I’m pleased to announce that Dana is the commentor of the week! She left a comment on the announcement about including more coupon insert information in posts with a great idea:
My thoughts on the coupons – I cut out all of the coupons that I am sure I will use, a lot that I think I will use. Then I file the flier in case the blogs (mostly yours) alert me to a smokin deal on something that I normally would not buy, but will use. That way I still have the coupon, but do not waste a lot of time cutting coupons that I most likely will not use. Thanks for all your hard work, I have cut my grocery bill from $250+/week to about $185.
I have been thinking about doing this exact same thing! I really find that clipping and filing my coupons by category is the only way for me to do it, but there are times that I buy multiple inserts and know that I probably won’t use four coupons for a certain brand of hair care, but want to keep it around, just in case.
So, I think I’m going to start doing exactly what Dana suggested – I’m going to clip the coupons I think I might use (which is still going to be the majority of them), and then file the rest of the inserts by date, so I still have access to all the coupons but don’t have to fill up my coupon box with them.
Thanks for the great tip, Dana! To thank you for your contribution, I’m going to send you an extra copy of this week’s coupon inserts. Hope there’s a bunch of ones you need this week! :)
Totally gonna do that!! Great tip!!
That is a GREAT tip! Thanks for sharing.
I’m still figuring out my system, but with 4 sets of inserts each week cutting was backing up. I’m currently trying out cutting just what I know I will use and filing the rest by date in a file box with hanging folders so I can clip as things go on sale etc. I put all 4 of each page together for each insert, then put them back in one cover and write the date on the front.
LOVE this tip and I’m so glad you picked her as the commentor of the week because she deserves it for the hours upon hours she just saved many of us. I never thought of that system and I will be implementing it this week as I am behind of clipping. This will make catching up MUCH less daunting! Thanks Dana and Carrie!
I was just clipping my coupons for the last two weeks and there were several that I thought, I won’t use this unless there is a really great deal, but I better clip it just in case. Now, I know what I will do instead. Thanks!
I do it the exact same way as Dana. I clip the ones I will definitely use and the ones I will use if a good deal comes around, then file the flier just in case that smokin deal Dana speaks of comes along.
I do it like dana too. I write the date of the flier on it with a sharpie and stick it in my coupons folder. Then, my notebook of coupons that I’ve cut out isn’t so “congested” and I can find those “spur of the moment” coupons. Saves me a bunch of time!
I clip the ones I know I will use, plus any I am likely to use, PLUS coupons for anything fesh (milk, yogurt, meat) that I might find marked down. Then I file the inserts by date.
As soon as my children were able to cut accurately (around 7 or 8), I delegated Sunday afternoon for coupon cutting before they could read the Comics. They cut out everything! I then take those piles and file them in my coupon box. For things I never buy (denture cream, dog food, soy products, etc.) I give to friends who may want them. Once in awhile I get behind, but I find looking through a pile is easier than flipping through entire booklets. My husband helps out by going through & eliminating expired coupons, or pulling soon to expire if we’re planning a shopping trip that day. My coupon box is arranged by aisle of my most frequently shopped grocery store. Even if I find a deal at a local drug store, I mentally know what “aisle” to find it in the grocery store.
There hasn’t been a comment here in awhile, but I thought I would share how I cut coupons efficiently :)
I buy 4 Denver posts every Sunday and instead of cutting each coupon individually, I lay out each insert and open them up to the middle. Then I take a sheet from each insert and put them together (lined up carefully), staple the coupons (on the picture of the item) and them cut them out. That way all my like coupons are together and easy to find and it doesn’t take ALL day to cut.
I currently have a soft zip up binder for health/beauty/cleaning items where I stick my coupons in clear baseball card sheets and then I have a hard ring binder (temp until I find something better, I outgrew the accordian style file) for my grocery with the baseball card sheets. It’s really easy to find coupons that way but I’m thinking of moving to the box method with categories and sub categories, seems easier to handle in the store, rather than tote around a bulky binder!
Oh myyyy, I just found this site and now you’ve all got me thinking or should I say, rethinking! lol I recently started couponing and I just spent the last month organizing and filling up my binder with coupons, but now I’m confused….would your coupon box method be easier? I don’t know! I do like how easy it is to flip through the pages of my binder and find coupons quickly as I go down each aisle, but it seems like a box would sit in the cart better. The only thing that worries me is that it seems like it would take more time to pull out each folder of coupons and have to look through stacks of coupons as I’m shopping. I wish I would have tried this method first before I spent so much time on my binder! :) Anyway, I’m glad I found your site and I do plan on revisiting.
Debra, I think it just depends on what works for you. *I* think the coupon box is easier than trying to get the coupons in a binder (and keep them from falling out), but I know lots of people like the binder, too! I would definitely use a binder with photo inserts before I would file by insert, but again, that’s me personally. ;)
Ok, here is what I do. I have 2 binders 1 zipper for organizing by grocery aisle, and 1 soft sided cooler for all inserts, and use a combination of everything. I put all like pages together and file in a soft sided cooler by insert date. When I clip a coupon for a match up, I check all coupons on that page and if it is something I use,want to find a deal for, or is expiring in 30 days I clip and put in my zippered binder that always goes with me. I print a insert database weekly that goes in my binder so that I can find the insert in my “cooler” Also, I keep a marker in my cooler of what insert I checked last and clip the expiring in 30 days, or coupons I want and move them to my binder, when I have extra time. I can find any coupon in the store rather quickly. Also when moving a coupon to my binder, I try to replace an expired coupon with the new coupon, so that it is cleaned out automatically.