My couponing method

I post pretty frequently about deals at CVS and Walgreens, and many of those deals are made better by using manufacturer’s coupons that come in the Sunday paper every week. Our friends at Money Under 30 posted about their method of couponing recently in this post. But many people think that scouring coupon inserts, cutting the coupons out, and then organizing them is a pain in the butt, and I completely agree! I used to do this and would typically only use about 10% of the coupons I cut out. It just wasn’t worth it.

However, thanks to the internet I have a new way of couponing that I think is much more efficient and still gets you most of the deals. Here’s the method:

1. Gather your coupon inserts from the paper, put them in large letter size envelopes, and file them away in a filing cabinet or storage box. How you file them is up to you. If you normally have multiple inserts, it may make sense to put the SmartSource and Redplum inserts for the week in their own envelopes. However, if you typically get just one insert, you could just put both of the inserts for the week in a single folder. The idea is that the inserts should ultimately be organized by date for easy retrieval.
2. As you are reviewing deals for the week, do a search for particular items in the coupon database at HotCouponWorld.com (requires registration). Although not foolproof, the database will typically tell you if there are any known coupons for the product and in what insert the coupon was in. It will also typically link to any printable internet coupons that are available. Make a note of which coupons are in which inserts.
3. Using the list you made in step two, pull the inserts with the coupons you want and clip just the coupon you’re looking for and put the rest of the insert back in the envelope and file it away. That way you will be able to find it the next time you need a coupon from the insert. Note that the coupon inserts do vary in different parts of the country, so just because a coupon is listed in the HCW database doesn’t mean your insert will have the same coupon.

That’s it. Doing this you will only cut out the coupons you need which saves a ton of time. There are a few drawbacks to this method that I do fully acknowledge:

1. This method requires planning of deals before you head to the store.
2. Using this method you may miss out on some deals on items that are on sale or clearance that were not advertised since you didn’t know to cut the coupons beforehand.
3. You do have to keep the inserts organized, and it is difficult to know when all of the coupons are expired and you can safely throw out an old insert.

So for better or worse, that is my couponing method. No Sundays in front of the TV with a pair of scissors. No coupon wallet or binder to bring along on each trip to the store. Just a little bit of planning, a little bit of technology (thanks again for this internet thing, Al Gore!), and a lot of savings!