couponing {my process}

I wrote this about a week ago and never finished it up to post...so, a little late, but here it is...

First, I'll post a warning - this will be a pictureless and wordy post! :) So, here is my process for couponing. It's
ever-evolving...

I go through a similar process on "ad days" - Wednesdays (grocery stores) and Sundays (everything else). First, I will casually browse the ads, just for fun. Then I will consult a website for each store. In the case of the grocery stores (Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, and Food Lion), I only use Southern Savers. On Sundays, this site covers the major drug stores (Walgreen's, CVS and Rite Aid). However she does not cover Wal-Mart or Target, so if I want to get detailed on those, I have to consult other sites. I also frequent Common Sense with Money.

I have an Excel spreadsheet that seems to keep growing and growing (see sample shot above). I know to some this may seem a bit "psycho", but let me clarify two things. First, I spend a LOT of time on the computer and it's just as easy (maybe easier) for me to compile something like this on there than to jot down a list. Secondly, my brain functions like a never-ending Excel spreadsheet. Thanks to my job, it just is what it is. If that makes me a freak to others, then so be it :)

One tab features my "weekly list". On the far left it includes two lists that are not store-related.

1) The first is the "Need List" which is anything I have to buy the next time I go to the grocery store, regardless of price.

2) The second is the "Watch List" which are items that we are either almost out of or that we are out but can do without for a bit. I watch for deals on these items, trying not to pay full price.

The rest of the sheet is divided into sections for each store mentioned above and a few others for rare occasions (like KMart, Staples, Babies R Us). Each store has three columns:

1) Item - contains any item information (in many cases, you need to be specific as to the size, brand, etc).

2) Coupons - here I note what coupon I should be using. I will put the dollar amount and note whether it will be doubled or if multiple quantities are required. For example: $1/2 means "one dollar off when you buy two" or $0.50 D means "fifty cent coupon that will be doubled".

3) Comments - this can be anything but in most cases it refers to a sale price or deal. If the item is on sale, I will include the sale price (if known), or I will not if it's a BOGO. In the case of the drug stores, I will note if there is an ECB, SCR or RR.

So, as I review the blog post for a particular store, when I see something that I need, I will enter that item's information into the proper store section of my spreadsheet. I will verify that I have the needed coupon (or go ahead and print it if that applies) and then I place the coupon into that store's envelope. As mentioned in my binder post earlier, I have an envelope labelled for each of the stores I've mentioned. If I have store-specific coupons, they go in the envelope. If I have ECBs or RRs for the drug stores, they go into those envelopes. Then, each week as I scope out the deals, the related coupons go into that envie as well.

Once I've completed my lists, I will then decide which stores I will actually visit. It's pretty easy for me to hit the drug stores on my lunch hour at work, so some weeks I may go to all three. But if the deals don't warrant it, I don't bother. In the case of the grocery stores, it varies. A lot of times it has as much to do with time availability than anything. Sometimes I'll take a big chunk of time on a weekend and hit a bunch of stores at once. Other weeks I will hit a store here and there as I have time on my lunch hour or after work.

My spreadsheet is formatted to print onto one sheet of paper. When I go to a store, I take that sheet and the appropriate store envelope of coupons. In the case of smaller stores, I will not take in my binder. However, when I grocery shop, I almost always take my whole binder in. This helps if I find a deal I wasn't expecting or something like that. At first, I was a tad embarrassed to carry in this binder, but I've gotten over it. I just don't care anymore :) I almost always get a comment (usually positive) about it.