I have received a lot of emails asking how I have been able to work grocery and drug store shopping to my advantage and how I use coupons.. so I thought I would share some of the tricks I use to maximize my shopping and minimize my out of pocket expenses.
I know a lot of my readers use coupons and get frustrated when their shopping bill is still more than expected. I have been in your shoes. Sometimes I STILL go to the store and get mad because I only saved 40% but I am getting better and so can you! Here’s a couple of basics to get you started.
Get more coupon inserts
There are several ways you can do this.
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You can call your local newspaper subscription line and ask about weekend or Sunday delivery and specials. Also be sure to ask if you can have multiple papers delivered and what the rate would be. My local paper (The Oregonian) will only deliver one paper at a discounted rate, but yours may do better.
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You can check with local coffee shops, salons, restaurants, etc and ask them for the Sunday inserts. A lot of times the employees work the same or similar shifts weekly so if you ask they can put them aside for you to pick up on Monday mornings. And it’s free!
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You can ask friends, family, neighbors, etc for their Sunday inserts if they don’t use them.
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Order coupons from coupon clipping services.
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You can dumpster-dive. Ok, that sounds horrible! But it’s really not that extreme. Just check out the paper recycling bin and see if there are any in there. This is something I have yet to do but I hear you can load up!
Why get more inserts? For stocking up! Or taking advantage of a great BOGO deal such as:
4pk razors =$2.99
Store Sale: BOGO ($2 each)
Apply TWO $2 off coupons (1 per item)
= FREE RAZORS!
Or deals like:
Antacid reg $6.99 on sale for 25% off =$5.25
Store Sale: Purchase $30 worth of this product and get a $10 reward to use on your next purchase
Buy 6 =$31.50
Use 6 – $5 off coupons =$30 off
Pay $1.50 and get that $10 reward!
These scenarios are two that I have recently taken advantage of!
Also make sure you know about printable coupons. Several sources are available – coupons.com, Red Plum, and Smart Source to name a few. and don’t forget to go straight to the manufacturer’s website – you will often find printable coupons there too!
Organization
So now that you have these coupons, how to organize them? There are several ways:
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Accordion Coupon File
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Filing Cabinet
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Binder (this is my method)
large zip-style with a zipper pocket in front for receipts.
File folder attached to the front – this is where I put circulars and lists. I also have a print out of the stores’ coupon policies.
inside front – pens, highlighters, scissors, store specific coupon books. The orange zipper case is where I had coupons I will use on my next shopping trip.
One coupon per sleeve!
I use clear baseball card pages and put one coupon type per sleeve. You can find baseball pages on Amazon.com and other retailers. My pages are tabbed and organized by aisle/product. I take my binder on every shopping trip!
The binder I now use is the Case-It D-145 Large Capacity Binder. As of June 15 this binder is a great price at $17.99 on Amazon! They normally go for $20 or more in retail stores. I also have 9-Pocket Pages (100) which you can get for $16.03 at Amazon (as of 6/15/11). The only other thing you may want are dividers, you can use whatever your preference. I actually just use sticky tabs to lessen the bulk but you can go with whatever is comfortable. My binder is organized this way:
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FREE Items
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Produce
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Cereal
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Beverages
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Snacks, Chips, Cookies
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Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Rice
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Other Sauces, Marinades, Seasonings
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Canned
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Salad Dressings, Salsa, Condiments
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Baking
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Paper items/garbage bags
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Storage (like ziploc) and paper plates, etc
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Pet Care
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Laundry
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Cleaning
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Dish
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Air Fresheners
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Dental Items
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Makeup, skincare
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Lotions & Soaps
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Deodorant
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Hair
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Feminine
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Shaving
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Medications, First Aid
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Diet Aids
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Baby
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Diary
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Bread
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Refridgerated breads/rolls
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Meats/Deli
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Frozen Entrees & Sides
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Frozen Treats
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Misc
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Retail/Restaurant
You are probably thinking you don’t have the time to clip, sort, and organize your coupons. You totally do – while it will start out a bit time consuming, you will find you will develop a system and each week it will be quicker.
When you decide to clip and organize is up to you. I usually will do it on Sunday evening after I put the twins to bed. That way I can spread out on the living room floor without a baby (or two!) crawling all over and taking my coupons. Sometimes I finish it all that night, sometimes I don’t.
Another thing I do is staple the EDGES of the same pages of the multiple inserts together and clip them all at once. Then I put them in a bowl or separate them out on the table (or floor) and then place them in the right sleeves.
One more bit of info – those loose coupons you get in the mail or at the register (called Catalinas or CATs) or anywhere else they may come from? I have a small basket in my kitchen that I toss those into and file them either when I file the others or when I have a quick free moment 
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, I definitely going to try this! Can't wait for part 2!
Thanks for posting. Great tips. I'm a fairly new couponer, so I read eberything I can on it and am still in awe when I read how much you save (or get back!!). I used to try and match up my coupons to the sales flyer and would leave my coupon holder at home. Then I'd get frustrated when I'd get to the store and the items I had coupons for were sold out and there were unadvertised sales on things I did have coupons for….but they were at home! So I always have ALL my coupons with me at all times…..because you never know!
Thanks for sharing! I'm gonna go out right now and buy a binder…………ok, maybe not right now, but soon