{if you missed the first post in this series about my coupon binder and how i organize it, you can find it here.}

now that our boys are settled back at school, our daughter and i have been busy catching up on our to-do list. a to-do at the top of my list was cleaning up my coupon binder. i had been so “wrapped up” in Christmas shopping, that i took a break from couponing – and my binder was definitely in need of some attention.

how much attention?

this much…..

that was my stack of expired coupons, mailers, and fliers when the clean-up was said and done! lots of coupons expire on December 31 and i clearly had quite a few of them. i was so relieved to get my binder cleaned up and ready for a new year of saving money.

not only did i clean up the binder by removing expired items, but i also clipped the new coupon inserts i had received over the last few weeks and added each of them to their designated category (see my coupon binder link above to learn more about my categories).

the whole process took about 30 minutes.

with a freshly organized binder, i am ready to jump back into my weekly coupon shopping trips. and my updated binder wasn’t the only jump start i needed to get me back in the mood for saving. i received a question from Eva – a reader here on the blog. she asked…

“once you have all of your coupons organized, how do you assemble your weekly shopping lists?”

perfect timing, Eva! read on and i hope what i share will help answer your question.

i always set up shop here in our home office…

i gather up my coupon binder, a pad of lined paper, and a pen. i sit at the office desk because i utilize our computer for searching coupon blogs or for printing online coupons from websites (like coupons.com)…

i started with my walgreens shopping list. i grabbed this weeks walgreens ad along with my plastic folder used for holding other random walgreens coupons i’ve accumulated (see that binder post for more info)….

as you will see me detail here, i keep my shopping lists very simple. i don’t type up big lists or spreadsheets because i’m not an extreme couponer. this easy process works for me. if this kind of list works for you too, that is great. but if you are new to couponing, it may take you some time to figure out what type of list or system works best for you. just go with the flow and try not to stress yourself out over it! i’ve tried many other list ideas, including writing my list on envelopes and sticking the coupons inside the envelope. but this simple list seems to work best for me.

i like to use a pad of lined paper and detail as much info as possible on that sheet. that way i am not fumbling through the ad or coupons while i’m shopping. and since i tend to shop with 1, 2, or 3 children in tow, the simpler means the better!….

if the deal is on a particular size, for example, i make sure to note that. and i also note things like if i need to buy 1 or more of that item.

then i just get started looking for deals.

while browsing a coupon blog, the first walgreens item that caught my eye was a FREE bottle of nail polish remover. i wrote down the brand name of the polish remover, followed by what the sale or regular price of that item is. that way when i’m in the store and find that brand, to quickly find the item i look at the price or the sale price sticker listed on the shelf. next, i list out the coupons i will be using for that item, and follow that with what my total cost should come to.

like i said, this one is going to be FREE! that is, if there are any bottles left by the time i get there!…

i also found a “moneymaker” while browsing a coupon blog. this one is for GOT2B hair lotion. it’s on clearance for $1.59, but when you buy that item you will receive a $2 register reward. register rewards are like cash that you can use on your next walgreens shopping trip. this is considered a moneymaker because i am spending $1.59 but gaining an extra $.41. hope that makes sense!…

blogs are great and SO helpful for people serious about saving money. there are many blogs that not only detail exactly what you should do week to week or where to find a particular coupon and in what coupon insert, but the blogs are also a wealth of information if you are just getting started with couponing.

i check blogs once a week, but most of my deals can be found by looking through the store’s weekly ad.

examples? coming right up!….

here, inside this weeks walgreens ad, you can see how the store is working on your side…showing you items in their store and telling you there is a coupon inside the sunday paper for even more savings!

see those little red boxes? the inside of that box says “less the coupon savings in most papers”. which otherwise means – look in your coupon inserts to find the coupon for this item. right there the store is helping you save money!…

another example of how being organized with your binder can help while searching through ads – walgreens has nature valley items on sale this week 4 for $10. if you buy 4 items you will receive a $3 register reward. my boys love their granola thins for school snacks so this 4 for $7 item makes a great deal…

but what makes this deal even better is flipping to the “snack” section of my coupon binder…and finding this coupon…

now, if i were an extreme couponer, i would use 4 of those coupons and buy 4 boxes of granola thins…but i don’t purchase extra sunday paper’s each week. that means i have one $.75 coupon. so, i pulled the coupon and will decide in store if i’ll buy just the 1 box or 4 boxes in order to get that register reward.

here’s another deal this week…ester-c gummy vitamins are on sale buy 1 get 1 free. these usually sell for $6.99 a bottle, so already you will be saving $6.99 by not having to pay for 1 of those 2 bottles….

but i remembered i have a walgreens catalina coupon and checked my walgreens file – yup, there it is!…

i didn’t stop there though. i flipped to the “vitamin” section of my coupon binder and found these 2 coupons…

when i use these 2 coupons i am going to save an additional $4 on top of already saving $6.99. so my total cost for each bottle of vitamins will be $1.50.

!!!!

don’t have a coupon binder? don’t fret. here i found the same coupon on coupons.com….

coupons.com will allow you 2 prints per computer, so if you are interested in this deal – head on over to this site, print them out, and go pick up the deal at your local walgreens!…

i continue browsing the ad and flipping through my coupon binder to see if i have coupons for that item. here i found tide on sale for $5.99. i have a $2 coupon which means i’ll pay just $3.99 for laundry detergent…

normally i would buy batteries at home depot or a big box store, but since i don’t have time to do that this week, and i NEED batteries (one of our smoke detectors is beeping at us), i’ll take advantage of this deal. energizer batteries are on sale for $5.99 and i found a coupon to match it…

{the battery scenario above is a perfect example of me not being an extreme couponer. i don’t complicate my life by going store to store to get the best possible deal. i have small children and my priority is them. and you can see by what i am sharing today that i WILL be getting some great deals – there is no reason to be obsessive about it and run myself (and my kids) around like crazy to save a few bucks. so, if you start couponing, keep that in mind and try not to stress yourself out.}

moving on…here is a great deal on soft-soap hand wash. i can always use this in the boys’ bathrooms. it’s on sale this week for $.99 with their in-ad coupon. and i found a $.40 coupon in my binder which will bring my total to $.59…

i found dawn dish soap on sale for $.99 with their in-ad coupon – and found a $.25 coupon in my binder…

another idea that i found has worked for me – when i use an in-ad coupon, i go ahead and clip it and add it to my stack of coupons…

that way i am not fumbling through the ad at the check-out counter. and it’s respectful of other shoppers waiting in line behind you. we have all had our fair share of customers taking too long in front of us – i try my best to make that check-out quick and easy for the cashier and myself.

after searching the ad and online (for about 30 minutes), here is my completed shopping list and stack of coupons…

all i do i tear off that sheet of paper, fold it in half, and place the coupons inside the folded page…

then i stick that bundle inside my walgreens folder and bring only that, along with my wallet, into the store when shopping…

since i had a few extra minutes, i assembled a short list of items for target. i’ll be going there anyway to grab a few other things, so why not pick up some great deals while i’m there…