January 2009

One thing I have learned to do over the years is to always watch when the cashier is ringing up my items – as much as possible. This is especially important when the item is on sale.

Recently, I was in a store…..we shall call it “Bulls eye.” I purchased some Peppridge Farms crackers that had a sign in front of them that said Special Promotion – $2.50. I thought that was a good deal, since my children consume mounds of these as if they are going out of style.

I was in a hurry, didn’t feel well and just wanted to get home. Well, I got jipped! They ended up ringing up at the standard price of $3.68. So, I have my receipt in hand and will take it with me when I go back in the next time. They will be able to see that this item WAS on sale the day I was there, but the computer did not properly charge me.

While I know I will get reimbursed by them, I now have to remember to do that and soon. This is a receipt I will be using for the P&G Deal I posted about here. That means, I need to remember to do this within the next couple of weeks and with extreme sleep deprivation and a raging head cold, I am lucky that I remember which way my underwear go on in the morning, let alone to remember to go to Customer Service when I head to “Bulls eye.”

Had I been paying attention like I so often do, I would have noticed it ring up at the wrong price and could have had it adjusted right there on the spot. After all, this is well over one hundred pennies…..pennies that are all mine!

I am sure you have all been working on compiling your coupon collection and reading them to know what you can and can’t use them for, right? Well, now you need to be able to keep them all organized so that you know what you have and don’t find it when you get home AFTER you have already made your purchase.

Here is where you must have at least some organization in your life. That doesn’t mean you have to alphabetize your coupons (even I don’t do that), but at least have some semblance of order. You can actually keep your coupons organized in a few ways. We’ll start small and work up the to grand daddy organizer.

SMALL AND HANDY. You can find small organizers at places such as Dollar General, the Dollar Store or even Walmart and Target. These normally have about 8 – 12 slots for you to put your coupons in.

Most of the time they do not have labels on the sections, which allows you complete customization. If you have 8 sections, great sections to start with include:

Health/Beauty
Refrigerated/Frozen
Meat/Produce
Paper Goods
Household
Pets
Snacks
Retail

Just find sections that work for your life and your couponing needs.

TRENDY BUT SIMPLE. When your small organizer begins to bust at the seams, you will need to upgrade to something bigger. I personally recommend The Couponizer (see link in my sidebar).

This is the system I have used myself. The cost is about $25.00 (which will include shipping/handling). This is an INCREDIBLE organizer. It has sections for you to put the coupons you intend to use, those you need at checkout and has ways to help you quickly sort and organize your collection of coupons. If you have a birthday coming up, saving the link for your spouse or significant other may not be a bad idea! WINK! WINK!

THE BEAST. That is what I sometimes affectionately call my binder. This is the grand daddy of coupon collecting.

The first thing I purchased was my binder. I wanted one that had a handle and strap so that it would be easier to get in and out of the store. Plus, I can put it over my shoulder and NOT leave it behind ever again (I pray).

It also has a smaller zipper where I have placed my scissors (to cut out coupons as needed) and a calculator (which I carry to find the best deal based upon package sizing).

I did spend a little more to get what I wanted and even purchased a very inexpensive warranty. Now, I normally would not recommend one, but in this case it was worth it. If anything breaks including the binder not closing shut, or the zipper or anything, within one year, I get a new one for free. As most couponers know, your binder is your bible and gets MUCH wear and tear and can easily break, so this could definitely pay off.

The other feature I liked about the binder was the outside pocket. It is removable, but also has built in file dividers. This is great to use to hold my inserts before I have a chance to cut and place them into my binder.

I then purchased plastic baseball card holders to hold the coupons and other items. I paid a little more and got some that have more weight to them. My hopes is that these will hold up longer than their cheaper, lighter weight counterparts.

I have tabs to divide my sections. I did not get the ones with insertable tabs as those can easily fall out. Rather, I paid a tad more and got some that are re-writable. However, I have a label maker, so I typed up my labels and can easily pull them off and change the section if I need to.

The sections I have in my binder include:

Baby
Bakery (I put all breads, rolls, etc here)
Baking
Canned/Boxed Items
Beverages
Condiments
Breakfast
Meat/Produce
Dairy
Refrigerated
Frozen
Household (things such as batteries, bug spray)
Laundry
Cleaning Products (anything but laundry or dishwashing)
Dishwashing
Medicine
Paper/Plastic (includes disposable dinnerware to toilet tissue)
Hair Care
Oral Care
Soap/Body Wash
Shaving/Deodorant
Beauty/Feminine Care
Snacks
Retailer (includes coupons and catalinas)

The last thing I placed in my binder was a plastic zipper pocket. I have this so that I have a place to put coupons that I may have clipped, but just didn’t have a chance to file. I can also use it to put any coupons that are about to expire so that I don’t forget to use them.

I really want to thank Krazy Coupon Lady for her great binder download. I was able to look at this to remember the categories I had and even add a few more to make it easier to find what I need in the store.

So there ya go! Hopefully this can help someone else build a binder that will make it easier for them to use coupons too!

COUPON DATABASE. One thing that I have added to help everyone who follows this site, is the insert and All You magazine database. You can access it through the sidebar or right here. This lists all of the coupons that are currently available in our region, including when they were int the paper and even the expiration date.

Hopefully you can get now get your coupons organized so as you walk into a store, you will feel empowered to start saving money. We’ll keep on learning how to use these coupons and discuss store policies coming up soon!