Save Money with a Grocery Coupon Organizer

Saving money with coupons is a breeze and can make meal planning a snap. Here's what you should know about how to organize coupons effectively to maximize saving money with coupons:

  • Obtain a photo album style binder to use as an organizer
  • Clip coupons selectively
  • Combine offers for the best deals
  • Plan meals around the best weekly deals
  • Use coupons before they expire, and weed out expired and unnecessary coupons from your organizer

Coupons can undoubtedly save you money, and many women find that once they start clipping coupons, scouting out the best deals can become quite a thrill. Unfortunately, many women soon learn that one of the challenges of using and saving money with coupons is keeping them organized. Without proper planning and organization, coupons can quickly get out of control. They can't save you money unless you know how to organize coupons effectively.

First, obtain a grocery coupon organizer. For most people, it makes sense to organize coupons by expiration date, with those that will be expiring soonest located toward the front of the organizer. This will keep the coupons that need to be used right away front and center so you won't forget them.

Next, you'll want to decide which coupons to keep. Even if you know how to organize coupons, you shouldn't make more work for yourself by clipping coupons that you won't use, and that will only clutter up your grocery coupon organizer. Before you clip, ask yourself if the item is something you will truly use. Next, if the coupon is for an item that you'd use, but for a different brand, clip it anyway if it's for $1 or more. These kinds of offers can typically be used in conjunction with sale prices to get a great deal on brand name items; you'll often find them for grooming and personal care products. Finally, clip coupons for items that are typically inexpensive and frequently on sale. Breakfast cereals and other staple foods are common items in this category.

So, where will you get new coupons to stock your grocery coupon organizer? Fortunately, there is no shortage of ways to saving money with coupons. The Sunday paper is an ever popular source of coupons, and coupon clipping can easily be made a part of your Sunday morning or evening routine. In fact, if you find great coupons on a particular Sunday, consider visiting your local coffee house or convenience store early Monday morning to ask if you can pilfer any left over newspapers from the previous day to clip more of any great coupons you found.

In addition to newspapers, you can go online to manufacturer and retailer websites, as well as sites specifically dedicated to providing coupons. Ad circulars are another great coupon source, as well as checkout coupons. You can even use a coupon broker. Simply do a Google search, and you'll find services that are willing to clip and mail you coupons for a small fee that covers the time and expense of locating the coupon. This is a good idea when you find a particularly great coupon and you'd like to stock up on that item.

Now that you know how to organize coupons set up your grocery coupon organizer, dedicate some time to weekly meal planning and grocery list creation. Scour ad circulars and any coupons already in your organizer, and plan meals around the best deals available that week. When reviewing store ad circulars, try to match up sale deals that can be combined with manufacturer and store coupons. Some stores will even accept competitor coupons. This can mean that you get an item at a rock bottom price, or even for free in some cases.

Periodically go through your grocery coupon organizer and get rid of expired coupons. The trick to staying organized is to make sure you actually use the coupons you have, so you don't have old or not-very-useful coupons cluttering up your organizer. Keeping your coupons in good order will make it easy to plan meals for your family, stock up on important staples, and save money in the process.


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