How to Make Your Own Coupon Binder

For all those couponers out there, we all know that in order to successfully be frugal, save money, and use coupons to their fullest, we need to stay organized. You need to ensure you use coupons before they expire, use coupons at particular stores, and use coupons for particular brands. So most couponers have found a great way to stay organized – by using a coupon binder! Here we are going to teach you how to actually make your own coupon binder:

What you’ll need:

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• 1.5” or 3” binder
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• Multiple sheets of plain white computer paper
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• 5-10 clear sheet protectors
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• 20-30 baseball card protectors/business card protectors

Instructions:

1. You will be using the plain white computer paper for the category labels and you can design the category labels however you want. You can just put their titles such as Baby coupons, Food, Household, etc. or you can put images – use your imagination! You can also print off these pre-designed category sheets http://www.4shared.com/office/QzWOQ0A_/KeepingLifeCreative_Coupon_Bin.html

2. Place each category paper into the sheet protectors.

3. Put about 5 sheets of baseball card protectors in between each category.

4. Done and ready to start couponing!

In order to stay organized and get the most out of your coupons, you want to ensure that you properly keep track of your coupons, their expiry dates, and of course to save even more money, use coupons when the product is already on sale.

Hopefully you enjoyed this do it yourself project and don’t forget to check back to Coupon-Smart.com daily for freebies, samples, Target coupons, and coupon codes.

3 Ways to Save Money This Halloween

I know – you’re probably thinking “why on earth are you bringing up Halloween already?!”. But the truth is, Halloween will be here before we know it and I’ve always been a huge believer in preparing WELL in advance! So here are five strategies for you to start thinking about to SAVE money on Halloween 2012:

1. Halloween Costumes

Of course you can make your children’s Halloween costumes from scratch, but if you prefer to buy them already made (I’m guilty of it too!) – you can get these costumes at much cheaper prices now compared to when you go to purchase them in October. You can search Halloween Express and Spirit Halloween to search for your kids dream Halloween costume!

2. Halloween Candy

For those of us who live in the suburbs, we all know how much candy we go through on All Hollows Eve! So the best way to save money on Halloween candy is to purchase baby coupons and go to your local bulk foods store and buy candy in bulk when they have certain sales.

3. Halloween Decorations

This is my favorite part of Halloween! I love decorating my house and having the kids help out! Usually for Halloween decorations I go and raid my local Dollar General AS SOON as they begin to sell Halloween decorations (usually they put out the decorations on sale in September).

Halloween has been one of my favorite times of the year not only because I love the gorgeous autumn colors changing, but also because of the fun and excitement of Halloween! Hopefully these tips help you in cutting back your expenses this year. For more tips and tricks for saving money, visit Coupon-Smart.com and you can also purchase the Target coupons for this Also be on the lookout for Halloween coupons that we’ll be beginning to post in the next few weeks! 

5 Family Activities to do on Labor Day Weekend

Even though school has already started for most people, I’ve always considered Labor Day Weekend as the final kick off of the summer and the beginning of the school year. So I always like planning out something frugal for the final weekend!

1. Camping

Who doesn’t love packing up and heading out into the wilderness for the weekend! My kids love camping and it’s always something I’ve loved doing too! The great thing about camping on Labor Day Weekend is that its not extremely humid (like it was in July and August!) so you can enjoy a great outdoors weekend with the fam!

2. Local Festivals

Check your city’s website for local activities taking place, because most of the time there are festivals, events, and family activities going on for Labor Day Weekend. These festivals are usually either free, or very low cost to get in and you can make it a whole day event with the your little ones.

3. Go Swimming

This maybe the last nice weekend to take your kids to your local swimming park and let them enjoy swimming outdoors before the temperature drops. You can pack up a picnic, and make a whole day out of it you can do all these thing by purchasing target coupons.

4. Go Hiking

Going hiking is not only a great outdoors educational experience for your young ones, but it’s also great for getting some fitness! You can go to your local state park or national park and hike through the trails. Ensure to bring a first aid kit, lots of water, snacks, and fruits so you can get a good day event out of your hiking excursion.

5. Plan a Family BBQ

Now that the summer is over, most people are going to start getting into a busier routine and that includes your extended family. Why not throw a big family BBQ for Labor Day, but most of the time that’s the last time you’ll see them until Christmas gatherings begin. You can make it a very basic BBQ by just grilling up some hamburgers, or turn it into a potluck so that not all of the work falls on you! Don’t forget to use up some of your baby couponsto save your hard-earned money on prepping for the BBQ! .

How To Stop Wasting Food

Unfortunately in North America, wasting food has become a large problem in our society. In fact, 1.3 BILLION tons of food is wasted around the world each year. This is so unfortunate because there are so many countries in the world that have people dying everyday of starvation. So are some tips on how you can stop wasting so much food (and money!):

Stick To Your List

When you are grocery shopping, and you see a great sale, so many people buy the product just because it’s on sale. However, you should refrain from this. Before you go grocery shopping, make a list and STICK to that list and take some target coupons. Don’t get side tracked on the stores sales of the week because that causes you to buy unneeded food.

Use Leftovers

I hear of so many people who throw out whatever food is leftover from dinner and it makes me cringe to hear this! Not only are you wasting valuable food, but you might as well just throw away your money too! When dinner is done and there are usable leftovers, put them in a plastic container and you or someone in your family can take them to work the next day for lunch.

Plan Your Meals

Usually on the weekends, I have a meal plan in mind for the week and I precook my food. If you plan out your meals for the week, you are able to determine what you need and how much of it you’ll need. If you will purchase some target couponsthen this will help to eliminate waste.

Buy Proper Food Storage Containers

Of course we all want to buy the $1.00 plastic containers at the DollarTree, but if you are able to, you should invest in a glass container set as these actually keep your left over foods fresh longer than the plastic containers, not to mention that they are much safer for reheating your food.

3 Ways to Save Money at the Movie Theatre

We all love going to a movie with either friends, family, or a date . It’s always fun to go see a movie that you’ve never seen before, spend some time with friends or family, and of course, have some snacks! However, because the movie theatre industry has become such a monopoly they also raise those prices and a simple movie night can turn into a very expensive night out! For a family of four (2 adults & 2 children) it can cost the following:

2 Adults $25.98 (2 x $12.99)

2 Children $17.98 (2 x $8.99)

$43.96 ***This is WITHOUT food!

So I’ve done the research to find the absolute best strategies for you to save money on your movie nights whether you are going with a friend, a group of friends, or your whole family! By purchasing target Coupons, Have some tips that I missed? Comment below!

Go on “Cheap Night”

Most movie theatres feature a “cheap night” (it’s usually Tuesday). This “cheap night” is usually about 50% off the regular price. Cheap night is Tuesday at Empire Theatres, Cineplex, and Cinemark. AMC Theatres doesn’t appear to have a cheap night, but they do offer some great discounts randomly on tickets and food. Their August deal is 50% off Combo 1 or 2 http://go.amctheatres.com/august-combo-coupon. Regal Cinemas also does not offer cheap nights, but offers many great discounts on food and tickets randomly. They also offer $2 Candy Monday, $2 Popcorn Tuesday, and Regal Value Days randomly where you can get great discounts on tickets.

Bring Your Own Concessions

Food and drinks at the movie theatres can run up to a fairly hefty bill, so bring your own! I usually pop up some popcorn, go to the DollarTree and grab some bags of candy for the kids, and bring cans of pop or coffee . You can honestly save yourself $30 to $50!

Sign Up for Movie Rewards

So many people think purchasing target Coupons are scams, but the truth is they are designed to reward those movie-goers who frequently attend movies. AMC Theatres offers a program called AMB Stubs™, Regal Cinemas offers the Crown Club, and Cinemark offers a weekly email program where they send you exclusive discounts and offers.

Top 5 Couponing Strategies

Couponing can be a fantastic way to save money and cut back on household expenses. However, it’s not nearly as easy as you think it would be. Many people attempt to try couponing not realizing how difficult it is and they quickly become aware that it’s a difficult task to endure. Here are my top five couponing strategies that I teach to anyone trying to get into the hobby of couponing:

Learn Your Coupon Sources

A few decades ago the only place you would be able to find coupons is in your local newspaper but now couponers have access to printable coupons thanks to Coupons.com and Coupon Network, online coupon codes, and mobile coupons. We have a huge variety of where we can find coupons, so lets utilize it!

Organize Your Coupons

You won’t get anywhere with couponing if you don’t get yourself organized. You should find a binder and organize your coupons by date. Most coupons have an expiry date so that’s what you need to go by so you don’t waste a coupon.

Buy in Bulk

One of the best ways to utilize Target coupons is to buy your products in bulk. When the product is on sale and you have coupons for it, take advantage of that and buy the product in large quantities.

Give Up Brand Loyalty

If you are someone who is “loyal” to particular brands, than couponing is not for you. A couponer is aiming to do one thing and one thing only, save money. If you only buy products from a certain brand, than it doesn’t matter if you have coupons for other brands or not because you wont use them.

Only Buy What You Need

When many people start couponing, they literally just starting purchasing any products that they find coupons for – this is defeating the purpose of saving your money. It’s great that you have a coupon for a particular product, but if you are never going to use that product than you just wasted that money. So before you go plurging on all types of products, just ask yourself “Will I actually use this?”.

Hopefully these tips will help you the next time you’re couponing at your local grocery store. And remember the best time to go to the grocery store when you’re going to use grocery coupons, Target coupons is early weekday morning when it’s quiet and you don’t have to worry about long line ups at the stores.

5 Tips for Saving on Your Summer Vacation

Tis the season for summer vacationing! We all love taking a little road trip, jetting off somewhere, or taking a staycation, but vacations can also be hard on your budget. Here are some tips and resources that will help you cut back on your vacation expenses and keep you on budget.

Restaurant.com

Of course when your traveling with your family, you don’t usually have time to prepare home cooked meals so you usually end up eating out most of the time. Eating out for three per day for 3-4 people can soon add up to a very hefty bill. So check out Restaurant.com for coupons, ecoupons , target coupons and daily deals on restaurants that you can use while your on vacation to save.

Citypass.com

If you are going to one city in particular, you can search for a city pass. These are great! Basically, you purchase the city pass and you usually have access to multiple events, things to do, and attractions. It’s a great way to help you save hundreds on tickets and passes that you would buy individually.

Expedia.com

If you are required to fly to your destination, try to book as far ahead in advance as possible so you don’t get hit with a larger than normal plane ticket price. Expedia.com is one that I use quick regularly as it basically provides me all the search results for all flights and then I can choose the cheapest. However, there are other websites as well such as Hotwire.com, Orbitz.com, Kayak.com, Travelocity.com, and Priceline.com

Groupon.com

I’m a HUGE fan of Groupon and if I’m going to go on vacation to a particular city, I always sign up for email alerts from Groupon for that city. Again, a great way to get great deals that allow you to do more while on vacation.Groupon has attraction deals, restaurant deals, shopping deals, household coupons and entertainment deals on a daily basis.

AirBNB.com

This is a fairly new up and coming website that allows home owners to post their home, condo, or dwelling as a vacation rental for vacationers to save money. You can view their profile, owners get reviews from past renters, and these owners usually charge a fraction of the price that you’ll end up spending on a hotel.

Target Coupons and Financial Advice

This weekend I began compiling ideas for father’s day. I must admit, it is one of the most difficult tasks of the year. I started with a card that has my dad all over it, a card mocking how dads always tell us “don’t waste your money getting me anything for father’s day”, or “I don’t need anything, really”. This is my dad’s response for every holiday, be it father’s day, Christmas or even his Birthday. It has become such an expected response that I have a list of things that would make great gifts for my father without even having to waste either of our time with asking what he needs or would like!

1 Sporting Goods: All dads have a soft spot for a certain sport. Be it golf, baseball, motor sports. Show your dad you know more about him then he thinks, take him to a local baseball game and have him teach you about the sport, or treat dad to a couple rounds of golf with a cart at a local course. We all know dads wont spend the money on themselves to get the cart on the course, so it will have an added treat to it!

2Outdoor Activities: Now that my brother and myself are older, it has become more important for us to think of unique ways to create memories. My brother and father have begun a yearly tradition of going camping on the father’s day weekend. Camping early in the season can be less expensive then going on popular long weekends. Invite other male friends and their fathers and split the costs of renting a campsite and assign each family to bring meals for a specific day. Removing yourself from the technology we have become so dependant on, we have no other choice but to fully enjoy the company of those around us.

3 King of the Grill : Take advantage of father’s day having warmer weather and get dad something to help him master his King of the Grill status. Check out local butchers and see what kinds of specials they have, you might be able to treat dad to a fancy cut of beef for a really good price. Dad can show off his grilling skills and grill a meal fit for a king!

