I started couponing when my family consisted of 8, around 2008-2009.  Not all 8 were human, but ‘eh – the animals have to eat, too!

It was me, my son, my brother, my boyfriend, 2 cats, 1 dog and a turtle.  I worked full-time, my brother worked almost full-time at just over minimum wage, my boyfriend had just gotten laid off and well, the rest of the family just NEEDED us! All of the animals were strays, including the turtle.

There were times when I had NO MONEY to grocery shop.  I struck the ball out of the park on the fateful day I decided to pick up that Sunday paper.  There were a ton of freebies when combined with store sales.  Ever since then, I’ve been in love with coupons and can’t bear to pay full price for anything.

It has, however, been a  grueling process.  I spared myself by utilizing the clip when you’re ready to use them method and still practice it to this day.  My coupons are clipped and it’s time to the go to the grocery store. 

So now what?

Well, I shove those coupons into an envelope in no particular order.  We head to the store, graze through the aisles and I shuffle through my list and coupons repeatedly.  Sometimes, I dart back to an aisle because I missed the item on my list and in my coupon “stack”.  This is NOT EFFECTIVE, but I do it for years.  Of course, it didn’t take long for the family members to suddenly become “busy” or “tired” or “ill” on grocery shopping day.  While I realized how terrible my method was, the goal I achieved was so great, I saw past it.

I wish there was a better way…

Well, there is and I’ve found it! I had the opportunity to review The Couponizer on behalf of Sublime Media Connection for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

While my main method of coupon clipping/storage remains the same, The Couponizer has completely revamped my in-store methodology.

This review is brought to you by The Couponizer on behalf of Sublime Media Connection

Main Method

Following CouponMom.com, I visit the site on the appropriate day for my store or stores, sort by percent saved and plan my grocery shopping accordingly.  My coupons are stored by month in a 21 Pocket Legal File, marked with the source & date of each insert. For example, SS 6/24 is the Smartsource for 6/24 or the PG 6/3 is the June Procter & Gamble insert.  Once I decide the store or stores I want to shop and the items I want to purchase, I pull out the appropriate insert listed on my CouponMom.com Shopping List and clip.

In-Store Method

OLD: Shove the coupons into an envelope in no particular order, try to use a shopping list, only to end up darting back and forth through the store because I’ve missed things.

NEW: The Couponizer

Clip & Stack

The Coupon Stacker™ is a sorting mat used for clipping coupons.  It’s between 2-1/2 and 3 ft. long and is categorized.  Now instead of shoving everything into an envelope I can stack them.

It folds up neatly for storage.

Shopping List

The Couponizer comes with a Shopping List pad and convenient file for it.  I like to transfer my list onto this for easy-keeping in my Couponizer.

File

From there, you file your coupons into The Couponizer by category for easy access at the store.  No more darting back and forth through the store.

Bonuses

There are also sections for non-grocery coupon storage, which I keep filled at all times, such as Entertainment & Travel, Fast Food & Restaurant, Shops & Retail and more.

You can store 6 loyalty cards (or more) within The Couponizer.

Finally, keep track of your results by store receipts to add to the CoupTracker, which keeps track of your of your trips and savings.

The Couponizer comes with a nifty plastic storage bag, scissors (which I always seem to lose until now) and the absolutely awesome Coupon Stacker™

Overall

The Couponizer has made me more efficient in the grocery store, among other places.  I can store my high value coupons, coupons for free products, retail/food coupons, loyalty cards and more.  It’s almost like  form of identification that I can carry with me everywhere.  It’s my coupon identity!

With The Couponizer, grocery shopping is no longer a chore and it is a convenient way to organize my non-grocery coupons to ensure I don’t slack when it comes to dining out (fast-food in particular).D

Whether you’re a casual couponer or an “extreme” couponer, or anything in between, The Couponizer is an excellent tool for anyone wishing to save money.

Get It Now!

If The Couponizer looks like the missing link in your current coupon strategy, you can get it now and for a limited time (expires 7/31/2012), you can save 10% with the coupon code: LOVETOSAVE

Disclosure: I received the above products through Sublime Media Connection in exchange for an honest review.  In no way was I asked to give a positive review.