The Frugal Free Gal

Frugal Living, Money Saving Tips, Freebies, and More!

  • How to Organize Coupons (For Beginners)

    There are several ways you can organize your coupons. Organizing coupons isn’t hard, but it does take a little time and effort. I recommend doing what works for you. You can use the envelope system, accordion style organizers, shoe boxes, file folders, coupon binders, and more.

    I tried the coupon binder a couple of years ago and the truth is, my coupon binder didn’t work for me. At one point it did, but I let things go. I got behind with the organizing and it ended up being a pain to keep it up and to carry it around everywhere I went! I ended up giving it away to someone that wanted it and I went right back to my old method of organizing my coupons– the accordion style organizer below.

    How to Organize Coupons

    This accordion style coupon organizer was only $1 at Target! You can also find these organizers at the dollar store. If you want a fancier one, you can pay a few dollars more. The reason I love my coupon organizer is because it’s small enough to fit in my purse! I take it everywhere with me. I never leave it at home because it’s always with me. When I need my coupons, it’s always there.

    The great part about these organizers are the slots inside used to keep your coupons organized into categories. I have my coupons organized by the following:

    1. Freebies
    2. Groceries
    3. Restaurants/Fast Food:
    4. Department Stores
    5. Rewards Cards
    6. Gift Cards

    How to organize coupons

    Here are a few of the coupons I keep inside each section for when I need them:

    1. Freebies: I keep any free coupons I receive in this section. I currently have three free product coupons for Hillshire Farm Products, 1 free class to the Tumble Gym in my area, a free medium cherry limeade or drink at Sonic, and one free bag of Ghirardelli chocolates.

    2. Groceries: I keep my manufacturers coupons in this section for any groceries that I need to purchase. Because I only print the coupons I know I need and use, this section doesn’t become out of control. I usually use the coupons up right away on my next shopping trip.

    3. Restaurants/Fast Food: I keep coupons such as pizza specials, Sonic specials, Chuck E.Cheese, or any other deals on fast food that may come my way. Although I don’t eat a lot of fast food, these come in handy when we are on the go or if we need a quick meal to pick up in the evenings!

    4. Department Stores/Retail Stores: I keep coupons such as Bed Bath & Beyond coupons, Bath & Body Works coupons, and JCPenney coupons and more in this section.

    5. Rewards Cards: I keep rewards cards such as my Walgreens Balance Rewards card, Once Upon a Child rewards card, Commissary rewards card and more in this section.

    6. Gift Cards: I keep all of my gift cards in this section. I currently have a Lowe’s gift card, Walmart gift card, Starbucks gift card, and an Olive Garden gift card in this section.

    Organizing my coupons this way works for me. I like to have everything I need in one place. Every now and then I take a few minutes to go through the organizer and toss any expired coupons. If this organizational method doesn’t work for you because you need more space, then you could always purchase a larger accordion style organizer or move up to the coupon binder.

  • Are You Addicted to Couponing?

     

    Are you a “addicted to couponing?”

    Do you…

    -get overly excited when you see a coupon?

    -spend hours a day searching for and clipping/printing coupons?

    -dive in dumpsters to find coupon inserts (and have your children help)?

    -have piles of inserts and coupons laying around your house?

    -have huge stockpiles taking over your house?

    -head from store to store each day just to use your coupons?

    -go to sleep/wake up thinking about coupons?

    -get anxious if you can’t get your coupons organized?

    -spend time away from family to clip/organize coupons?

    -have family telling you that you spend too much time on couponing?

    -feel anxious, overwhelmed, and even depressed since you started couponing?

    I am not a doctor and do not have the qualifications to diagnose anyone, but if you answered yes to many of these, you may be “addicted to couponing.” At one time, I could have answered all of these with a “yes” (except for the dumpster diving–don’t get me wrong, it crossed my mind when I took items to the recycle center and saw newspapers laying in the dumpsters.) I was heavily into couponing and thought I was going to be the next “extreme couponer.” I ended up finding out that it just wasn’t for me. I would rather spend that precious time with family and doing other fun activities then sitting down clipping and organizing coupons for several hours a day (especially when I knew I wasn’t going to use about 75+% of them).

    I believe there is a healthy way to coupon and an unhealthy way. The unhealthy way is mentioned above—when I mention getting anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed since you started couponing. If you feel that way, you may need to step back and reassess your couponing techniques. It is easy to get overwhelmed when newspaper inserts are piling up and you haven’t had the chance to go through them to clip what you need.

    It’s ok to admit that you may be addicted to couponing, but it’s not a good idea to continue to be miserable in the process. These are coupons we are talking about. Coupons are fun and exciting, but only when used right. That’s why I stepped back a few months ago, reassessed my situation, and made a change. I vowed to only use coupons on items I needed and used (not for the sake of getting them free or cheap). I also vowed to create my grocery list first and then search my Coupon Database for the coupons that matched what was on my list. By using this method, I was still saving and I am only bringing home items that my family consumes. I am no longer throwing out items that we didn’t eat or want (but that I was able to get so cheap at the grocery store–what a waste!)

    I still consider couponing to be fun, but it no longer consumes me. I hope that some of you find this article helpful if you are struggling with finding a balance between couponing and living life.

    If you would like to read more about my adventures with couponing in the past, read my articles: The Dangers of Extreme Couponing and 5 Reasons Why Cutting Back on Coupons Has Saved Me Money.

     

  • Writing to Companies for Free Coupons

    Have you been writing to companies for free coupons? If not, you are missing out. Read my article here on how I write to companies for coupons.

    This last week I received two more letters in the mail. Below are the two companies and what each sent.

    1. Land O’ Lakes-

    I used my $0.55 coupon today on their butter because the butter was on sale. You save more when you pair your coupon with a sale.

    2. Kimberly Clark Company- I never thought a coupon could be so pretty! These coupons can be used towards several Kimberly Clark products. Click here to see what I received last week from Mario Camacho Foods. I actually went and picked up my two free cans of olives today.

  • Free Coupons from Companies

    I wrote a blog post a few days ago about writing to your favorite companies and requesting free coupons or free samples. You can read that post here.

    Today I received a personal typed up letter from Mario Camacho Foods. I love their black olives and use them when cooking spaghetti and my homemade spaghetti. They sent me two $2.00 off coupons for their products and asked me to join in on their testing and tasting program, where they would send me samples occasionally.

    What does this mean?

    I will get two Mario Camacho can of olives for free, because the cans I buy are less than $2.00. Thanks, Mario Camacho Foods!

    Remember to go back and read the post mentioned above to see how you can write for coupons!

  • Write to Your Favorite Companies for Coupons!

    Have you thought about writing emails to the companies of your favorite brands for money saving coupons? I have! I decided to experiment with something I purchase often- Meow Mix Cat Food. I just wrote a nice email on their contact form on their website about how I buy their product often for my cat and how I would appreciate it if they sent coupons. Here is part of the reply I received today:

    “We hope your cat will continue to enjoy Meow Mix Dry Cat Food and we’re sending you money-saving coupons in the mail in appreciation for your business.”

    I also wrote to Drano since I used their product recently for a smelly sink. Here is their reply:

    “For the most up-to-date coupon offers, I invite you to become a member of our Right@Home™ newsletter. Membership is free and it allows you access to printable coupons and the opportunity to register for special gift pack offers. You’ll find a current coupon offer available for Drano®. Sign up at www.rightathome.com. We’d love to welcome you as a member!”

    Money Saving Challenge:
    I challenge you to find at least five products that you buy often. Find the company’s contact form on their website and write to them telling them why you like their product. Ask them for coupons or free samples and let us know what response you get!