Extreme Couponing (almost); How to Get Started

Almost extreme couponing yields big savings without going to the extremes. It is extreme couponing in moderation and it works. The savings may not be as large but it still saves money. I can't spend hours clipping and shopping each week. But, I can get into almost extreme couponing.

Combining coupons with grocery store sales saves the most money. Almost extreme couponing doesn't yield the same huge savings but it takes a lot less time. I still save money and my shelves aren't falling off of the walls.

There are two tricks to saving money with coupons. One is to find them and the other is to organize them. Extreme couponing leaves no source unturned. Online searches yielded more coupons than I imagined. My next challenge was to find local sources.

Living between two large cities means coupons from two different markets. It is an extreme couponing dream come true. Both of the larger markets distribute coupons in the Sunday paper. Our hometown newspaper distributes them on Wednesday. Coupons also show up periodically in my mailbox and in small books in the convenience store.

Getting organized for the almost extreme couponing was easier than I expected. A pen, three ring binder with pockets, three hole punch, zip style baggies and pack of dividers were perfect for getting started. Everything cost about five dollars.

Assembling the extreme couponing binder took about twenty minutes. The categories became clear after looking at the coupons my family would use. They fit into the headings of grocery, health and beauty, pets, fun (restaurants and attractions) and paper goods. It only took a minute to label dividers and put them in the binder.

There is one hole punched zip style bag for each category of my extreme couponing binder. These hold loose coupons that accumulate. Everything is neat and tidy. There's no worry of anything falling out. The pockets of my binder holds copies of the grocery ads for this week.

Inserting coupons took a little longer. I put the pages into the categories. Sometimes more than one type of coupon is on the same sheet. When that happens I choose the category that fits most of the page and put it in that category. Now that the almost extreme couponing binder is set up, my job of adding and subtracting coupons is much less time consuming.

The only 'rule' about putting a binder together is do what works for you. Some people who do the extreme couponing use pocket sleeves that hold sports cards. I've also read about others who arrange their binder according to the layout of their favorite store. One day, I may choose one of those methods. For right now, this almost extreme couponing binder fits my needs perfectly.