The Coupon Process

When you get your coupon organizer up and running, it's time to start filling it with coupons! I have recently put myself on a "coupon routine". I get my coupons on Sunday from the paper. On Monday evening when the kids are in bed I clip my coupons. (a word to those who have children, it's not usually very productive to clip coupons when children are within reach. At least my children have come to love coupons and love to "help" and I end up with very disorganized coupons when they are present!)

If I have time, as I clip them, I sort them into piles, trying to keep in mind my categories and subcategories. I then put them all away in their assigned envelopes. I used to do this on Sundays while my husband watched the football game (can you tell what a football fan I am?!) Now that he doesn't really watch it, I either do it while I watch a movie or as we're talking or during some quiet evening time! (Or when the girls are napping). If I don't have time to sort them, I stick them all in a pile and throw them in my coupon drawer. Yes, I have a drawer in my kitchen devoted to coupons! This is where my coupons go until they are filed, my store fliers are stored, and any thing else that is "coupony".

I also keep a pen in my coupon organizer and an envelope titled "Shaws" and one titled "CVS"...which you'll see why in an upcoming post.

Now, a very important note...when you clip coupons, clip EVERY coupon! Just because you don't use a certain brand, do not leave it unclipped (unless of course you would never consider getting it, even if you could get it free or get paid to "buy" it.) The only coupons I don't clip are for medications I don't use or for animal products, since we don't have animals. Otherwise, even if we've never bought it, I clip it, because there have been several times I've gotten something free or been paid to get it because I had the coupon!

As for Internet coupons, rather than waste paper and ink, I don't print them unless 1)I'm afraid the limit of how many the company will allow to be printed will be met or 2)I know I'm going to use it soon. Otherwise, I look through them and keep in mind which coupons are there. Then when I look through the fliers and see something on sale that I can get a good buy with one of the Internet coupons, I print it off.