This Is How We Do It

Warning: This may be the longest post to date. So put on your best "fake excited" face for me and read on...you will get through it...I think?

I must note that if a post title can be named in any way shape or form out of a rocking 80's or 90's jam it will and must be done people. It is almost out of my control. The dork gods force me to do it.;)Moving on...

The "this is how we do it" title should probably be named "this is how I do it", but then I wouldn't have been able to reference the Montelle Jordan-mid-ninety's classic (and yes I did have to look up who sang it...your welcome for me doing the hard work for you.) ;) Let's remove our mind's from the gutter, this post has absolutely nothing to do with the bedroom and everything to do with conquering this mess:

 my coupon clutter...a hot mess! On my birthday I had mentioned my hubby got me a special gadget to help me with this mess. I am a devoted follower of Younghouselove (and if you don't follow them...DO IT NOW!) their blog is a whole lot of amazing! While reading their blog Sherry (look at me acting like we are bff...no I don't know her, but I am kinda of a groupie) had posted about a binder she uses to store her coupons, which she bought at Target. I immediately squealed in delight. I had a full on Oprah AHA moment, well maybe not that big...but almost. It's the little things that excite me. I HAD to have this, it far surpassed the want category into a full on NEED. For those who don't know me, I LOVE COUPONS. Yep, I am that lady you hate that holds up the check out line while the cashier scans all 595 of my coupons. Ever since becoming a one income family (as discussed here), I have fallen in love with the world of coupons as a way of making our teeny tiny  budget work. After forwarding the post of the binder thingy to my hubby and telling him how much I needed to have it, he stopped on his way home and bought it for me, it was my birthday so I helped him out a little in the gift department.

   

    Now before I get to the binder thingy ( I'm so technical), I will show you how I go about my couponing. I am no extreme couponer...but I am working on it. This is my highest savings to date...and yes I took a picture!

These are the steps I take:

1. I make my list. I am not the couponer that buys cartloads of butterfingers.(Though at times I would like to!) I try my best to feed our family as organically as possible. (Just a preference, not a necessity.) I do my shopping every 1-2 weeks, so I make my list based on items we use a lot and are out of and items that are on sale (after consulting the local weekly adds). My theory is this: You don't have to buy an item just because you have a coupon for it. (Unless it is an INSANE deal and something you would use.) Shop for things you normally use. There are coupons out there it just takes a little digging. 
2. Consult my coupon stack. I am very lucky that my Grams gives me the coupons from her paper each week. I save on not buying a paper that way. Each time she gives me a new weeks worth I am like a kid at Christmas (I told you it's the little things). I match up my list I have compiled with the coupons I have clipped. I then write beside the item on the list what coupon(s) I have for it. I also keep my coupons I get through the mail, off the products i have bought, or through email clubs in this stack. 
3. Check my online couponing sites. I am a huge follower of krazycouponlady simply because their coupon database takes some of the work out of my online search process. They link in ALL coupons there. So I scroll the list to further match up my items with a coupon. 
4. Check the store sites. Unfortunately, I live in a state that does not have a grocery store that price matches coupons...super sad face :(. Thank god for Target! Target allows one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon per item. This is what allows me to score big. I look through Target's website for coupons to see what they have available to further match to items on my list (and hopefully double on some of the previous coupons I have found.) If they have really good coupon deals I print off a bunch to keep in my stack for use next time. 
5. Check the product site. Usually, at this point, a majority of my list is filled in with coupons. For the few items that are left I go to the product website for the item itself.(Example: Diapers,if you use Pampers go to the pampers website to see if they have coupon offers.) This method is great for hard-to-find,rare coupons, like my chicken coupons. Also, kick your brand loyalty to the curb. In the world of coupons the brand you use may not always be the cheapest at a certain time, fight your urges, use your coupons to get a better deal on a different brand.

                             My list ends up looking something like this: (click to enlarge)

This binder thingy is AHHMAZING. Previously, I would sort my coupons by type: baby, groceries, household etc. then put them in separate envelopes and write on the envelope all the coupons that it contained. This was a messy process, but it worked. I still made my list the same way, but I found it very hard to stay organized in the store. This beauty kicks all those woes to the curb:

(My "don't forget Re-usable bags" note is another way I save...most of the stores I shop at give money back (5-10 cents per bag)..it all adds up in the end) 

This binder allows me to keep my list and my coupons all in one place and I must say she looks good doing it!  I suddenly feel more fashionable when couponing. You would think I bought a new outfit, but no, this beauty makes couponing look good. Inside it has a notepad (where I compile my lists) that is removable (to allow for replacement if needed) and an accordion file where I can store all my coupons.(disregard my awesome manicure...I am a mom...and it shows)

I have yet to label each file. I am going to give it a few shopping trips before I decide the layout and what works best for me. I do keep the very top file completely empty. As I shop and pick up and item, I place the coupon I am going to use in the top empty file, this way when I am completely done shopping I have all the coupons I am using/need in one place and I am not shuffling through everything at the last minute, holding up the check out line even more. It also makes my hubby happy...he used to have the title of glorified coupon holder and as I used a coupon he would hold it until check out time. He hated this I am sure, but what we do for love right? 

And there you have it. Coupon Clutter-0 Me and My Binder Thingy-1.

I am sure I left a million things out. I will update if I think of any, but this is the gist of it anyway. Let me know if I can help make your couponing more successful and I am always up for suggestions on beefing up my P.O.A. 

**The notebook thing was purchased at Target...I couldn't find it online, but they had them in the store.