Couponing 101

Get Organized

There is no right or wrong way when it comes to organizing your coupons. THE ONLY THING I FIND TO BE TRUE IS IF YOUR COUPONS ARE ORGANIZED THEN YOU WILL USE THEM!  Organization can be the one thing that stops a newbie from couponing! It’s very overwhelming to find a new place or places for all this new “clutter”!  Lucky for us there are lots of ways to get organized!  Its OK to change methods a few times, try them all out if you need to; Just find what works for you!

Filing method : ~ Get a letter sized accordion file and file your coupon inserts. Don’t clip until you use them.
~ Get a wallet size accordion file and clip your coupons.

No-clip method :~ Don’t clip your inserts. Place them in a sheet protector along with a list of all of the coupons in the insert. Then put all of your inserts in a binder
Binder Method :
~ This is my favorite method.  I clip my coupons and keep them organized by categories in baseball card holders.


 Start Printing Coupons
 
Internet Coupons:  Coupons you can print at home from your computer.
My favorite FREE sites to print from:
Newspaper Coupons: These come as inserts in the Sunday Paper. Looks for the names Smart Source, Procter & Gamble, General Mills and Red Plum.
GET THE EXTREME COUPONING NEWSPAPER DEAL 
WITH THE IDAHO STATESMAN
 
Store coupons: Can be found in the store and on their website.
Catalina- a printable coupon that is handed to you with your receipt at the store, most often  can be used as “store cash”.  This is one of the most effective ways of getting items free! 
Peelies- peel off coupons found on products at stores
Blinkies-found in the aisle at the store spitting out of the blinking black box
Tear Pads- Usually displayed next to the product and tear off of a pad.



TO WALK THE WALK...YOU GOTTA TALK THE TALK!
The “coupon lingo” can be a little hard to understand at first.  Here is a list of commonly used Abbreviations you may find useful.

B1G1 or BOGO – Buy one get one free
B2G1 – Buy two get one free
Blinkie – In-Store coupon dispensed near product, usually from a red blinking box.
Catalina or CAT – Coupon dispensed at register after purchase, redeemable only at the store that it printed at.
DND – Do not double, a coupon with this wording is not supposed to be doubled at stores that double coupons. However coupons that have a UPC code that starts with the number 5 will often times still double, while ones that start with a 9 will not.
Double Coupon – Store coupon that a grocery store will use to double the value of a manufacture coupon.
GM – General Mills
Hangtag – A coupon or form found hanging from a tag around the neck of a bottle or jar.
Insert – Booklet of coupons found in the Sunday newspaper, insert coupons.
IP – Internet printable, a coupon or form you can print from the Internet.
MIR – Mail in rebate.
MM – Money Maker, a deal where after coupon or rebate you make money with overage of some sort.
MQ – Manufacturer Coupon, a coupon issued by a manufacturer (as opposed to a store coupon issued by a store).
OOP – Out of pocket
OYNO – On your next order, wording on Catalina or register reward coupons for which you purchase an item and receive a coupon that is for money off your next order.
Peelie – A coupon that you peel off the package.
PG or P&G – Proctor & Gamble Sunday insert coupon.
POP – Proof of purchase, required for a refund or other offer that is physically taken from a package
Printable  –  A coupon that you print from the Internet and your computer.
RC – Rain Check a slip of paper that a store issues when an item is out of stock allowing you to purchase that item at a later date at the sale price.
RP – Red Plum Sunday supplement coupons (formerly Valassis).
RR – Register Reward, the name of the Catalina promotion at Walgreens.
SCR –  Single check rebate, Rite-Aid store rebate program.
SS – SmartSource, a company that issues a Sunday insert, Blinkie coupons, printable coupons and other forms of coupons.
Stacking -When you use an in store coupon along with a manufacturer coupon
Tearpad- coupon found in store,  normally on a display case in a tearpad
V – Valassis Sunday supplement coupons, has been renamed Red Plum.
WAGS – Walgreens
WYB – When you buy
YMMV – Your mileage may vary – the success of the attempt may vary at your store.

I recommend keeping a copy of this in your binder!

HERE ARE A FEW MORE PRINTABLES THAT I KEEP IN MY BINDER.  THESE ARE GREAT REFERENCES FOR ANY COUPONER!

NOTE: This is just a general idea of when sales happen not an official schedule and can vary be region!

STOCK UP PRICES - for over 350 items!!
NOTE: Stock up prices vary by region.  These prices are my personal stock up price for my area!