Coupon Starter Kit

So.. I've started to coupon! I know, I'm kinda late of the craze, but we're just now getting back out into the "real world" so we are depending on me to be frugal with our money. There are tons of great sites and blogs that I've read lately to help me start out.

Here's Fake It Frugal and that's pretty nice - it shows all these "faked" items for cheaper! I just saw fake Windex...!

Coupon Mom has a database that allows you to search for your zip code and then the store you shop at and it hooks you up with the sales that go with the coupons in certain inserts you get in the mail. Simplifying your work. - I use this now because I'm just starting out, but I'm sure I'll continue it!

This website is helpful, Coupon Lingo can be confusing, but with this you can figure it out!

There are SOOO many I can share - I have a lot ;) - Here is the last one, for now. Kansas City Mamas have tricks of the trade and they also share the hot coupons available.

So the purpose of this post is to share my starter kit for couponing!

This is what I started with. I bought a clear box with a lid, a 1 in. binder, sleeve protectors, & tab dividers. All at Walmart. I would have waited until school started because most everything you will need will be on sale up to 75% off within a month of school starting, but I needed it sooner.

My wonderful husband collects sports memorabilia and these are sport card holders we already had so I didn't buy any new. You can get different or more Pocket Pages there. <-- that website also offers binders and starter kits you can buy from them instead of making your own!

I put the sleeve protectors in the front - I'll put print outs here. Like the downloadable ones from Money Saving Mom. They have shopping lists & menu planning. Also, most anywhere online they have e-books and printable coupon 101 pages that you can add in here so you'll have it with you. You can also stash the ads of the stores you shop in so you'll have that too.

Then I spaced out the tab dividers throughout the binder. You can section it into coupon categories like - "baby, food, snack, laundry..." 

 Wonder what the box is for? I put my coupon inserts in there and keep them for awhile since couponmom.com has the database and it will tell you the date the insert is in and which one so you can maximize your savings!

I mark the date with a sharpie in the corner so I know what date this insert came out on. (I got all these tips from couponmom.com & other great websites I shared up there ^).

I was given some extra coupons and I wasn't sure which date these inserts were from... so I clipped out what I think our family will use and put into my coupon pocket pages. If I won't use them I can always give them away.

I haven't mastered this, yet and I'm sure I'll come up with things that work better for us later. This is just a starter kit I've put together and wanted to share! Maybe you can coupon too! You're always welcome to share your great ideas with me. Go make your coupon binder & start saving money!