Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
One of the first things we tell new members of SavingsAngel.com to do is to look for ways to get multiple copies of coupon inserts. Having a healthy stash of coupons can be the difference between getting one box of free cereal and getting four or five.
However, new couponers inevitably look at the Sunday coupon inserts they've gathered and wonder, “˜what now?' Well, that depends on who you talk to.
Couponers tend to fall into two camps: those who clip and those who file. If you aren't sure what to do, keep reading to learn the pros and cons of each method as well as my personal recommendation.
Clipping coupons
Clippers make up the first group of couponers. These are the ladies (and gents) who sit down once a week and clip each and every coupon out of the Sunday inserts. They may put them in a coupon box, but it is more likely they use a three ring binder filled with plastic sleeves intended for trading cards.
Coupons are grouped by item and placed into the sleeves. The sleeves are then split into categories for within the binder. To visualize this, remember that trading card sleeves typically have nine spots available per page so a couponer might have a page devoted to shampoo with coupons for nine different brands filed on that page.
For serious couponers, this method requires a significant time commitment to clip, file and maintain their binders. But the result is an impressively organized collection of coupons that can be easily transported. With a binder full of clipped coupons, you can easily take advantage of unadvertised deals you may find in the store.
Filing inserts
A less intense way of couponing involves simply filing away the Sunday inserts by date. They can be put into a file cabinet, box or a three ring binder with full page plastic sleeves. Then when a deal calls for a coupon from say, the August 4th Red Plum insert, you can pull out that insert and clip just the coupon you need.
This method requires you to use a coupon database since you won't be able to simply open your binder and go directly to a page full of coupons for the product on sale. Our SavingsAngel.com database automatically displays the coupons needed for the week's deals, but members can also search separately for coupons for all their favorite products.
When you file inserts, you can't “˜coupon on the fly' since you won't have your entire coupon stash with you in the store. However, using this system may mean you only spend 2 hours a week couponing and shopping rather than 20 hours.
My recommendation
Unless someone really enjoys couponing as a hobby, I almost always recommend people file inserts rather than clip coupons. Clipping coupons requires a lot of time, and time is short for most of us. New couponers, in particular, are apt to quickly burn out and give up if they have to clip all their inserts.
Yes, you may miss out on some unadvertised specials, but I think missing the occasional deal is worth the time and energy you save. Consider the binders the extreme couponers carry on TV. Their binders may be 10-20 pounds, and chances are they are only using a fraction of those clipped coupons. They spend a lot of time clipping coupons they will likely never use.
Wouldn't you rather only clip the coupons you'll actually need? At SavingsAngel, we find our shoppers can typically save 50-60 percent or more each week by using our coupon database and their filed inserts.
Now, you may be wondering what to do with printable coupons and other random coupons you collect from various sources. Stay tuned for a future column in which we'll discuss how to organize and store those.
