I received so many questions in the "Follow Me Monday" coupon organization post, that I felt it would be best to gather up some of the questions and answer them all at once.
Q&A
1. Where did you get your purse & what is the price approximately?
I actually found my purse at Target on clearance for just $13! Of course the purse may not be available anymore since I purchased it a few months ago. However, I did notice that Target has other similar purses available, so you may still want to look and see what you can find. Another great place to snag inexpensive purses--T.J. Maxx and Marshall's!
2. Do you clip ALL coupons and bring ALL to the store - or do you just clip what you know you will use? ... and another reader asked: Do you clip every coupon in hopes of a great deal or do you clip only the things you know you'll use?
To answer both questions-- NO, I do not clip all the coupons and I honestly don't recommend doing so. When I first started couponing, I got so excited about savings and was trying to clip every single coupon. Well, shortly after I got way too overwhelmed and realized that clipping all the coupon was just not worth my time. Lots of the coupons were just sitting in my binder not getting used and well, what's the point of that?
When clipping my coupons I ask myself 2 questions: Does my family use this products? If I can get this product FREE would I be able to use it or Donate it? If I answer no to both questions, I do NOT clip the coupon.
3. Ok so dumb question maybe, but do you post the dates related to the q and do you put that on the pages, so you know where they came from? I am trying the write the date on the front but that is hard to track I am finding. Just wondering how to put all the info together... and another reader asked: Do you date you coupons or have some sort of list???
First, there is NO dumb question!:) Second, I do not write the dates related to the coupons. Since I clip all the coupons I'm going to use, I found you just don't need to do this. For example, when I'm getting my coupons ready to shop at Walgreens, I don't need to look at what insert the coupon was found in. Instead, I just flip to the category in my binder that the coupon would be found in. It's a very simple and quick process.
4. How do you stay on top of expiration dates in the binder? Or do you not care? I'd like to file them by specific product in a binder, but what if a coupon is about to expire?
When I put the coupons in my baseball card inserts I always make sure the expiration date is showing. That way it's visually easy to see when a coupon is expired. Plus, every Sunday (while watching TV) I flip through each page of my binder and take out the expired coupons. It honestly doesn't take me more than 15 minutes.
5. Do you pay full price on clothes and stuff for your house?... and another reader asked: Where do you shop? I love your sweater and purse!!
I NEVER pay full price for anything!:) I absolutely LOVE Marshall's, T.J Maxx, Ross and thrift stores. Also, if there are ever any great mall store coupons, I will use those! It's amazing what kind of deals you can score on clothes and shoes when you give yourself a little time to browse around!
Stay tuned for a "Follow Me Monday" dressing yourself for less video in the next coming weeks!
6. Does each coupon get its own little pocket?
No--explanation: each "Like" product coupon goes in the same pocket. For example, if I have 5 of the same Yoplait yogurt coupons they'll each go in the same pocket together. Also, if I have 5 Yoplait coupons that expire sooner and 5 that expire later, I'll still put them in the same pocket. I will just put the ones that are going to expire later behind the ones that are going to expire first.
7. Collin, I'm also a military wife and have a question for you about military coupons. Do you keep yours separate, in another binder, or just in another section? I don't like to combine them with "civilian" coupons as that can get confusing. There are enough to make a small binder but didn't know if it's worth it. Any suggestions?
I do separate Military coupons and any other store coupons (like Target and CVS). I don't make a separate binder, but I do have envelopes for each set of store coupons. In my opinion, this makes it much easier and less time to consuming to organize those.
31 comments:
WOW! Great questions and very helpful answers! Thanks so much for all you do! I've really enjoyed your videos so far! :)
I LOVE IT!
Thanks for explaining the use of the Baseball Card protectors. I once tried to find the old photo album pocket type protectors but could not find what I was looking for. Also my local Walmart had the Ultra Pro Baseball Card protectors as you had shown on your video clip at a discontinued price of only $2/pkg of 35 pages. Got three! Will share or use on other restaurant and clothing retail coupon sorting.
You are just wonderful! Im greatful to you and yours tips!
I love Mondays! I use a large tote bag instead of a purse, but it gives me enough room to also store my reusable grocery bags - So I always have them with me.
thanks for answers all the questions. =)
i still dont get something...you often refer to coupons as the xxx coupon from the x/xx rp etc. how is it that you are able to keep track of which insert the coupons came from if you have them clipped?
You are so inspiring! I am a very organized person and you just motivate me more in saving money!! I LOVE your blog! I have been sharing with all my friends! Thanks so much!!!
