The first thing I do is check out what coupons will be in the Sunday paper by going to The Sunday Coupon Preview and deciding whether or not I want to buy a paper. If there are enough coupons that I want, I buy two copies of the paper, that way if something is BOGO I can get better savings by using one coupon for each item. I know many people buy upwards of 20 papers, but that's just too much for me.
The next thing I do is go through the fliers for Walgreens, CVS, Target, and Kmart (if I don't buy a paper I check the ads online) and make a list. (I go through most of the fliers, but these four are my main ones on Sundays for grocery shopping.) The list is divided by store and has the item and the price or sale deal (%off). I do this for each store, even if items are repeated. You can't really tell from this picture (sorry!), but it gives you a general idea of what one of my lists looks like. I did this one yesterday at work on my lunch break, which is why its on a paper towel.
Once I have my list to choose from, I narrow it down and make another list, still by store, and list the corresponding coupons for each item. This list looks something like this.
Once this actual shopping list is complete, I gather the coupons and either paper clip them to the list or put them in an envelope seperate from my coupon folder.
Having this detailed list really helps when I shop because I know exactly what I need and what coupons to use.
During the week, I do the same thing with the Publix flier (their sale week runs Thursday-Wednesday).
Also, if I have a list of things that I just have to get that aren't necessarily on sale, I make the list (like an 'average' shopping list you would see), and check the printable coupon database at A Full Cup. I sometimes do a Google search as well to see if anything turns up if I didn't have any luck at AFC.
I hope this has helped you. If you have any questions, don't hesitat to contact me! :)
Posts
