Step by Step Prep

Step by Step Prep

1.      GET YOUR COUPON INSERTS:

a.       Subscribing to your local News Journal for Sunday delivery

b.      Hooking up with a local store that carries papers. They may be able to let you have the inserts after business closes on Sunday.

c.       When picking up papers with inserts from local stores, get a variety including the Baltimore Sun which has different insert variations and therefore different coupons and amounts, than local papers do.

2.       ESTABLISH AN ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEM

a.       After many different attempts at keeping my coupons organized, I finally settled into a plastic index card organizer with dividers(found at Walmart). I found this was best for the quantity of coupons that I keep. I divide it according to the sections of the grocery store, and I alphabetize within each section.

a.        I also keep like coupons paper clipped together.

                                                               i.      Note-if you have multiple same inserts, stack them on top of one another to clip many coupons at a time. This time saving will prove invaluable.

b.      Another technique is to keep your coupon inserts intact. Instead of cutting them, simply put them in a file divider with the date they came out. Then refer to http://www.southernsavers.com/category/upcoming-inserts/ for the corresponding coupons. Keep in mind that there are variations by region, and there are times when these listings are inaccurate.

COMING TOMORROW: PLANNING YOUR GROCERY TRIP & COUPON MATCHING