That was an Aladdin reference, by the way, because today I am going to give you three wishes!!!! Don't thank me yet though, because I actually chose to wishes for you. But I can promise you that it will put a lil' smile on that grouchy face of yours.
Old Navy is celebrating 5 Million FaceBook friends, by giving you 30% off of your purchase October 12- 14. I love these deals because Old Navy encourages you to show the coupon on your Smart Phone instead of printing it out. No need to waste paper! Book mark this page now, and shop your face off later.
In other retail deal news: Frederick's of Hollywood, a store that every broke diva needs to befriend, is having a 50% off of everything sale! No coupon needed, no codes to punch. Just find your closest location and head in before October 14. Gentlemen, this one is for you too. Give your girlfriend something fancy.
2) Gather all "like" booklets together. For this example, I have all 6 of my Red Plum booklets from October 7, 2012.
3) Carefully, tear each page out. Ensuring that you do not rip barcodes, dates, or any other important parts of the coupon.
4) Lay each page out on a surface (like a table, floor, or a friend's lap). Continue to lay out the pages, keeping any duplicate pages together. So, for me I have 6 of the same pages stacked on top of each other.
5) Then take those like pages, and staple them together. If there is a full page (front and back) that does not have any coupons on it, feel free to toss it. Also, sometimes the front cover won't have a coupon on it. Generally, I will keep one of those covers and staple it to the front of the next page. (The staple is a little hard to see, but it's there)
6) Continue this process with all of the pages in that magazine.
7) After you have finished that booklet, take a paper clip and paper clip those pages together. Now you have the same booklet, in an easy to read format. Also, this makes it easier clipping out every single coupon and trying to remember where you placed it.
8) Lastly, put that booklet, in order with the other Red Plum magazine. I use an accordion folder for all of my coupons. It's stretchy, easy to get in and out of, and is so much easier to keep organized than a binder. I keep P&G in the front, followed by Red Plum oldest issues to the front, followed by Smart Source oldest issues to the front, and lastly printed coupons.
Ready?
Wish 1: I wish I had some sweet new printable deals and promotions to take advantage of.
Your wish is my command:
Old Navy is celebrating 5 Million FaceBook friends, by giving you 30% off of your purchase October 12- 14. I love these deals because Old Navy encourages you to show the coupon on your Smart Phone instead of printing it out. No need to waste paper! Book mark this page now, and shop your face off later.
(Thank you Coupon Geek!!)
In other retail deal news: Frederick's of Hollywood, a store that every broke diva needs to befriend, is having a 50% off of everything sale! No coupon needed, no codes to punch. Just find your closest location and head in before October 14. Gentlemen, this one is for you too. Give your girlfriend something fancy.
Wish granted?
Wish 2: I wish you could show me an easy way to organize my coupons.
Your wish is my command!
What you will need:
1) Your coupon inserts
2) Sharpie type marker
3) Stapler with staples
4) Paper clips (big or small, both it's best to have both)
5) A place to put them all when you're done
Ready?
1) Gather all of your coupons together. If you have a few weeks worth already accumulated, then take the time to separate them by type (Smart Source, Red Plum, etc.) Next take each type, and separate them by date. You can find the date printed on the side of the booklet, generally in small font.
Take a moment, and write the date on the front of at least one of your coupon booklets.
This way, when you gather a variety of magazine, you can easily identify which one this is and quickly retrieve coupons from it.
1a) Now, if you only are planning on picking up one coupon booklet at a time, you no longer have to follow the rest of my steps, as they involve how to condense multiple booklets. Just jump on down to the step 8, and you are good to go!
But, if you're like me, and grab anywhere between 2 and 6 papers a week, follow me down this Yellow Brick Road.
2) Gather all "like" booklets together. For this example, I have all 6 of my Red Plum booklets from October 7, 2012. 
3) Carefully, tear each page out. Ensuring that you do not rip barcodes, dates, or any other important parts of the coupon. 
4) Lay each page out on a surface (like a table, floor, or a friend's lap). Continue to lay out the pages, keeping any duplicate pages together. So, for me I have 6 of the same pages stacked on top of each other.
5) Then take those like pages, and staple them together. If there is a full page (front and back) that does not have any coupons on it, feel free to toss it. Also, sometimes the front cover won't have a coupon on it. Generally, I will keep one of those covers and staple it to the front of the next page. (The staple is a little hard to see, but it's there)
6) Continue this process with all of the pages in that magazine.
7) After you have finished that booklet, take a paper clip and paper clip those pages together. Now you have the same booklet, in an easy to read format. Also, this makes it easier clipping out every single coupon and trying to remember where you placed it. 
8) Lastly, put that booklet, in order with the other Red Plum magazine. I use an accordion folder for all of my coupons. It's stretchy, easy to get in and out of, and is so much easier to keep organized than a binder. I keep P&G in the front, followed by Red Plum oldest issues to the front, followed by Smart Source oldest issues to the front, and lastly printed coupons.
Whew!! Wish granted in a big way! If any thing is not clear, or you would like a better explanation, please don't hesitate to ask me!
So, now, are you ready for your third wish!? (I know you are, don't roll your eyes at me like that.)
Wish 3: I wish I knew how to get the best deals with grocery shopping, with out wasting all of my free time.
POOF!!!
After a few sleepless nights, I have put together a massive coupon spread sheet that will revolutionize couponing. Revolutionizing is probably pushing it a bit, but I can dream, right?
Stay tuned early next week for the spread sheet, a how-to on using the spread sheet, and possibly a little bit about my shopping trip this weekend. I'm dying to share some of my free stuff with you guys!
The moral of the story: Couponing can be easy, all you have to do it put a little effort in to it!
