Envelope Coupon System – Save Money On Food
Using the envelope system (or money jar budgeting system) for your budget is a wise idea. Using the same system for money saving coupons is also a great idea! Take a few envelopes or a small purse-sized accordion file (I bought mine at the dollar store) and organize your coupons.
Before you go grocery shopping, consider looking at your coupons while you make your shopping list. Do this while you check the newspaper flyers for sales and great deals. When you can find a deal on something that you’ve also got a coupon for, this can help the savings really add up!
Looking at your list of coupons weekly can make it easier to save money instead of letting the coupons expire and organizing them by the type of coupon you have in the file will also make it easier to sift through your coupons to get ready to shop. Consider coupon swapping with friends as well in order to get more coupons you’ll actually use on your favourite brands.
After your list is ready, use a paper clip to attach your coupons to the list and off you go! Don’t forget to bring your coupon envelope with you in case there’s an extra unadvertised deal when you’re at the grocery store.
Bonus Budget Tip:
When you get home, figure out how much you saved and physically add that money to an extra jar or envelope that’s a slush fund for your holidays, a big ticket purchase or even just for your rainy day fund.
A lot of people save $20 or more weekly on their grocery shopping with their coupons. Keep in mind that it can be tempting to buy something just becuase you have a coupon. Carefully determine whether:
a) you need the item
and
b) whether the discount really makes the purchase worthwhile.
Happy Couponing!
Thanks for writing this.
[...] bit helps and it can be fun to see just how much you can actually save. Try keeping a tally or putting all your coupon / savings into a money jar to see how much you can save in a [...]