Friday, November 6, 2015

'Value' Brands at the Commissary!


Have you been noticing more orange "VALUE" tags on product shelves at your local Commissary? Wondering what they are all about? Well I have an answer for you! According to the Deca website, the Commissary has "identified name brand products that provide consistent value, based on an average lower price than the equivalent store, private label item." I think it is great they are making it even easier to save money! Here is a list of the VALUE brands for the rest of 2015: click here!

Sunday, November 1, 2015

How I organize my Commissary coupons...

Coupon Organization Tips

There are a variety of ways to successfully organize your coupons. 
I've heard of using accordion files, the binder method, envelopes, and more. There really is not a "one-size-fits-all" method when it comes to coupon organization as we all have different personal preferences, lifestyles, time constraints, budgets, etc. However, I would encourage you to figure out what method works best for you.

If you don't keep your coupons organized than more than likely you won't use them. I wanted to share with you a few things that have really helped me keep my coupons organized over the years: 

I am partial to the 'binder method' for my coupon organization. I have used the same Five-Star zippered binder for about 5 years now, talk about durability! I love my coupon binder, it is awesome! I love the zipper feature that helps keep all my coupons inside in case any decide to shift about. It has a 6-pocket file section that is accessible from the front and inside. I like to keep my copies of the Commissary and AAFES coupon policies in the front file section for quick reference. I can also easily add in any additional coupons or coupon flyer booklets that I find at the store into it. The flapped and zippered pouches can hold all of my office supplies: pens, pencils, paper clips, calculator, and scissors. But lets get to the best part--the main section can hold up to 380 sheets not to mention the file section which can hold 550 sheets! Wow! If you are looking for a binder for coupon purposes at least consider this one! Buy it here!

Now let's talk about where to put your coupons in the binder. There are a variety of options here. You can keep whole/uncut inserts in the file section or store them in plastic sheets in the main compartment if you like. Although it can be more work, I prefer my coupons individually cut (and being stationed overseas they are usually mailed to me that way). For storing cut coupons, I would really recommend using a variety of plastic pocket pages. Traditionally these were used for baseball card collectors, but as couponing has become more popular, brands are now catering the pocket dimensions to more standard newspaper insert coupon sizes. I like that the pocket pages allow me to see multiple coupons at one time and with them I find searching for a specific coupon much easier. If you print out a lot of coupons from home I would recommend looking at also purchasing the currency sized holders. No more folding coupons to make them fit into the pockets--yay! Check out brands like UltraPro and BCW on Amazon. I know they offer some good coupon starter variety packs located HERE.  

Alright, so another common question surrounding coupon organization is how to sort them? I prefer to sort them by categories and subcategories. I used to organize them by store aisle. However, when PCSing ('permanent change of station' or essentially moving for those non-military) every few years, I just didn't find that to be the most practical. If you are wanting to organize by store aisle, my tip would be to go to commissaries.com. Click on 'locations' and find your local Commissary store name. Next click on 'floor plan' and it will bring up a list of general products and which aisles they are located at in your Commissary. So convenient! Here is a link for an example: click here to see an example commissary floor plan list!

But I digress, so back to organizing your coupons by category. I use the Avery big tab two pocket dividers for my coupon binder and really like them! The colors are nice and the tabs are large enough that you can write more than one word categories on them. My favorite thing about these though are the pockets! Having built in pockets are always convenient for loose coupons or whole inserts, or any other random papers that you might have. If you are interested in the dividers, check the link RIGHT HERE.


    



These are the categories I currently use in my coupon binder to keep them organized:
1. FREE products 
2. Health & Beauty (further subdivided in to Soap, Lotion, Face Cleanser, Shaving, Deodorant, Hair, Meds & Vitamins, Eyes/Contacts, Makeup/Nails).
3. Oral Hygiene (further subdivided into mouthwash, floss, toothbrush/toothpaste) Feminine Hygiene, Baby Items
4. Paper products (tissues, paper towels, napkins, toilet paper)
5. Laundry/Cleaning Supplies
6. Pet Items & Misc. (air fresh, batteries, etc.)
7. Crackers/cookies, desserts 
8. Cereal/breakfast
9. Coffee/tea, Rice & Asian foods
10. Pasta & Mexican foods
11. Canned foods
12. Baking Supplies/Seasonings
13. Bread, PB&J, Condiments/Dressings
14. Produce/Meat
15. Dairy/Refrigerated/Frozen Items

I used to religiously lug my entire coupon binder to the store with me, however, that was before I had three children, so that rarely happens anymore. After making my grocery store list, I prefer to then pull whatever coupons I plan to use from my organized binder at home and put them into a small, simple accordion style coupon holder that I then keep in my purse at the store. Although I might miss out on random deals, this makes for less weight to carry and less general 'searching' for coupons as I already have what I need. Then before checkout, I just pull out all the coupons that I will be presenting at the register. Here is a link to a similar, simple coupon holder: Click Here!

I hope that sharing how I organize my commissary coupons has helped you in some manner. If you have any tips to share about organizing your coupons, I would love to hear them! 

***Affiliate links were used in the making of this post***