Kari
Springfield, MO
I find a lot of good new with tag clothing at my local Goodwill store, I buy there and resale on ebay...thanks for all the great tips
To Anon: There are many different websites that list all of the coupons and when they came out. My favorite is Hot Coupon World. You can search for the brand and product and see what coupons are available.
Also to Anon: Coupontom.com is also a great site to locate where a coupon came from. You just type in the name of a coupon you want to find, and it gives you a list of where it can be found.
You are awesome, Thank you so much for sharing all your tips!
I'm not sure which branch you're a Military wife for, but I'll leave my mark by saying, Hooah!
I think I organize my coupons exactly how you do- down to the way you have them arranged in the baseball card holders, to the way you separate store coupons in envelopes. Cool!
This is off-topic..sorry about that.. But I just received a welcome kit from Cooking Club of America and when I read the reviews, people say it is a scam. I want to call them up and cancel. Any suggestions??
I like the Joker question marks. Intentional?
Anon...
I have found that if the coupons are sorted by category, then their source and date of inception is really not relevant. As long as the coupon is not expired, you should be able to find it quickly. I think that information is given more as a guide to how long the coupon has been out.
This was great!!! You answered all questions. I did notice that you have 7 jeans on. I wear those too because they are the only that fit, but I find them used so I pay less than half. :)
Thanks for answering. Hope I can find a cute purse like yours!
THANKS for answering my military coupon question, I think I'm going to do a little reorganization now. Your time is greatly appreciated. HOOAH!!!
oh, if I knew you were doing a Q&A I would have posted a question...so here is my question for maybe your next Q&A -- how many newspapers do you get and which ones do you get? Do you find you use more online coupons vs newspaper coupons? Can a person still get great savings with just one newspaper and using online coupons or is it really not worth my effort if I don't go all the way - I read somewhere that I should have the same number of newspaper subscriptions to the number of people in my family. What is your advice?
Do any of you carry a big binder in your bag when you go to the store or do you just put your coupons in an envelope?
I had asked a question about the purple accordian file, just wondering where you got that from because mine only has 6 slots and I could really use a bigger one. THANKS!
Target has the H2S Red Tote for $29.99:O( I was hoping to score on an unmarked clearance price but no go!
The envelope sized accordians can be found @ office supply stores and even Target and Walmart. I bought a small letter size one from Target a few years back that is expandable with (12) tabs and a front section with hard plastic. I also have a business letter sized non-expandable that has (12) tabs. Keep checking the stationary section of stores you shop... hopefully you will find the one your looking for.
so thanks to you i switched to a binder instead of a accordian holder! this is gonna be alot more helpful!
I wanted to ask a question too! How do you fit the printed coupons? And where do you put your store type coupons (like $5 off $50).
I love your videos! Thanks again for sharing your couponing wisdom! About a month ago, I switched to the binder and love it! I prefer to cut most of mine, but do keep some full size page protectors to keep the uncut ones in the correct catagories - it does save a bit of time. Also I saw several purses similar to yours at KMART, but they are about $30. in my region.
I got my accordian file for pretty cheap at Dollar General and it has 12 slots.
Jen Cook - I think you can still get good savings going on-line and one paper, I only have two in my family no kids and I get one paper not two. However if there is a large insert week 4 or 5 inserts I will go and purchase an extra paper or two depending on what the preview is looking like. Also I do subscribe to ALL YOU magazine which has tons of coupons as well and I think I'm good with that.
To a couple others, depends on my mood, how many stores I'm going to and what store it is if I bring my binder in. If I am at a Super Kroger that doubles coupons up to a $1.00 I usually bring my binder because that opens up more possibilities or if I'm going to Target and plan to spend time in the trial aisle. But if I'm hitting five stores that day and don't want to be bothered and just going in and out then I may not bring my binder in.
I ACTUALLY CLIP ALL MY COUPONS. THE EXTRAS I DON'T USE I USE BY GOING TO ECOUPONS.COM YOU CAN TRADE 25 COUPONS FOR 25 COUPONS OF YOUR CHOICE. AND IT ONLY COST $.88 CENTS FOR THE 2 STAMPS. I MOSTLY CHOOSE COUPONS I CAN GET FREE ITEMS WITH. CHECK IT OUT
AMANDA MI
I do the same Amanda, although I am still perfecting the art. I still through away too many coupons but I'm sure after a while I'll get the balance down.
Amanda thanks for the tip about ecoupons.com. I had never thought of that.
Anonymous... PRINTED COUPONS...
I used the same meathod as Collin, lining up the coupons on mulitple pages and cutting them out. Then just correlate them and when placing them in the inserts, just fold them almost in half so they are easier to fish out. You can check the expiration date this way by flipping the page. I place the oldest on the outside so they are used first as the newer prints have later expiration dates.
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