Crazy for Coupons! Part 5 - Plan it out

So you have your coupons clipped and organized into a system. You've got the ads in front of you and have scoped out the sales. Now it's time to plan your attack! :-)

After I have clipped and filed my coupons, I pull out the ads for the stores. I go through each ad and circle items that are on sale that I think I have a coupon for or that I think are a good deal. Consult your price book (if you've started one) to make sure your sales are good ones (and not "fake sales"). Then I go through my coupon book and pull out the coupons I'm planning to use for each store. This week I had a pile for Walgreens and my grocery store. I start a list for each store and keep the coupons with each list. Some people use envelopes for each store, but so far I have just been paper clipping my coupons to my list. If you see a sale, you can always check the online coupon database to see if there are any internet printables for those items.

I often do multiple transactions at each store to maximize my savings, so I write down what I plan on purchasing in each transaction, along with the coupons, so that I can keep track of what I am doing. You may not need to do this, but it makes things easier for me to plan ahead of time. I like to make sure I have all my ducks in a row so I don't forget anything! (I'm kind of a control freak--Surprise!) :-)

Once you have your lists and your coupons ready, go for it! Take your coupon binder with you into the store, because you never know what you'll find, maybe a clearance item or an unadvertised sale--and you have a coupon to make it sweeter! Now go save you some money!