Last week a fellow blogger’s coupons were lost/stolen. While I couldn’t help her with her ECB or frees, I could help her replace some of the insert coupons. I told her I’d send her out something on Monday. Well, Monday has arrived and I spent a portion of Saturday evening clipping coupons and most of this morning going through my old inserts to pull out, sort and clip the unexpireds to send along.
Now, while I know very well how to organize coupons, with there just being two of us at home most of the year I fell off the binder bandwagon… and I liked it! No more sorting out up to 60 papers from up to six different cities every week. No more clipping, sorting and filing. Just toss my coupons into to manila folder until I needed something. At that point it was flip-flip-flip. Flip-flip-flip. And more flip-flip-flip. Then clip-clip-clip.
And more flip-flip-flip and clip-clip-clip.
The binder-system is extremely time consuming to maintain, but makes shopping a breeze. My slacker-system is a breeze maintain, but makes getting ready for a shopping excursion time consuming.
So as I was sorting through four months of coupons today I noticed a LOT of expired coupons. I know the expiration dates have elongated slightly over the last two years (yes, believe it or not they used to be even shorter!), but they have not lengthened enough. I was also saddened to see many coupons I had hoped to combine with sales were in those expired piles. What happened to the tried and true marketing method of putting something on sale when you release a coupon!? I won’t allow the coupon to dictate my shopping habits. The coupon must result in a free (or really cheap) item to be used on a non-sale product unless I need that item. Otherwise, I play the match-the-coupon-to-a-sale game.
Those most shocking thing about my slacker system? I had very few “missed” coupons. By that I mean I did not allow premium coupons that did match a sale to expire.
Now that football season has begun (I just watched week two of preseason) I will be getting back to the binder method. Sitting in front of the TV on a Sunday from 1pm – midnight leaves a lot of time to sort, clip and file. I am an Organized Coupon Goddess during football season. The rest of the year? Not so much.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Ann!
I too started a binder, and it is time consuming. The sole reason was for those UN-advertised deals! And just like you, I was looking for a coupon one time, and saw that alot of the coupons were expired!! One insert, I practically had to throw away every coupon!!
Every store is different and has their random clearance deals where they need to restock fresh products. I have found that I am buying more when I go shopping, especially during Triples or Super Double promotions, but I am saving a whole lot of time in preparation for those promos.
I usually clip mine while watching TV.
Good luck on your 4 month supply of coupons. I am only 2 weeks behind. It is just so hard to commit to it, but totally worth it!!
Layla
Hi Layla,
Well, I can’t bring my binders into the store… I have two huge ones when I am actually doing the binder method and there is no where to put them in the cart. I can sorta balance one in the basket (and I bicycle clip it to the cart to prevent theft), but then I’d have no where for the second one. And, since I divide mine into food/ non-food the question is which one do you take in? At least they are closer in the car so if there is a fabulous sale or clearance I missed I can dash back and get the coupons I need.
The reason I had “only” four months worth of coupons is because most of January, February and March already expired.
I just pulled out those few unexpired coupons and stuffed them back into their folders.
I’m tellin’ ya, there is something to be said for the slacker-method of couponing.
Ann
OMG – someone else had their cpns stolen as well?- GRRR… I know how that feels. I hope she/he can get restarted fast too. Couponers who steal from other couponers – shame on them. Or worst yet to sell them somewhere else.
I have no commitment to being organized, which is terrible cause I spent who knows how long looking for cpns in my wallet, my purse etc. Now I use 2 small cpn files – which is only a small step better than where I was before. Oh the frustration!! I really can’t imagine how long it takes to do the binder thing. I think I tried once back in 2003.
I also bought big binder clips and finally clipping each weeks inserts together. We won’t mention just how many deals & cpns that I let expire from being disorganized. LOL – I still have not located my Free DiGiornio Flatmelts cpn that I lost in the apt (I think) and has since expired.
Liz
I use the binder system but I have to admit I am less than organized. I am usually at least a week behind in the filing. But I need my coupons with me when I shop. I am NOT good at passing up something I think is a good deal.
I just wanted you to know that I read your blog faithfully,and have a question for you. I have not been using coupons for too long,and wondered how it is that you get inserts from other cities. I am too far from the biggest city in my state to drive there on Sunday,and I am sure that they would charge an arm and a leg to mail me their paper.
Hi Tammie,
My husband travels and gets me several city’s papers on Saturday or Sunday. I travel to a small town down the thruway (30 minute drive) where I’ll get Albany papers as well as small town early birds. My aunt sends me Ft Lauderdale and Miami papers. When my parents snow bird, they send me Tampa papers. And I buy hometown papers.
Now my uncle works security for the Boston Globe so you’d think I could get a ton of papers there, right? Nope. They have signs against taking papers under penalty of job loss AND they have security camera too!
When my parents mail me papers I have them send in a priority envelope (papers are only 50¢ on Sunday!) uncut, my aunt cuts them all and mails me just the cut inserts. Hubby of course brings me the entire insert when he returns home.
Ann
So sorry to hear someone is missing their coupon stash! For the missing ECBs – as long as they are not expired, you can call CVS Customer Service and tell them what happened and they will reset them next time you scan your card (or maybe they print on the next receipt). Hopefully you have registered your card or at least have it (or another, maybe the keychain?) for the card#.
I’m sure she called, Rachel but I’ll definitely pass that idea along just in case she did not.
Ann