How I Use Coupons

Coupons are the easiest way to save money on groceries, household items, health and beauty items, and more. I am a little crazy about my coupons. I look forward to Sunday afternoon, when I sit down with my paper and go through all the new coupons.

How I Organize My Coupons:
(I am still working on my organizational method, but this is how I do it right now)

I have my coupons in a coupon organizer (like this one). I have them organized into broken down categories (like instead of "Household Items" - I break it down further into "Paper Goods", "Cleaning Supplies", "Laundry" etc). This makes it easier to find a coupon when I need it. The order I have the categories in my organizer, matches the path I take through the store.

Within the categories, keep the coupons in order by expiration date, with the soonest dates in the front. When I make my list, I take out any coupons that are going to expire that week before I shop again, so I can use the coupon, if I want to, before it expires. (I did just find out that Cub takes expired coupons for up to 3 months past their expiration date, so I might stop throwing them away, and save them to use there!)

I have a second, smaller coupon organizer that I keep in my bag at all times. I have a section for each store shop weekly, and put the coupons I will be using at that store that week. I also keep restaurant coupons, my Menards rebates, hair cut coupons, etc, in this binder so that they are always with me when we are out and about.

How are my tips for coupons:

1. Use coupons to save on top of sale price - I try to save my coupons, and use them when the item goes on sale to save the most money possible on that item.

2. Compare sizes to save the most money - Normally when you buy an item, the bigger the item, the better "deal" it is. Meaning you pay less per unit (ounce, pound, etc). When you use a coupon, sometimes it makes more sense to buy a smaller size. So do the math and find the best deal.

3. Use the Internet for finding coupons - sites like coupons.com, smartsource.com, red plum.com, target.com, plus many others, let you print coupons right from their site. Follow deal sites like moneysavingmom.com (my favorite site for saving money!), that posts about deals and coupons that are available. I have saved so much with deals I found out about through these sites, that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

4. Sign up for emails from your favorite brands - They often send coupons.

5. Stack coupons - Many stores, including Target, Walgreens, and pretty much every grocery store I know about, allows you to use a manufacture coupon and a store coupon on the same item. So you can save twice on an item this way. (Wait for the item to go on sale, and then stack your coupons, to save even more! I get many items free, or nearly free, by doing this). When I come across 2 coupons I can use together, I sometimes keep these coupons together in my coupon organizer so I remember to use them together.

6. Find out if your store doubles coupons, and take advantage of this! - None of the stores I shop at do this, sadly. But if your store does, learn the policy and make it work for you.

7. Be Smart - Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the whole coupling thing, and start buying things just because you have a coupon. Ya, maybe you can get 10 boxes of something really cheap, but are you going to really eat that much before they go bad? Think about a purchase, and make sure you are going to use the item. Or there are sometimes the product is something unhealthy, or the kind of stuff I am trying to get my family away from eating. So, even though it may be really cheap or even free, I have to hold back. The point of coupons is to save money, and if something is just going to go to waste, or is something I don't want my family to eat, then it is wasting money, not saving it.

8. If you aren't going to use it, give it to someone who will - Share the savings! If your kids are out of diapers, give your diaper coupons to a friend or co-worker who can use them. Or if you don't have a pet, give pet food coupons to someone who does.

9. Give items to charity - My grocery store has coupons for free items every week. If it's not something I can use, I get it anyways and donate it. I drop it right in the food shelf donations on my way out the door. There are a lot of scenarios in which you can get items free, or nearly free. So if you can't use it, donate it to someone who can.

Have any tips for using coupons? Please comment and share!