This is where I will post my couponing experiences, along with great weekly deals here in east Mesa.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

How To Coupon

You will need:


-a coupon folder









-coupons









-an inventory chart









-ads









-pen, paper, scissors









-a couple of hours a week





I shop at Walmart because they ad match, which is awesome. The first thing you need to do is to set up a coupon folder. Some people use binders, but I found a photo album lying around the house that I use. It works pretty well. I label the sections. There are a lot of different categories you can use, but the ones I currently have are:

-household
-pets
-hygiene
-beauty
-medicine
-breakfast
-snacks
-sauces&spreads
-desserts
-snacks
-frozen foods
-misc
-expired
-sell backs


After your folder is set up, the next step is to create a chart of your ads. Excel is a great program for inventory. I labeled the rows with the different categories, and the colums with "category", "item", "$$" (ex. $2/1), "exp." and "quantity". If you don't have coupons, you can get them in the Sunday paper, online from the krazy coupon lady (free), or from Ebay (as low as under $1 for 100!). Ebay is great because you pay so little for 100 coupons, and using just 1-2 coupons will save you that dollar that you spent buying the coupons. There are many other ways to obtain them, too, such as from catalinas and bought products.

The third step is to search through weekly ads. I use the Walgreens, Albertson's, Safeway, Fry's, Fresh & Easy, and Sprout's ads. (So far, Albertson's is my favorite one.) I find the good deals, circle them, and then check my inventory and the krazy coupon lady's website for coupons.

Step 4: Let the couponing begin! The ads here in Mesa are generally available in your mailbox by Tuesday; the ad week for the stores go from Wednesday to the following Tuesday.

Have fun! Let me know if you have any questions.


P.S. I apologize for the sideways pictures...

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