Coupons are easy to use. I suspect it is the clipping and organizing that frustrate and discourage many people from taking advantage of them. Here’s a few tips:
1. Map your store. Next time you are at your regular grocery store, take a moment to write down the aisles in order, starting with the side of the store that you typically visit first.
2.Get a good organizer. Get creative here, because the typical coupons organizers with 6 or so pockets are not going to work! I use a zip-up notebook from an office supply store that is intended to hold CD’s and has about 40 pockets.
And make sure to snag a local newspaper (or a few copies) for all the coupons to match up with sales!
3. Use your store map to arrange your organizer. Keep the first two pockets open, then label the pockets by aisle, in the order that you visit them. As you shop, just flip to the appropriate page as you move from aisle to aisle.
4. Use the first two pockets as follows: As you put each coupon-related item in your cart, pull out that coupon and put it in the very first pocket. When I get to the check-out counter, I just grab that stack & hand it to the cashier. Use the second pocket to place coupons that you know ahead of time that you plan to use on that trip, as well as generic “$5 off your next purchase” type coupons that you don’t want to forget to use! Move these into the first pocket as you get the appropriate items.
Hope this helps you take full advantage of the coupon goldmine!
This is a guest post by Lisa Leete
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