How I plan my shopping

Just like organizing your coupons, planning your shopping can be done many different ways and is a highly personal thing, using whatever method works best for you.  I thought I'd share my process with you, maybe it will help you figure out your own easy way!

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! :)

today's shopping trip and a note

First off, I'd like to thank Sheri at Swag Grabber for making the Price Point Spreadsheet.  I took this with me today to start filling out, and was shocked to find out that everything I priced was cheaper at Target than it was at Publix!  This really opened my eyes!

Payless
First on my list of stops today was Payless Shoes.  I needed to pick up a pair of shoes to wear to my nephew's Christening next week, so I googled and found this 15% off coupon to bring with me!  Also, since I only bought one pair of shoes, the cashier told me that if I bring back my receipt and make another purchase I can still take advantage of the BOGO sale.
1 pair black fancy-ish sandals
--(1) 15% off coupon
Total Savings:  $3.45 (15%)
Out of Pocket Total: $20.91

Publix
Peaches
Jif Peanut butter
Publix Peanut butter
AAA Energizer Batteries 8 pack
2 reusable bags
--'Buy theirs, try ours' promo: FREE Publix peanut butter
--(1) $0.55/1 Publix PB coupon
--(1) $2/2 reusable bags (Peelie from the batteries, made the bags FREE)
Total Savings: $6.16 (33%)
Out of Pocket Total: 12.40

Target
40 Fancy Feast Appetizers
5 Mott's Apple Juice
--(20) BOGO Fancy Feast Manuf. coupons
--(20) BOGO Fancy Feast Target coupons
--FREE $5 Target gift card with purchase of 5 Mott's items
Total Savings: $56.76 (83%)
Out of Pocket Total: 11.85

Another way to organize your coupons

I just read Shellie's post on how she organizes her coupons.  She uses the 'folder' method, and explains her entire process.  You can read all about it here at Saving with Shellie.  I always thought this method seemed too difficult, but with her step-by-step instructions, it isn't quite as daunting as I thought!

A few of the great resources she uses and mentioned are A Full Cup's printable coupon database, and the weekly coupon list at Sunday Coupon Preview.

You can see other methods on organizing your coupons in my previous post.

Organizing your coupons

There are tons of ways to organize your coupons, and something different may work for each person.  Working at Publix, I see many different organizational methods: coupons loose in the bottom of your purse; in a plain envelope; in a coupon organizer; in a poly file folder; in an index card box; and in rubbermaid storage boxes.  I've also heard that some people keep the coupons in folders according to the date they came out, so when finding deals on websites they can easily find them that way.  While doing a google search to find some images for this post I came across dozens of different ways to organize your coupons and sites where you can buy organizers.

These are pictures of my accordion style cardboard coupon organizer, which i got for $1 at a dollar store about four years ago.  It isn't the best when it comes to categorizing, so I usually have to dig for coupons, but it serves its purpose.

(You can click the images to see the full size versions)













Similar to what I have are the poly file folders that you can find at Office depot, Staples, or the like, usually used for filing checks.  These are moving up the price scale from the cheap cardboard organizer like I have.  Depending on how many dividers the folder has, you can organize your coupons pretty well.

Next is the index card file box.  This is fully customizable so that you can easily and efficiently access your coupons.  I'm thinking of upgrading to this since I can make my own dividers/categories.  The only negative I see to this is that its a bit larger that the poly folder and cardboard organizer and wouldn't fit in my purse as easily.  Plus, in addition to paying for the box, you have to pay for the dividers and/or tabs to make your categories, unless you're crafty and want to make them yourself.


Last up is the large rubbermaid box.  There is a woman that comes in my store with, literally, hundreds of coupons in her box.  I'm not sure of her organizational methods, but if you're a serious couponer like she is, this might be the way to go so you don't lose any of your coupons.  The size box I'm talking about is hard to get from the picture, but its around 16x11x6 inches.



So what method do you use to keep your coupons organized? Do you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share?