How To Organize Coupons:
1. Coupon Inserts: Inserts are the pages of coupons that are found in the Sunday papers (the Star Tribune has them in the Early Sunday edition as well).
2. There are 3 major types of coupon inserts. The type of the insert can be found on the front page of the insert. The date that the issue was released can be found on the spine of the insert.
3. Each week there we will list the inserts that will be available in the upcoming weekend papers. There are a few things that you will want to know about inserts and the papers you purchase to get them.
A. Sometimes the available coupons differ by region. A coupon in Texas might be for $0.50/1 and the one for the Northern States will be $1/2. B. Newspapers have to purchase “coupon packages” and just like the rest of us some papers can afford the deluxe version and others can only afford the basics. This just means that larger city papers are more likely going to have all of the available coupons for that area.
The 4 types of inserts are:
a. Smart Source: This is the most well known and prominate type of insert. When listed on our site we will use SS to identify it.
b. Red Plum: This insert will be listed on our site as RP.
d. Procter & Gamble: This insert will be listed on our site as P&G.
e. Every once in awhile we will get a General Mills or an insert from Pepsi Co. These will be highlighted when we get them.
4. All couponing blogs and coupon databases (including ours) list the available coupons by the type of insert and the date it was released.
Example: SS 1/23 is Smart Source from 1/23
5. I don’t cut out any coupons until I need them. Instead each week I make a new folder for each of the available inserts for the week and I label them the same way we do on the site. So if on 1/02 there was a Red Plum, a Smart Source and a General Mills I would make 3 folders. One labeled RP 1/02, one labeled SS 1/02, and one labeled GM 1/02. Doing this I have the ability to find any coupon listed in a posted match up or I can look up an item in a coupon database which will give me the insert and date that I can find it in.
I am really interested in saving money on grocerys and more products are getting so high priced , I’m feeding a faimly of 5 and it seems like all of out money is going to grocerys.I really need your help
Hi, is there ever one workshop in Fargo? That would be nice getting one out here once in awhile..spread out to different towns….
Hi Kathryn,
We love to have workshops up and down the Red River Valley and beyond. All it takes is a request and a location to hold the class. We will promote the class and provide promotional materials. If interested just contact Carla and Amanda at valleydealseekers@hotmail.
I am a Mother of four and I stuggle to try to save. When I try to look for coupons and use them it seems like I spend more money. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Stacey, You are not doing anything wrong, believe me when I first started I had coupons everywhere and no idea how to organize them. Start slow, get a Sunday Star Tribune this weekend, make up a folder for each insert that is in the news paper and label it the folders with the type of insert and the date it came out in the paper. So this week it sounds like there are three inserts that will be in the paper; 1 Smart Source (so label this folder SS 5-22), 1 Red Plum (So Label this RP 5-22), and possibly 1 Unilever (U 5-22). This is the start of your coupon file system. Now when you see in our add match up that there is a coupon that you want to use and it says it can be found in SS 5-22, you know exactly which file to find it in. If you are just going to the store and you want to buy an item that is not in the ad match-up but want to know if there is a coupon for it than you can click on the Coupon Database button on the right hand side of the screen, type in the product name and it will tell you if there is an available coupon and which folder to find it in. This is the best place to start you great couponing adventures. Stay positive, we are here to help.
Family of six trying to save on roc. Thank you!
How does it work when you use two coupons of the same item? I’m starting to learn a little about using a computer coupon & flyer coupon together.
I’m taking my store flyer, seeing what’s on sale, and matching up coupons to make prices even lower. Thanks you for the tip, because the savings have been so helpful.
Does anyone remember how to use the coupon data base to find expired coupons? I am trying to get through my coupons and weed out inserts that don’t have any valid coupons still in them, but can’t remember now. I know it is advance search, but I can’t remember from there. Thanks!!! Or any tips how the rest of you couponers go through and weed out expired coupons? That seems to take so much time i think.