I shared with you the other day on how to roll ECBs at CVS. Well, I am so excited that my friend, Christy, was able to do an excellent example on how to roll Catalinas at a grocery store.

If you are wondering what a catalina is, it’s just a coupon that prints out after you check-out at a store that can be used on your next purchase. See her picture on her posting for an example.

In her posting, she spends $5 for 15 boxes of fruit snacks, but still has $3.50 in catalinas to use on another order–$.10 a box! Talk about a great way to stockpile.

So if you want to see a little insight into rolling catalinas and stockpiling, check out Coupon Gal’s posting.

Great write-up, Christy!

I know that when you first start off shopping at CVS and Walgreens, learning how to “roll” Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) and Register Rewards (RRs) can get kind of confusing.

My sister-in-law sent me this great little video clip from a local Chicago station here where a reporter did a small “rolling” shopping trip series. I thought it might help you see a little on how it all works.

I’m hoping to get in a series here soon explaining it all and showing you a few trips I’ll make on how to start out. I’ve been waiting for the weather to warm up some because let me tell you, it’s not fun to shop when it’s 12 degrees and it’s almost considered a “heat wave.” 🙂 But I promise I’ll get one going here soon. So stay tuned and check out the video for a little help in the meantime.

Also, I wrote up a posting on Register Rewards, Extra Care Bucks and Stacking Coupons. I’m hoping that will offer a little more help, as well.

Thanks for sharing the video, Jodi!

First, there is no right or wrong way to organize coupons. The only right way, is the one that works for you. There are several methods for organizing coupons, but here are the Top 3 that I’ve seen:

(Photo from Super Jenn)

1) Coupon Binder – This is some form of zippered/closed binder that they put “baseball card sleeves” in to hold the coupons. The coupons are “clipped” and folded into the slots of the sleeves so that you can just flip through your coupons page by page. To see how to organize one, Super Jenn has a posting HERE.

(Photo from Money Saving Mom)

2) Coupon Box – This is some form of box where the “clipped” coupons are usually kept in some type of labeled envelope system. If you go with this method, I’d highly advise a box with a secure lid! Usually, when they shop, the box is put in the child seat of the cart for easy access.

3) Coupon Insert Method – This is where the coupon inserts from the Sunday paper are kept intact, and either not clipped or partially clipped, and filed by week. Usually an expandable file folder that has tabs for labeling is used.

I currently use the Coupon Insert Method. Now you may ask, if you don’t clip all the coupons, how can you possible use them? Good question! It’s important to know what coupons are out, so each Sunday, I’ll flip through all my inserts to see what I think I might need. I clip those right away. I then label each insert with that week’s date, so this Sunday’s inserts would be 7/12/09 SS, 7/12/09 RP and/or 7/12/09 P&G, if there was one. I’ll then file them under July. It looks something like this:

(Photo from Coupon Geek) 🙂

The coupons that I clip, I put into a mini-expandable file coupon holder that fits nicely in my purse so I always have the ones I think I’ll need with me. It looks something like this:

(Photo from Coupon Geek) 🙂

Typically blogs will list where you can find the coupon needed for a deal. They say something like, “Use the $1/1 from the 7/12 Smart Source.” I’ll then go to the 7/12Smart Source insert, find the coupon and clip it. It saves me from having to clip out all those coupons, but I still have them handy in case I can get a good deal on something.

The disadvantage to this method is that you don’t have all your coupons with you when you shop. But I look at it this way, while I may miss out on a clearanced item or two; it also prevents me from “impulse shopping” and buying something that’s not on my list. I can always jot down the deal and take a chance at picking it up later in the week if I’m out again.

Now, if you make up your shopping list and you are buying, say Skippy Peanut Butter and Hunt’s Ketchup, you can go to one of the coupon databases out there and see if a coupon exists for those products. My favorite one to use is Coupon Mom. You’ll need to register, but it’s free and easy to use. Just sign-in, choose grocery coupon database and then your state. I always sort it alphabetically. For these items, I’d look for Skippy and Hunt’s. If they are listed, you’ll need to see what insert they are in. For example, the Skippy Peanut Butter says 6/14SS, I’d then go hunt down my Smart Source insert from 6/14 and clip it.

Like I said, there’s no one right way to organize coupons. You may even switch over time. I’ve tried all of them! Personally, I hate cutting out coupons and I have little spare time, so that’s why I stick with the coupon insert method now.

Always keep in mind; coupons are “regional,” meaning some areas/states get some we don’t. So you may see some listed on blogs that aren’t going to be in your inserts.

So you’ve been bit by the couponing bug and now you want to find even more coupons, but you don’t know where to look. Here are the top places to find coupons:

1) Sunday Newspapers – These are the biggest sources of coupons. To find additional copies, check recycling bins or ask your family/friends if they are using theirs. There are anywhere from none to three inserts per paper. For a preview of upcoming coupons, you can check Sunday Coupon Preview.

2) Mail – You can sign-up for coupons from Red Plum here. You can also check out their printable coupons, too.

3) Free Samples – Signing up for free samples is a great way to get some higher dollar coupons. I’d advise creating a separate email address for “freebies.”

4) In-Store – You can often find coupons called “blinkies,” which are the little machines that spit out coupons by the products they are for. There are also “tear-pads,”as well. You can sometimes even find “peelies” right on the products themselves.

5) Printable Sites – Some of the big printable sites are Coupons.com, RedPlum, Coupon Network and Smart Source. These coupons rotate week after week and usually have maximum printings that when the limit is reached, they are pulled off the site. So if you see one you think you might need, you should print it. (You can usually print two per computer.) Other sites are for eCoupons are Saving Star and Cellfire.

6) Blogs – Blogs are a great place to find coupons. I stumble upon several at my fellow blogger’s sites throughout the week. I compile them throughout the week and post them on Mondays.

7) Search Engines – If you are looking for a specific coupon, just type the brand name followed by the word coupon and you might be able to find one that way.

8) Join Groups/Surveys – There are some groups you can sign-up for that will offer/mail you coupons from time-to-time. Some are:
Vocal Point
Shoppers Voice
Upromise
Ebates
Recycle Bank

9) Manufacturers Websites – More and more manufacturers are hosting coupons on their own sites now. If you use a lot of a particular item/brand, check their website to see if they offer coupons. If they don’t, email/mail them and request some.

10) Magazines – By far, the magazine with the most coupons lately has been All You magazine, which you can only get by subscription or at Wal-Mart. The price of the magazine is well worth the coupons inside. Make sure you check your magazines to see if there are some inside.

11) Free Periodicals – Some stores will have local newsbooks that have local area coupons inside. (For Chicago, try Chicago Parent and Family Time)

12) Forums – There are several great forums out there to check into. The top ones I’ve found are WeUseCoupons, HotCouponWorld and AFullCup. You have to register at each of them, but it’s free.

13) Store Websites – Make sure you sign-up for your local store’s loyalty programs and register at their websites so you can get emailed coupons. You can add eCoupons to your card through Saving Star and Cellfire.

14) Phone Book – Don’t forget to check your phone book for coupons for your local area businesses.

15) Entertainment Books – The Entertainment books have coupons for restaurants, entertainment, retail stores, etc.

Here are a list of common sites that regularly offer coupons:
Coupons.com
RedPlum
Coupon Network
Smart Source
Pillsbury
Very Best Baking – Nestle
Family Cents
Eat Better America
Box Tops for Education
Red Plum
Target Coupon Generator
Saving Star
Cellfire