My 1st coupon experience!

A couple weeks ago I posted on Facebook that I wanted to learn how to coupon after my friend Tracy text me and asked me if I wanted to learn with her. We even signed up for a SouthernSavers Coupon class on May 23rd! I can't wait to go so I can learn more!

So people started giving me their advice and I even had one friend (a mother of a student I taught last year) actually text me who is not on Facebook that same day telling me to save her coupons...But anyway she told me she was an advid couponer and that she would teach me!

SOOOOO last Saturday I went to her house to learn the trade! Anyway, she told me she normally gets 3 papers every Sunday. And she organizes her coupons in file folders by the brand of ads (Example, RedPlum, P&G, and SmartSource). She paperclips them together and writes the dates on them (see photos below of how I organized mine) 

I just stapled the corner of mine, and wrote the date the paper came out at the top (ex: 5/1)

I then put all my same ads in this plastic envelope (each brand ad (ex: Redplum, SmartSource, P&G) have their own envelope)

This is just a way I organize it. You can use file folders, notebooks, etc.

Then I go to http://www.couponmom.com/ to search for deals of the week. I use http://www.southernsavers.com/ to compare. I am still learning southernsavers, but I know more about couponmom from my friend until I go to my southern savers class at the end of the month.

But once you go to couponmom's website you create a free account, and then I just researched deals for the week by clicking on grocery store deals tab and drug store deals tab and click on the store of my choice.

I then look at the sales, and see if there is anything I want and if I have a coupon for it.









the left corner tells you where to find the coupon (Ex: 5.01 RP=May 1st RedPlum ads)

I know if I have the coupon by looking at the left corner. It says 5.01 RP that means it was in the May 1st paper and it was in the Red Plum...so then I just go to my file folder envelope marked RedPlum and find the corresponding coupon and cut it out (and because I bought 3 papers, I have 3 coupons to cut out). Now you will find dates like 4.10 etc that you may not have coupons for, that's why I have a folder to put them in so I can save them for a while. And I don't cut out coupons till I know I will use it, because there's no use in wasting work. Plus you will find something you may not have bought before you may buy now just because you get it free, or can make money on it. Hope this makes sense.

But this is just a little background on how I was taught to organize myself and my coupons and how I find what I want to buy. And this may change once I go to my class, but this is what I know for now. Way more than I knew before last Saturday.

Anyway, today was my first shopping experience. I went to Wal-greens. I had 3 coupons for Fusion Gillete Razors, and 3 coupons for Buy 1 Get 1 Free Right Guard Deodorant. So I went to Wal-greens and grabbed 6 things of deodorant (they are regular $3.99 each) and 3 packs of razors (regular $9.99 each).

I seperated my merchandise into 3 transactions. (2 deodorants and 1 razor per transaction).

I gave the cashier one Right Guard B1G1 coupon, and one $4 off coupon for the razor. My total came out to $9.99. I paid it. Now because I bought that merchandise from Walgreens they printed me a $5 rewards coupon and a $2 rewards coupon.

My 2nd purchase was again 2 deodorants and 1 razor again. This time I handed them my B1G1 free coupon, my $4 off coupon for the razor, and my $5 rewards coupon I got from my previous transaction. I tried given them the $2 rewards coupon, but it didn't work. Which I later learned from my friend that if it didn't scan then she should have typed it in. So my total was $4.99 but it should have been $2.99 if I would have use the $2 rewards I got. And again when I paid the register printed me another $5 rewards and another $2 rewards for buying those products.

So I just repeated the 3rd transaction the same as I did for the 2nd. And again paid $4.99.

So my total bill at Walgreens came out to about $20. And I have $11 rewards to use towards my next purchase. And if I would have known I could have used 2 $2 rewards today if I would have told the cashier to type it in. I just didnt' know...but I am learning... My total before coupons would have been $60, so I SAVED $40!

I hope this makes sense.

You can print coupons online too, I am just working with Sunday ad papers for now, unless I know where there is to print one at. I know southern savers has some you can print and couponmom website has some too (links above)

Here is a pic of all I got today at Walgreens! :)