Now that you have decided to take the couponing plunge, you are going to need a few things to get you started.
1. You will need a way to organize your coupons. Honestly, with the amount of coupons you will be clipping, those old "coupon organizers" are not going to cut it. There are really 2 ways you can organize. You can use a binder or a box. Either way you choose, you will then want to organize it. (I will go further into detail at the end of this post on this)
2. You will need a GOOD pair of scissors. Believe me (from experience) there is nothing worse than trying to clip through 30 seperate piles, each one 5-7 pages deep with a 1st graders safety scissors. It's enough to give you carpal tunnel. If you are a scrapbooker and have some type of paper trimmer, that will work too.
3. A source of coupons. There are several different ways to get coupons. You can print them from online, get them from your Sunday paper, printed out at the register with your reciept, from the packaging, and on and on. The key to saving money is having a plethora of coupons to choose from!
How to organize your coupons is a personal preference, and I'm sure there are more ways than the few I'm about to go through. I personally like these the best, so these are the ones I am sharing.
Binder:
--Things you will need:
Large 3 prong binder (3 inches or more)
Sheet protectors
Baseball card sheet protectors
a few envelopes
To start your binder you will need to decide by what category you are going to organize. You can organize by date (which I don't personally recommend, but you can) or you can organize by category. That's what I do. Whether you choose to organize by date or category, you will start by seperating each page of your coupon insert. If you have more than 1 insert (which you should) you will stack like pages on top of each other. First, we will talk about organizing by date.
If you choose to organize by date you will take your like pages, and staple them together. Then with a sharpie or some other bold pen or marker write the date that you clipped them on the page. Do not clip the coupon, keep the entire page. You will then simply put that stack of pages into a sheet protector and into your binder. This takes MUCH less time when you are couponing on Sundays, but much more time when you are at the store searching for that coupon you just know you had. But if you make a very detailed list before you go to the store and aren't an impulsive shopper listing by date can work for you.
If you choose to organize by category, you will need to get your binder in order before you start clipping. I recommend using http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com/ 's template. This template will give you a table of contents with all of the categories you will need. Once you have printed this off, you will put the full sheets of paper from the template into sheet protectors (also, if you have a paper punch that will make tabs, use it. It's much easier to create a file type system in your binder than have to look for category 32 without any help from outside sources) You will then put a few baseball card protector pages in for each category. Next you will clip your like stacks of coupons and put them in the baseball card slots. I like to organize mine by expiration date so that I can easily see what I might need to use soon.
If you choose to organize by box, you will need:
A hinged index card organizer box (the big one)
Numbered or lettered tab insert dividers for box
Lots of paperclips
You will create a table of contest (you can use the one on the template given above, but you will have to retype it smaller so it will fit on/in your index card organizer). You will clip each coupon by stack, similar to organizing by binder category. You will then paperclip off each set of coupons and drop that stack behind the corresponding divider. You will want to glue/tape your table of contents on the front or put it somewhere you can easily see it. The pro to the index card organizer is that it is small. You can throw it in your purse or whatever. The con is that you can not easily see all of the coupons at your disposal.
However you choose to organize, I like to also keep a few envelopes in mine so that I can take the coupons I plan to use out and have them ready. I then organize that by store (so I will have an envelope for coupons I'm using at Walmart that day, Walgreens, so on...) Whichever way you choose, I recommend also printing and keeping a copy of each stores coupon policy in your book. It's a nice thing to have if you get a snotty cashier, or if you personally are wondering how many coupons you can double, etc...Most customer service desks have the policy for you. Also, write your name and address in your book. Checking out with a bazillion coupons is a little nerve wracking and if you should forget the binder you have put so much work into at the store, at least the person who finds it would be able to call you. I think I have touched on everything you need to get started, so start thinking on which organizer works best for you and I will talk to you tomorrow :)
Next up...Mommy and Daddy, where do coupons come from?
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