The System

As I've started to really enjoy couponing, my system has evolved, but I'll give you the most simple way I started so you can go from there to find what works for you.

1. Buy a Sunday paper.

2. Clip coupons (There are methods where you don't clip them but you just save your inserts--I might start that at some point, but for now, I like to clip them so I know what I have.)

2b. I'll cover online coupons on another post so as not to bog you down. It's something I just added to my system.

3. Organize your coupons. (Another reason I avoided this--I thought you had to get all involved and buy a fancy binder, etc. All I did was put some paper in a regular 3-ring binder and stapled my coupons right to the papers. Each paper was for a different category.)

4. Look through the ads. You can get the paper ads or look them up online. I tend to do both. Some come in the mail to me and others are in the Sunday paper.

For St. George, I tend to do Smith's, Lin's, Walgreen's and Albertson's. Look at the ads one at a time and create shopping lists for each store as you go.

6. Pull the coupons you need for each store. I have an envelope for each store. As I look through the ads I write on my list anything that is on sale that I already need, or anything that is on sale that I have a coupon for that I can stock up on at a great price.

7. Put the list and the coupons in the envelope and go shop before the week ends.

FYI:
Smith's sales are Wed to Tues
Lin's are Mon to Mon (so on Mondays you get deals from both weeks)
Albertson's are Wed to Tues
Walgreen's are Mon to Sun

Walmart has ad match so you could potentially get all your shopping done there. I haven't tried it because it's easier for me to do 2-3 short trips a week with my baby, than to do one long trip that gets everything. Also, remember I coupon for my shopping fix so I "need" to go every once in a while so I don't go wander D.I. :-)

OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE

Expiration Dates
For better or for worse, I don't get bogged down in expiration dates. I'm sure there are some coupons that I miss out on but good deals are always coming around, I decided. The coupons that are for things that are most important to you will be at the forefront of your memory most likely so you'll be aware of their expiration dates. I just organize by category and call it good. Haven't missed anything too amazing yet. :-)

What's a Good Deal?
This has been something I've researched a little just out of curiosity, and not surprisingly, those extreme couponers have LOTS of information online. But rather than worry my pretty little head with so many numbers, I decided that trial and error is the best way to learn. I figure, if I'm getting even 25 cents off and item, I'm already paying less than I would have at that store so I just go for it. Then when I get home, I usually check walmart.com's price for several things to see if I got a good deal. It's not fool-proof, but I figure if I got it for cheaper than I would have at Walmart, I did pretty good.

The more you start to pay attention, the more aware you are of what's a good deal. There are also websites like Freebies2deals.com and XOXO Frugal Momma on Facebook which tell you when a price is good for stocking up. They also have links to online print-at-home coupons so you can get the exact deal they describe. I tend to check their posts now just to see what free things I can get each week.

Free Things
Set up an online account for your Smith's card and every Friday you can download that week's free item. Then you have a couple weeks to go pick it up. Smith's also has coupons that you can load right onto your Fresh Values card right from their site. The only bummer about those is that they override any paper coupon you might have used so you have to kinda remember which coupons you loaded.

For example, I could have gotten free toothpaste the other night using a 1.00 off coupon, but I forgot I had a 75 cents off coupon on my card. It took that first so I couldn't use the other. I still only paid 25 cents for toothpaste so no big deal, but it's an example....

Check Your Receipts
Extreme couponers organize better than me, I'm sure, but so far, my system has worked pretty well. One thing I've had to learn is to not be afraid of being the "crazy coupon lady." I check my receipts every time now--sometimes there are coupons that didn't get on there (like store coupons at Walgreen's that I forgot to point out to the clerk), or sales that didn't register (Smith's Buy 5 Save 5 deals and you accidentally only bought 4), or something that was listed in the ad that didn't ring up as listed. You have to pay attention and not be afraid to point things out. I've found that they are always really helpful at all the stores, and they can even go back in and fix your mistakes for you (like if you forget to give a coupon or don't buy enough of an item).