[Kimmergal]

I'm a newbie in this couponing thing. Only been doing this for 2 weeks and I've made so many mistakes I wanted to share one idea of how to make sure you get ALL the deals instead of just a few. When I clip my coupons I put the ones I know I will use in my notebook binder in baseball sleeves and I was tossing the rest of the coupons thinking I'll never buy this. I have missed so many freebies or super cheap items this way. So now I take the leftovers of what I've clipped and put them in a file folder marked with the date so I can go back to them when I see a deal. This way you have a quick way to find the ones you think you will use along with the ones not so much. I've learned to never toss any coupon anymore. I'm sure you long timers know this already but us newbies just aren't so smart right away! HA!

[joyfulmom4]

Good suggestion. I have not been clipping all the coupons but then I realize that maybe I should have. I don't want to get caught up in buying a bunch of junk I don't need. But then I realized that if I can get something for free, or almost free, and someone else can use it, well then it would be great to pick it up. Our church collects food items for a local food pantry and also collects toiletries for their jail ministry. They put together baskets of necessities that they give to people when they are helping them transition back to the "outside" world. I was thinking how my dh didn't need any more shave cream or razors and we have enough toothpaste already to last for months. But then I realized that those things could go into the baskets to help out people at the food pantry and at the jail ministry. And all it costs me is the effort. How can I pass that up.

I am really inspired by the people here. I am learning great ideas and am blown away by how clever and resourseful you all are. I am also blown away by how generous so many people are with the items they receive. Somewhere this week I read about someone who got two blood sugar monitors free and was donating them. That is SO cool. So many people with health problems like diabetes have limited incomes and their health needs can get put on the back burner while they're trying to pay for basic necessities or their families needs. These donations are a huge blessing to the recipients! I'm inspired to add this as a goal for my couponing.

[Henna]

Great posts! I too am clipping everything now, with the exception of pet food, but now I'm gonna clip that too because I'm sure I can find someone who wants those q's.

[triciakay44]

What a great tip! I too only clipped what I thought I might use and trashed the rest but not now! I totally bartered toilitries for someone to come fix my dryer this week!

[jackie1097]

Thanks for the info. I clip every single coupon and save it in case I come across someone who needs it. I've been comparing prices at several different stores before actually buying what I need (something I really didn't do before). I keep my coupons in an accordion type of organizer by brand, and I keep a spreadsheet with the name, quantity, and expiration date so I have that on hand and can just glance at it while at the store or at home. So far, it's worked for me.

[kim0712]

I'm about 2 months into my couponing journey and made a lot of mistakes in the beginning! I use a combination of the binder with baseball card holders BUT, that became very time consuming when I bought multiples of the paper because they had great inserts. Now I'm only cutting/clipping the printable coupons and instead of clipping the coupons out of the newspaper inserts, I'm marking them with the date on the front and keeping like inserts together - like Red Plum, Smartsource, etc. Most places that have coupon matches on their blogs tell the date/type of the insert that the coupon comes from. By doing it this way, you can go right to the insert, clip what you want and file it away again. Hope this helps!!

[Boomernprecious]

Great Tip. Thanks.

[jhcottle]

Yes, that is a mistake I made when I first started out too. I used to toss so many q's then need them later down the road for a GDA. When I'm teaching someone else now, that is usually the first thing I tell them, keep all coupons!!!!!
Good luck with your couponing you'll only get better from here!!!

[blessedgirl]

I have 100 9 pocket baseball sleeves in my binder, and it is almost full!! LOL!! I clipped mostly everything, but I keep a little box at home for medicines, pet stuff and different foods that I know I will never buy. I have caught so many sales because I always have the majority of my coupons with me in my binder, which organized, tabbed and alphebetized so finding the q's I need is so easy. HTH and keep on savin all that big money!!

[blessedgirl]

Oh, I also have some inserts that I look thru each week when the sales come out. It keeps me from doing so much clipping on Saturdays.

[leford]

Good Post! I do the same thing. Cut what I need and file the ones for use later.

[brook6]

I have my Qs in box, separated by index cards. First card in the box is THIS WEEK. When I prepare my lists, I put the Qs that will be needed this week in that card slot.

Next card is THIS MONTH. I put all the Qs expiring that month in there. That way, I can pay more attention to deals that can use them before they expire. At month end, I review all Qs and pull the ones for THIS MONTH.

When I am in the store, as I put each item in basket, I put all the Qs that I will use in front of first card, so easy to hand to cashier. Don't want to be fumbling around when they are scanning...need to keep an eye on things.

[gidget0949]

I used to cut only what I thought I would use and toss the rest. I now save all the rest of the insert and mark with the date. I have gotten some really good deals by doing this. Now if only my walmart would accept IP coupons I'd be a happy camper.

[jcsaxx]

Originally Posted by gidget0949

I used to cut only what I thought I would use and toss the rest. I now save all the rest of the insert and mark with the date. I have gotten some really good deals by doing this. Now if only my walmart would accept IP coupons I'd be a happy camper.

Your Walmart SHOULD accept an IP. And, you owe me a BIG thanks for finding this. .


