Friday, October 19, 2012

Let the Revolution Begin!

The first step of recovering in Alcoholics Anonymous is admitting you have a problem. Or, so I hear. Well, I will never ever admit that I have a problem. This weekend my "problem" allowed me to get $350 worth of food for just under $100. For the record, that haul included 13 pounds of candy (I weighed it). Yah, 13 pounds of delicious chocolate Trick or Treat candy, just let that sink in. 

Well, I gave the candy away, and like the candy I want to give away the chance for anyone to be able to do what I do. I have put together a massive coupon spreadsheet, and I have made it available via Google Docs to all of you here. Now, before you click, get ready because it will probably make you a little light headed. 

Here's what you are looking at. The first sheet, labeled "Master List" is just a list of all the coupons that I have in my collection right now. Next, you'll see 11 other sheets of coupons that I have organized by type. The coupons listed on the 11 other sheets are duplicates of the ones from the Master List. 

Each coupon has a few keys points inputted on this list:
1) The first column will tell you which coupon magazine featured the coupon: Red Plum (RP), Smart Source (SS), or Proctor and Gamble (P&G). 
2) Then it will tell you which week's magazine contains the coupon. 
3) Next, it will give a brief description of what the coupon entails. Always always read the coupon before using it in a purchase, because sometimes they have a long list of size or type requirements. Some have none. 
4) The third column lists the discount. For example, $1 off of 1 or $.75 off of 2
5) The fourth column is really a column for me, but feel free to replace it with your own! It lists how many of that coupon I have. I probably won't keep up with it, but at least I'm trying, right?
6) Next, and probably most importantly, is the expiration date. Retailers can not accept coupons after the expiration date, or the will not get reimbursed for the amount of the discount. 
7) Finally, I have listed what I organized the coupon as. Now, disclaimer, there are some inconsistencies in how I have organized things. I went through and re-organized somethings, and everything should be where it belongs. If you find a stray coupon, lemme know, k?



I am going to use this as my basis for shopping lists from here on out. My next post is going to use this database to match up in store deals and sales!! I can not wait to build on this and improve it over time!


4 comments:

  1. Holy Shit! 793 entries! This is intense. I have never seen anything like this for coupons. I am blown away and a little baffled. My paltry occasional buck or two is a failed attempt compared to your "Master List". Just looking at it is daunting, let alone trying to read beyond the 3rd entry.

    I seriously can't wrap my head around it. That is incredibly impressive, thanks for sharing that. What an amazing amount work you must have put in on this.

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    1. Thank you =]. It did take me a ridiculously long time. But, it is my passion, like fishing is yours. Both take time, but the end result make its all worth while. That master list is quite daunting to look at, but hopefully, with time (an a much better word processor than Open Office) it will be more user friendly.

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  2. This must have taken quite some time to organize. I remember reading your post about being organized and how its crucial to be an extreme couponer, you were not kidding lol. This is absolutely one of the most impressive posts I've seen yet, so keep up the good work. I don't know if i would have the patience for this but the fact that you are getting such good deals for groceries and 13 pounds of candy absolutely blows my mind. Awesome post.

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    1. Organization is key. And honestly, until I started this blog, I did not take much time out of my day to coupon. But, once I got a free item or two, I started to take it a lot more seriously. It's a snowball effect, and before you know it, you have 13 pounds of candy.

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