My coupon binder with pocket dividers
My small accordion file thing. I got this in the $1 section at Target. When I see coupons in the little blinkie machines around the grocery store, I grab one or 2 (save some for fellow couponers, please) and put it in the back pocket. Jenny references the blinkie machines on the website so I know just where to look when I need 1.
There are many different ways you can organize your coupons. I like doing it this way because I don't waste time clipping coupons I'll never use, but by all means research other ways to organize coupons and do what works best for you.
Making your list and clipping coupons:
When I'm ready to make my grocery list, I get my couponing bag containing my coupon binder, my accordion file thing, scissors, and my computer. Usually I make my list on Tuesday night because the weekly Publix sales begin on Wednesdays and if you don't get there quick, all of the good stuff is gone and you have to get rain checks. (Although, I'm told that the seniors in Aiken are a bit vicious with their motorized wheelchairs on Wednesdays so I may have to switch to Thursdays in order to survive the grocery trip.)
I go to southernsavers.com and click on the Publix tab. (Every grocery store in the southeast has a tab. Choose your favorite or the one in your area.) Jenny, the girl who runs this site, lists all of the items on sale and matches them to the coupons so I don't have to go through the ad and search all of my coupons myself. She also only list items that are true deals. Oftentimes stores will list an item in their ad at the regular price and people will buy it just because it was in the ad and they think it's on sale. By using this site I don't have to wonder if I am truly getting a good deal. She also tells if you can find an item at another store that week on a better sale. The deals are the same for all stores in the southeast (Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, etc.).
So, I find the posting for the current weekly ad and start my list. I first look at the product to determine if it's something I want. I don't need cat food so I don't even need to bother looking at how much I'll save if I buy it (this also helps me not become a hoarder). If it's a product I know I'll use or I think I may like to try I look at the next line where the coupon match-ups are listed. If there is a little blue box with an "s" in it, that means it's a store coupon. If it's a little red box with an "m" in it, it's a manufacturers coupon. Next to the box you'll see the value of the coupon (ex. $.40/1 = $.40 off 1 item) and where you can find the coupon (ex. SS 6/5 = The SmartSource ad from June 5th). Use this information to determine where to find your coupon (go to the June 5th ad and look for the coupon for the product) and how much you'll save. FYI: Most stores double coupons up to a certain amount. Publix in my area doubles coupons up to $.50 so for that 1 $.40 off coupon, I'm actually getting $.80 off. When I find the coupon, I clip it and set it aside then click the little check box to the left of the listing to add it to my list that will be printed when I'm finished. I do this for each item listed. It may sound like it would take a while to go through every item in a weekly ad but it really doesn't and it's worth the time. Coupons vary by region so sometimes Jenny lists coupons I don't have or my coupons are for different values, but for the most part they match up. She also lists coupons that can be printed from other sites and gives the link so all you have to do is click the link and print. Sometimes you have to register on the site to get the coupon. I generally don't do printable coupons just because it takes more time and I do well without them but now that I have more time I may start. If you do decide to print coupons, I recommend only printing coupons you know you will use. Otherwise you waste ink and paper printing so you cost yourself more money.
When you get to the bottom of the list, click on "Print Shopping List" and a page will come up with only the items you selected with the coupon match-ups. I usually make my list on my phone because there is a little red "x" to the right of the listing that allows me to delete the item once I have put it in my cart at the store. This way I'm not fumbling with coupons, paper, and a pen while shopping. Once you have made your list and collected your coupons, put them in your accordion file thing (oh, what is that darn thing called?). You will take this with you when you go shopping. I have mine labeled with the different stores I shop at so only one store's coupons go in it's corresponding slot. That way if I'm going to 2 different stores in 1 day I don't get confused.
Notice that your entire shopping list is only from what's on sale. Buying only sale items cuts your bill tremendously and using the coupons makes it even better. This is how you get $.05 brownies or even better, get paid to take things out of the store!!! The goal is to stock up on the things you use regularly when they are on sale so you get them at the best deal. Now, this is where hoarding and stockpiling get confused. Products will go on sale again. You don't have to buy out the entire store just because brownies are $.05. I promise you won't die if you miscalculated how many boxes you needed to get you from sale to sale and run out. Also, similar products will go on sale in the meantime so you may get Juicy Juice on sale one week and Ocean Spray the next. Sales run in cycles although the cycles vary depending on the item- some 6 weeks, some 12 weeks. I usually only buy what I can get with my coupons. So if I only have a coupon for $.40 off 1 (really $.80 off) then I'll only buy 1. Or, if I don't have a coupon at all and something is BOGO free, I buy 1 and get it half off because BOGO free is really 50% off 1 item (this varies by area so you'll need to find out your stores coupon policy).
Your grocery bill may go up when you first start couponing because you'll be buying the things you absolutely need for that week and the sale things to start your stockpile. If I notice I'm getting low on something, say toilet paper or pull-ups, then I start watching all of the sales at the stores I frequent. Different stores run different sales at different times so if you miss one at one store, check another.
Using your stockpile:
When it's time to think about what we will eat for dinner, I go to the pantry and see what I have. I may have gotten spaghetti sauce 1 week, noodles the next, and salad this week so it took me a few weeks to actually get one meal, but it's ok because I have options from my other shopping trips in previous weeks. Sometimes, if it's a slow deal week and I'm only spending $25 or so on our weekly groceries (I only spend $26 on all of our groceries last week!), I'll choose a cookbook recipe and buy those ingredients also. I also plan ahead and have a few recipes in mind so I can watch the items I need and get them when they are on sale. Once you have a good stockpile, you'll have plenty of options. It just takes some time (usually about 6 weeks) to get there.
Helpful resources:
This girl did a 6-week coupon class on her blog and I highly recommend watching it. I linked the first week's lesson so you'll need to scroll through to find each subsequent week but they aren't far from each other so it won't be hard. (And you'll get to see pics from her trip to Carlos' Bakery during your search. Sounds fun, right?! No, I don't know this girl. Is that weird? Don't answer that.)
Jenny at Southern Savers does live coupon classes for $10 a class. You can look on the website for scheduled classes in your area or contact her if you have an organization that would like to hold a class. It is worth way more than $10 and you'll be amazed at all she can tell you. I happen to notice a post this week that looked like she may be giving a weekly coupon lesson online so you may want to explore the website a little and see what you can find.
In my email to my friends, I listed an actual grocery list for a week but this post is long enough as it is so I haven't done that. If you have specific questions, let me know. If you would like to see my shopping list, post your email address and I'll email it to you.
Happy saving!!!
Oh, and just to prove I'm not a hoarder...
My entire food stockpile. It all fits in my pantry with room to grow. I know it's hard to see everything but each row is organized by food: breakfast/snack, baking, dinners/cooking. I had EXTRA room in my pantry so I've stored other things in there as well. On the floor I keep paper towels, extra juice, and anything else that doesn't quite fit on the shelf with its friends. Right now I have an abundance of sugar in case a neighbor or 50 need to borrow a cup of sugar. (Or because I was stocking 2 houses for 2 months and I lost track and sugar was $.99 at Bi-lo and I had coupons and only paid $.20 for 5lb bags.)
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