Mid-Nebraska Savers: Newcomers

Welcome to Mid-Nebraska Savers
You could be here because I am reaching out to the local community and someone referred you, or may want to take a couponing class and just want to save some serious money.
Regardless of how you found me, thanks for being here. As a mother of 2 growing boys and a stay at home mom, I know that by using coupons and strategic shopping you will begin to reduce your grocery budget by saving more. If I can do it, ANYONE can!
Take some time to look at the blog posts and navigation bars, read over the FAQ’s, and don’t forget to take a look at the glossary of terms so you can begin learning ”coupon lingo” You’ll find lots of good information. If you have any questions, please email me or leave a comment and I’ll answer you the best that I can.

Below are a few tips to get started and a few ideas that helped me along my journey to savings. Take the time to read over the Coupon Lingo/Glossay so you will understand what the heck I'm talking about.

After clipping coupons from the Sunday Paper Inserts, the Coupon Binder is where I started… to get organized that is.

I started clipping the inserts from the Sunday paper and saved them in 2 envelopes, one for food and the other for everything else non-food. So each week as I was doing my match-ups, I would have to skim through each and every coupon until I found (or sometimes didn't find) what coupon I was looking for. What a mess! I couldn't take it anymore. I started googling different blog sites to see how they did it and after a few failed attempts at others ideas on organizing... I broke down and got a binder. I felt silly carrying around this HUGE binder in the stores until I realized that I was the smart one and everyone who was paying full retail were the ones who should be embarrased. Lol... I then began confidently carrying my binder every where I went. I HAVE to have it everywhere I go just in case I find an unadvertised deal and need a coupon to make it an outstanding deal! Below are a few links to help you with printable online coupons and reading on how I set up my binder. Now, the binder won't work for evryone and you will have to find what is going to work best for you.

Printable Links
Coupons.com

Coupon Network

Smart Source

Red Plum

Each of these links will direct you to printable coupons :) Experiment with differen zip codes for more availability on coupons. Thats what I do to sometimes get coupons not necessarily for my area but we still have those products.

Materials Needed:

3 Ringing Binder (I prefer one that zips shut to keep everything in place. Works especially well with a 2 year old around). Great time to find cheap or clearance binders now that the initial rush for school supplies is over.
I use the 9 pocket baseball holders (holds 18 small coupons), 4 pocket photo holders (larger coupons), 6 pocket holders(medium sized coupons that are too small for the 4 pocket but too big for the 9 pocket), the 3 pocket currency holders( these are great for holding the print at home coupons), and sheet protectors. You can work with anything that helps you though, I had to find my own way of organizing and I’m sure you will too.
3-ring pencil holders ( I have 4 total)
Divider Tabs
Pen, Notepad, Extra Envelope
Coupon Policies for your Favorite Stores (I use the sheet protectors for these)
At the bottom of this post you will see links to take you straight to Amazon, where I got all of my inserts holders and if you spend $25 or more… FREE shipping.

· To set up your binder: I use a 3 ring binder (made by Mead) that zips shut and has 2 pockets for my weekly coupon match ups/shopping scenarios, coupons and coupon policies. I don’t like the expandable file ones because it is just another step to my process that I don’t need. But you can get that one if that helps your organization style better. I separate only my stores that offer store coupons, not manufacturer, so I can keep them from the rest of my manufacturer coupons and have them readily available when I am creating a shopping trip. (that’s what I use the pencil pouches for)

· For my Inserts: I like to have different sizes available for all the different sized coupons, not to mention I can’t stand my coupons folded. (See links below for Amazon.com links to inserts, binders, etc.)

· Organization: I separate my coupons into 2 main sections… FOODS and PAPER GOODS/TOILETRIES, then I divide those 2 into different sections. I start with Frozen Foods ( I don’t have them in alphabetical order and maybe I should, but it works for me) then the following groups: Canned Foods/ cupboard foods, Snack foods, Dairy Products and refrigerated items, Meats/Produce (you won’t find many coupons out there for this category so that’s why I combined them together) Cereals, Condiments… etc. I did the same thing with my Toiletries in different categorized sections that made sense to me.

· Other Items I Include: A notepad for making notes on prices and keeping my grocery lists, a pen to make notes and cross off items as I purchase them. I always try to have my lists ready before even heading out the door because I’m usually fighting a 2 year old in the store and would not even want to try doing this while I’m there. Some people like to do it that way, but I’m into getting in and getting out as quickly as possible.

· Your binder can be set up for simple couponing, drugstore shopping or even more advanced couponing - it's whatever fits your needs, your interest level or the needs of your family. Once you have your initial coupon binder set up, you are ready to head out to the stores and test it out. Don't be afraid to change your binder and make adjustments/additions where needed and best fit you.

· You are now on your way to saving more money on your grocery and drugstore shopping with your NEW coupon binder. I was once embarrassed over carrying this massive binder all around a store, but then it really hit me that all this work I’ve done to get organized and save $$ has paid off saving our family a ton of money. Besides those that don’t shop with coupons are paying full retail, I think to myself… would they pay full retail if they knew how much money they are wasting? So I no longer am embarrassed carrying my massive binder around. I take it anywhere and everywhere I go because you never know if a great deal that was unadvertised will pop up.

Amazon Links for Binders and inserts: