There is something warm, fuzzy, and enjoyable about flipping through pages of a coupon insert. But coupons you print from the Internet? Not so. They are difficult, potentially dangerous, and no fun at all!

In the old days, people used ad hoc couponing. Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means spur-of-the-moment, temporary, and restricted to one item. We prefer the new way, organized (a.k.a. extreme couponing), which is just the opposite: planned, long-lasting, and without limits.

Even today most people do ad hoc couponing. If they happen to find a coupon and it happens to be for something they want, and if they happen to have it with them and they remember to use it, they save money. This is not the case with organized couponing. Organized couponers intentionally gather coupons from many different sources, organize them for easy access, and plan their shopping to reap the many benefits.

Here at CouponCreations.net we do organized couponing. Sometimes it is called disciplined or structured or systematic couponing, but we prefer to steer away from the term 'extreme couponing' because the word extreme is, well, too extreme. Organized couponing simply applies common sense organizational principles to the use of coupons to save money when buying products. It's nothing more, nothing less.

Benefits of Organized Couponing - There are several benefits you gain when you apply coupons wisely. Saving money is one benefit for sure. Here is a more complete list:

• Money saved
• Fun while shopping
• Introduction to new products
• Meeting new people
• Helping family and friends

You may know other benefits. If you do, please tell us about them (use the Contact Us link) and we will add them to the list.

How Does Organized Couponing Work? - In the graphic below you can see the three main components of organized couponing: (1) organize your coupons, (2) plan your deals, and (3) your coupon network and resources.

We won't be shy about it, all three of these steps involve work. They take effort and time. But the pay-offs can be wonderful.

Most couponers organize their coupons using a large loose-leaf binder or folding file system. They gather coupons from a variety of sources and place them into pre-defined locations in their filing system. From there they pull specific coupons for specific items. The most savings happen when you apply one or more coupons to items that are already on sale. A 'buy one get one free' sale automatically divides the price of an item in two. Add coupons on top of a BOGO and, wow!, things get very affordable very quickly.

The Internet is full of couponing resources. You can print coupons directly from your computer (but only after relinquishing your e-mail address, receiving spam, and spending money on ink) and you can find current sales and previews of future sales. The other aspect of couponing resources is your couponing friends. You will quickly meet new people with interests similar to yours and enjoy networking with them to trade tips, techniques, and -- of course -- those super deals!

For me, the best way to organize coupons is by topic. Some people like to organize coupons by date (in chronological order), but that makes it difficult to produce a coupon quickly, whenever a Target of Opportunity arises.

To organize coupons by date, all you need is a stack of coupon inserts, ads, and flyers. Put the most recent on top. You clip the coupons from the top as you need them, and throw away to bottom when the stack gets too tall.