My earliest memories of couponing is often over shadowed bya feeling of overwhelming anxiety. As an experienced couponer and informedshopper I have discovered some valuable insight that could save everyone hugemoney on their everyday expenses.
Setting up the Binder
The first step to efficient couponing is to set up anorganization system that works for you. I find the “sport card holder” sleevesfrom Dollarama work well for my system along with a full size binder that zipsshut. I find the zipper very useful as coupons are often awkward to store andit would be a tragedy to lose a high value coupon in your travels. Setting upthe binder is critical; I separate categories and subcategories within thebinder so easy access. A well organized binder enables you to score hugesavings; you can easily locate a usefulcoupon when you find an unexpected deal.
The most useful categories I have found include : Food,Cleaning, Health/Medication, Personal care, household/electronics.
Subcategories are the extra step that make a difference inthe accessibility of the coupons
Food:
1.) Dairy
2.) Bread
3.) Canned
4.) Packaged
5.) Cereal
6.) Snacks
7.) Frozen
8.) Perishables (Fruit/Vegetables)
Cleaning:
- Solvents
- Cleaning devices
- Air fresheners
Health/Medication
- Vitamins
- Cold or Pain medication
- Bandaids
- Other health supplements
Personal Care:
- Feminine Hygiene
- Razors
- Sunscreen
- Oral Hygiene
- Other beauty products
Household/Electronics
- Batteries
- Other items that are often difficult tocategorize
Where to find yourcoupons???
The best place to start searching for coupons is online.Many websites offer printable or free mail out offers that will enable you tostart building your binder.
Smartcanucks.ca is a great website resource that will oftenshow current available coupons that people find in their travels. There aremany Canadian couponing Facebook groups that will also outline the couponscurrently in stores.
Pay a visit to a number of grocery stores in your localarea. I like Loblaws stores as they often have coupon boards located at theentrance and this makes is very easy to stock up on coupons. I will always grab3-5 of each coupon to start building my binder. Paying close attention to theexpiration date is key as you want to be aware of the coupons that have a shortshelf life in your binder.
Online resources
Some fantastic sites online to consider visiting includesave.ca and websaver.com. I find they often have free printable or mail outcoupons that are easy to access.
Contacting popular companies directly requesting coupons isoften an excellent strategy to get some exclusive high value coupons in yourcollection. Chapmans, Enfamil, and Similac are excellent companies that offerhigh value coupons when you contact them directly.
Store Policies and Coupon Jargon
Understanding store policies for couponing is key to yoursuccess on a large couponing shop. Various stores will not accept printedcoupons and will only accept certain types of discounts. It is important toreview the store policy before you begin planning your shopping trip. Beinginformed makes it easier to defend the discounts that are rightfully yours.
Preparing for the shop
My favourite part or the preparations is searching throughmy Flipp app and clipping the sales that correspond with my coupons. For myeveryday shopping I will redeem one of the product coupons I need combined withprice matching. Often I will find products on sale and when combined with mycoupon they will become free or nearly free. Free is obviously my favouriteprice and does indeed happen. It isimportant to organize your flip clippings and your cart to create a seamlessand stress-free checkout. I will put my price matching items up front and handthe cashier the coupons as they cash out the individual product. It is veryimportant to watch the prices closely and be sure to price match when possible(check local stores that offer price matching: Loblaws, No Frills, Walmart andFreshco are my favourite places to price match)
This is the time that I will redeem all of the coupons Ihave and start to build my stock. After a few months of extreme couponing(Combined with price matching) you will begin to see the stock pile forming. Ifind this stock pile comforting and take pride in the hard work and dedicationI put into building the stock.