Wal-Mart Coupon Policy

.secondaryNav{display:none}.content{padding-left:10px}
Wal-Mart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):

• Manufacturer coupons (Cents Off)
• Free merchandise (or manufacturer's Buy-One-Get-One-Free) coupons
• Store coupons
• Pharmacy (Advertising and Promotional) coupons
• Internet coupons
• Soft drink container caps

The following are guidelines and limits:

• Wal-Mart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase.
• Coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Wal-Mart will not accept expired coupons.
• Internet coupons should be legible and say "Manufacturer Coupon." There should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and a scannable bar code.
• Only one coupon per item is permitted.
• Use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by Customer Service Manager.

[gailtowns]

Wow! I've only been on this site for an hour (the kids are running around crazy, waiting to be tucked in) and have learned SO much. One note, though: I did the whole baseball sleeve thing a couple of years ago and it turned me off of couponing. Why? 'Cause I left my binder in the hot car during and the sun baked it to death, making it darn near impossible to extract the coupons. So, don't ever leave it in the sun, Ladies!

[samson742]

I've just been doing the couponing about a month, and am still trying to find a good system. Like many of you, I used to just clip a few and toss the rest, and couldn't figure out how everyone was accumulating these huge stockpiles (well, actually I still have trouble figuring that out...) Then I realized that while I would never think to spend $6 on body wash- if I could get it for FREE as a result of sales, coupons, and CVS ECBs- then I'd be a dope not to spend some time and figure this system out! So, now my little stockpile is growing... toothpastes (13), deodorants (6) body wash (6) razors, shaving cream, aspirin,etc...WOW! It was so nice to just bundle up little care packages to send to my Marine who just returned to Okinawa from Iraq, my daughter who just moved to Atlanta, my other sons in NJ and California. Now, my goal is to really amass some serious stuff to send to the my Marine and his buddies for Christmas! This is some serious fun! I love it, and thank everyone for all their help and advice!

[couponmama62]

I clip every single coupon. The ones I really will never use, I keep in a separate folder for trades or whatever. Like dog coupons, I do not have a dog. I will get the dog food if it is free, then I give it away or donate it to the local animal shelter. Some other things I get for free I give accordingly to where they are needed. I might even throw a few things in a yard sale.

[LaLax2]

i clip all coupons then i organize them in two piles keeping and not keeping the ones i keep i put them in my book and i put the ones im not keeping in an envie for trade

[gidget0949]

Originally Posted by jcsaxx

your walmart should accept an ip. And, you owe me a big thanks for finding this. Lol.


wal-mart coupon policy

.secondarynav{display:none}.content{padding-left:10px}
wal-mart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):

• manufacturer coupons (cents off)
• free merchandise (or manufacturer's buy-one-get-one-free) coupons
• store coupons
• pharmacy (advertising and promotional) coupons
• internet coupons
• soft drink container caps

the following are guidelines and limits:

• wal-mart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase.
• coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Wal-mart will not accept expired coupons.
• internet coupons should be legible and say "manufacturer coupon." there should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and a scannable bar code.
• only one coupon per item is permitted.
• use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by customer service manager.

here is your big thanks !!!!!

[bbqgal]

I treat clipping as my hobby now. I will cut coupons and sort them out for need, keep and trade pile while watching TV. When I plan on my shopping list, I put all Qs I know I will use into my wallet and bring the "need" and "keep" with me for possible deals. I also check here before my trip so I know what to expect and print last minute Qs. My trips are always fast and my OOPs are always where I want them to be.

[Devins mom]

I agree, I always toss what I dont need and then find out I could have gotten it for free so now I am going to have to keep those q's.

[Couponclipper003]

Thanks for posting!!! I am fairly new and found I had the exact same issue. Learning as I go I am keeping pretty much every coupon and my stockpile is growing!!!!!!

[saverchick]

I'm going into my fifth month of couponing and loving it!! I clipped everything from the beginning so I have tons. The ones I'm not going to use are great to have on hand to trade with other people. I've gotten some great deals that way.

I do keep my Qs in card protectors in a binder so thanks, Gail, for the heads up about the sun. I have a binder for the Qs I'm not going to use and put it out on the counter in front of my cubicle at work so others can take what they need, too. I'm always surprised at how few people want to take the time to save money. But, oh well.

When I'm ready to shop, I plan out everything in advance with the help of this marvelous spreadsheet from someone on here. I'm trying to find the person now to tell them how wonderful it is.

I modified it a bit to help me keep track of rewards earned and used as well as the tax so there are no surprises regarding my out of pocket. I can either print it out or send it to my phone. Having it in my phone is great in case I need to make a substitution on the fly.

Before I go into stores like Wags or CVS, I separate out the coupons by transaction in the front card protector sheet so it's a bit faster to roll those rewards and I don't forget to use a Q. I go pocket to pocket then check the transactions off on my spreadsheet. That's the only way I can keep everything straight and not get flustered when I'm checking out.

[beanpole]

i have currently 3 binders. 1 is letters a-l and 1 is m-z. the third one is all the other coupons, i have clipped and will probably never use. I keep the first 2 with me at all times. and the third one is typically at home. I used to clip the ones i used, organized those, and kept the inserts on the side. but then i was doing a TON of extra work. it seemed everytime there was a deal, i had to go back through all the inserts. so I am not cutting all coupons. Then when someone wants to trade or needs a coupon, I have them readily available.

I have given coupons to people in line, and they always seem schocked as to what they are supposed to do with it

[MsGlamorous]

Now, That's what I'm talking about.... You go Girl !!