Where to start for New Coupon Users-Gathering & Organizing

Well I get asked questions all the time about where to begin, people wanting to start using coupons becuase of seeing other save or just out of necessity for their own budget needs. I am going to help you begin your stockpile of coupons and get you on your way to saving TONS of money every time you go to the store.

Gathering Coupons
-If you are wondering how to start your coupon stock there are tons of ways to do this

• Buy a Sunday paper-in most areas there are at least 2 inserts every week(We'll talk about buying multiple papers later on) BUY AT LEAST 1 EVERY WEEK
• Trade coupons-You'd be surprised how many people are willing to trade coupons in your own town
• Join websites like Coupons.com , Weusecoupons.com , or you most likely can find a local coupon website by doing a google search for "*your state* coupon website"
• Print coupons-This is a bit overwhelming to a new couponer as it's hard to figure out which coupons are worth the ink and which aren't (We'll go into this further later)
• Ordering from a coupon clipper service or ebay.
• Couponsbydede -cheap coupons, min. order of $3(with this min, shipping is $0.94)
• Lorishas3kids - buying 20 of same coupons for cheap (Not for the beginner)
• The Coupons Clippers -Min order of $3
• Search for coupon clipping service and ton more options will come up
• Ebay-people sell lots of coupons in quantities of 5-10

 Newspaper Coupons

When you first start couponing you'll be able to find all kinds of coupons in your Sunday paper, the most common inserts are

• SS-SmartSource
• RedPlum
• P&G(Once a month these come out, normally at the beginning of the month and they expire at the end of that month)

Now with just 2 of those (the SS&RP) you can start building a pretty decent stock of coupons.

How to organize your coupons: Always do what works for you! Being organized means more savings

• Filing System
• Binder System

Filing System: This is commonly used by people that use online match-ups only
The filing system has many adaptable methods depending on your needs for the basic part of it, every week or every time you get coupon inserts they are filed.  You can have anything you file them in whether it's a filing cabinet or a carrying case.

• You will want to date the inserts (Ex: 3/20) on the front cover when you file them or put a tab above them
• This method does not cut individual coupons until needed, the whole insert is filed

Binder System: This system is commonly used by people that take their binder with them to the store or anywhere they shop
This system is the one I personally use and enjoy it a lot easier than having to find space to file coupons so I am kinda biased

• Cut all coupons from inserts you will use or keep
• File them in baseball card sleeve pages
• Amazon.com
• Walmart, Target (Found by checkouts where the trading cards are) usually $5-6 for 30 pages
• Organize by type or isle
• People can organize by their stores isles or by type (Frozen, Cans, etc)

The down side to this is when coupons expire and you have to go through your whole binder.  I started out with a 1" binder (Need to upgrade soon, hoping that's what husband gets me for Mother's Day)


I don't want the posts to get confusing so I am breaking them up so it's not too much info at one time.  The next post will concern Printable Coupons


Other helpful posts:

• Coupon Lingo
• Save money in other areas