Q & A Time: How do I know what coupons I have?

Joann sent me a great question...

"I think you said you file away each Sunday's coupons (and try to obtain a second set), by date, but don't clip them. Then, how do you know which coupons you have?"

I touched on this in my "Supermarket Secrets" series. It is a 5 part series that explains in-depth how to save money on groceries. Part two briefly talks about how to find which coupons you have that match up with sales, but I wanted to do another post on the subject. Joann is not the only one who has asked me this question recently.

First of all, as Joann said, I organize my coupons by the filing method. This doesn't work for everybody. I just find that it is what works best for me, and saves me hours of time each week. It also prevents me from clipping coupons that I won't end up using and throwing away coupons that I might need! (That sounded a bit confusing, but in a nutshell...I only clip the exact coupons I will use each week).

How do I organize this? My filing system is pictured below. I simply mark the date on the front of each insert with a sharpie. Then, I file them away by date! I find it easiest to file them by month and by type. For example, I have a "September RP" and a "September SS." I keep all of my PG's in one folder, since they only come out once a month. I also have an "Other" folder and a "Publix booklets" folder. (Confused on all the lingo? Go here)


So now, you have them filed away all nice and neat, and you have saved time by not clipping them all day Sunday. =) How do you find them and know what you have? This is what Joann was wondering, along with many others.

The answer: You use blogs and coupon databases.

Find blogs that post deals with coupon match-ups for your favorite stores. For example, on this blog, I post the best deals with coupon match-ups for Publix, CVS, Walgreens, and Target on a weekly basis. I post an item with the sale price, and then underneath that item I list corresponding coupons and where to find them (ex: 9-27-09 PG means Sep. 27th Proctor and Gamble insert from the Sunday newspaper). There are hundreds of money-saving blogs out there. You just have to find your favorites! I have about 20 blogs that I visit on a regular basis. That's way more than you need, especially if you're just starting out. Keep it simple, especially in the beginning! Each blog author posts different stores. There are way too many for every author to post all of them!

Another way to find great store deals with coupon match-ups is Hot Coupon World. I recommend this site to ALL beginners. Go to the grocery store, national chain, or drug store forums. You will find a separate thread for every store you can imagine. Look for your store, and you'll see the deals posted every week, along with the coupons you need and where to find them!

Finally, you're probably thinking, "well, that's great that people post the absolute best deals with coupons, but what about when I want to know if I have a coupon for an item that isn't necessarily the best deal out there this week? What if I just need an item, and want to know if I have a coupon for it?" Simple...coupon databases. A coupon database is just what it sounds like. It has a database of all coupons that exist that haven't expired yet. You type in what product you're looking for, and a list of all coupons for that product appears. For each coupon listed, there is a location and date so that you can find it. You then look in the corresponding coupon insert that you have in your filing system, pull it out, and cut out the coupon! There are many coupon databases on the internet. I'll tell you about my two favorite ones.

My two favorite coupon databases are Coupon Mom and Hot Coupon World. A little bit about each:

Coupon Mom:

• Must sign up (it's free)
• Separates coupons by region and state, which is really nice. Coupons differ by region occasionally.
• Not as thorough as Hot Coupon World - only includes insert coupons (from newspaper) and some printable coupons.
  
• Easier to understand than Hot Coupon World.

Hot Coupon World:

• Don't have to sign up for, but you can if you want to.
• VERY thorough. Includes coupons for mail in rebates, home mailers, blinkies, tearpads, winetags, hangtags, peelies, flyers, inserts, printables, etc.
• A little more cluttered and difficult for beginners, because of its thoroughness.

So that is my advice on how to know which coupons you have, once they're filed away! If you prefer not to use this method, you can always check out other ideas from other bloggers. Again, it's just what works for me. Everyone has their own style. =) Happy couponing, and I hope that helps! Feel free to e-mail me with questions at frugalfunfortune@gmail.com or comment below!