Tuesday, January 15, 2008

WFMW: shopping info. & how I organize it!

I have a simple, very thin, yellow folder (with brads) that I keep all my couponing and couponing/shopping related information in. I keep my trusty folder w/ me in my car, so if I'm out and about and need it, its there!

Here's what I keep in my folder that is of great help to me in my couponing endevors:

front pocket:
- store coupons (ex- Bed, Bath and Beyond 20% off, etc)
- the current grocery ad's (great to have handy if I need to price-comp @ Wal-Mart)

In the middle/bradded area, in clear page protectors:
*Sale Price Cheat Sheet- I suck @ math, so this really helps!
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/talk-up/18820-sale-price-cheat-sheet.html
(the info. from HCW is on the very 1st post on this thread, just highlight and print!)

*Sales Cycles- this has helped me know when to stockpile (see my previous post about this) and when to wait to purchase larger home items.
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/frugal-living/29-sales-cycles.html
(same as above, go to the 1st post, highlight and print)

*Experation Date information- maybe I don't need to carry this sheet w/ me to the store, but it's nice to have in my folder and to reference back to.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15299767/from/RS.4/

*Can I freeze it?- this took some time to read through, but really opened my eyes to what could and couldn't be frozen. Maybe it's not the best to print, but its helpful and informative.
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/school/cstech/freezing.html

*Corporate letters from Target and Walgreens, explaining their coupon policies- these are great to have on hand, especially when you have a mis-informed cashier who tries to refuse a legal coupon.
(I can't find my link right now....I'll post it later!)

*Copies of my rebate forms that I have already mailed in. Once I receive my rebate, I remove the form and throw it away.

In the back pocket:
-My past month's excel spreadsheets. On my spreadsheets I keep track of the date, store, before coupon total, afer coupon total and $ saved. I also note type of shopping and the price of something I stockpiled. At the end of every month, I total my expenses and print these out for my records.


It's Works for Me Wednsday over at http://www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/ - go over and check it out!
Also, feel free to check out my other couponing threads about price matching @ Wal-Mart and stockpiling :)

24 comments:

Vickie said...

Sarah,
This is great information! I am just now putting together a coupon notebook/organizer to help me in this quest to save money! This sounds awesome!
Blessings,
Vickie@PursuingSimplicity

Phyllis Sommer said...

great idea - i like the part about carrying around the coupon policies. thanks!

Rebecca said...

Excellent ideas. Thanks for sharing.

Karla Porter Archer said...

i really like this idea! very helpful.

blessings,
Karla

Nikki said...

You are a fountain of knowledge. I am bookmarking your site. Thanks!

Christy said...

But what do you actually keep your coupons in?

I just saw that "Sale Chart" tonight on HCW. I am definitely going to print that one out!

Stephanie said...

Great ideas! I will definitely be bookmarking the expiration and coupon cycle info links.

For others who are interested, I keep a similar notebook. Mine is in a 3-ring binder (2 inch, I think). I use page protectors to hold the coupon circulars and baseball card sheet protectors to hold individual coupons for my "hot" coupons (ones that I know I will be using in the near future). I also carry store policies just in case.

Infinity Goods said...

Very organized and great information. Hot Coupon World seems to be a great site too. I'm bookmarking you so I can come back later and look around your blog some more. Thanks for all the info.

Vickie said...

Sarah thanks for stopping by my blog! Yes, I do live in Oklahoma too! I will take you up on that offer if I can't seem to get the hang of this couponing. I am excited to see what I can do for my family.
Blessings to you!
Vickie@PursuingSimplicity

Sarah said...

Christy- I keep my coupons in an expanding folder- read my post dated 1/2/2008

Unknown said...

Sarah,

As always great tips! Right now my purse is just boiling over with many of these things. guess its time to get organized with a notebook. Now if only I had a coupon for one:)

familymgrkendra said...

Awesome info! I have been a couponer for 10yrs and never thought about having all this info handy while shopping. Thank You for sharing this!

Amy said...

Thanks for the link of what foods can be frozen. I will find this VERY helpful.

Tiffany said...

Thanks for the tip. I really liked the site on expiration dates. I am always trying to figure out when to throw stuff out. This will definitely help!

Melissa said...

Great post! I'm a newbie when it comes to couponing, and this will help me get started off on the right foot! Thanks!

tickledpink.nicole said...

Thanks! I'm especially eager to check-ou the link on freezer friendly foods.

mer@lifeat7000feet said...

Love your ideas, and I'm impressed with some of your deals! Thanks for sharing!!

Crafty P said...

Thanks so much for your tip! I printed out a couple of things and added some to my google notebook to read later.

Great info!

Unknown said...

That's a nice idea.

Thanks!

Feel welcome to visit "works for me" at my blog

Laane on the World

Have a great day!!!

Jen @ JenuineJen said...

Thanks for the tips! Now, I am off to browse around more of your site to learn more tips.

Troye said...

Hi, Frugal Chick!
I was wondering about price comping at Wal-Mart. I spend so much time hopping from store to store to get the best price. When you price comp at Wally World, do you go straight to customer service with other store's ads and then shop. Or, do you shop and then take your ads to the front. And if so, do you have to go to customer service with your items or can you purchase through a regular line?
Thanks for your help!!!

Sarah said...

You don't have to go to customer service- Wal-Mart will price comp right at the register :)
Just take your ad's w/ you just in case, they rarely ask for them though.
Good luck!

Troye said...

One more question about price comping...
Do you just inform them that said item is on sale for X amount at Kroger this week, and they ring that up?
Thanks again!

Amy said...

Excellent post! I am bookmarking it so I can go through all of the information. So helpful (from one frugal chick to another!)