4 Book of Coupons: If you’re really stumped for ideas for father’s day, you can always resort to making a homemade, customized book of target Target Coupons. Include coupons to relieve dad of some of his least favorite chores; taking out the garbage early in the morning, cutting the lawn on those super hot days during the summer, washing the family vehicle. Dad will appreciate that you see how much he really is needed around the home!

5 Education: One of the best gifts that keeps on giving is that of an education. Many times local colleges will offer discounts on Target Couponsspecialty classes during the summer to the public to allow them to explore their interests. You can sign dad up for weekly culinary or art classes, something that he may have a current interest in or has always wanted to explore. Treating dad to professional classes might inspire him to find that new passion of cooking or photography that he always said he would get around to learning about!

Plan your amazing trip by purchasing household and target coupons

Summer is just around the corner and with that comes no school to keep children occupied. Finding ways to keep your kids busy in the summer doesn’t have to cost a fortune or stress you out! Here are some great summer activities for the whole family to enjoy all under $100. All you need is some imagination, a plan, need of Target Coupons and your on your way to having fun!

Plant a Family Garden: Planting a family garden can provide countless hours of fun and education to your children for well under $100. Before you choose to go to the local nursery or greenhouse, gather the troops and ask your kids to make a list of veggies they want to grow and a tools they will need to help their new plants grow. Making a list will help you stay on budget and help prepare for everything that will be needed in growing a successful garden. Head out and purchase Target Coupons, Household Coupons and all the items on your list and spend the day planting a family garden. You can teach your children how to care for the plants by watering and weeding them, as well you can show them that once those plants are fully grown they provide your family with a delicious dinner. Encourage your kids to eat healthy and pick items out of their garden to have for dinner or a snack!

Keep your eye out for deals: Keep your eye out for notifications of customer appreciation days at museums or the Zoo. Many times these attractions will offer visitors up to half off the regular price of admission. These deals can be sent out to your email or published in your local newspaper, so keep your eye open for these great discounts!

Plan a beach day! : Not all of us have the luxury of having a beach close to our homes so this is an extra special treat for those who have to drive a bit further to get to some sand and sunshine. To save money for this day trip it is best to think and plan ahead. You can Choose the closest and best beach for your family to save on gas money by purchasing Target Coupons. Pack snacks, lunches and LOTS of water for the day at the beach. Like any attraction, food and beverage prices are inflated due to supply and demand, so its best to pack them before you leave for the day. By planning ahead and packing most of your food, you will have money to treat everyone to ice cream to cool down! You can also save money by heading to the local Dollar Store and purchasing buckets and shovels for sand castle making! These inexpensive tools will provide hours of fun, and wont cause major worry if forgotten behind at the beach!

Plan a Neighborhood Block Party! : To start, do a quick and easy at-home craft day making invites to all your neighbors inviting them to the block party with craft supplies your kids may already have on hand at home. On each invite, ask each family to bring an item for a potluck lunch. Having a potluck lunch with each family bringing in food can help you save money and focus more on supplying the party with activities! Try splitting everyone into teams and play a game of soccer or baseball, create a face painting station were kids paint their parents faces and parents paint their kids faces, or get kids to plant flowers in small pots bought from the dollar store. Each of these ideas are really inexpensive and will create hours of fun for all!

Rainy Days: Not everyday during the summer can be a beautiful sun shining day! For those days that it does rain, keep the fun alive by having backup ideas some Target Coupons ready for everyone to enjoy. Start off your day by allowing everyone in the family to stay in their pajamas. Get together and build a fort, put on a couple of your favorite Disney movies to cuddle up and watch. Make a hands-on lunch where everyone helps make his or her own pizza. There are lots of ways to have fun in the comfort of your own home and still not have to use that money reserved for ‘rainy days’.

Household Coupons that can save you even more money!

Here at coupon-smart, not only are we trying to help the average person save money on there everyday purchases, but we want people to learn that the everyday products you do use can have multiple uses in the Household Coupons that can save you even more money! Here are a couple of my favorite, inexpensive items that I keep in my home that help me save money and save space with needing fewer products on my shelves!

Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are one of the best multi-use household items available. Typically used in the dryer to freshen up clothes, you can also use the sheets in your linen closet or between your bed sheets for added freshness that spreads throughout your home.
Dryer sheets also hold a compound in them that make them repel static. Use the dryer sheets to tame dry hair, to dust your home, and even pick up pet hairs stuck to the floor or your clothes from static.
Dryer sheets are also a really nifty way to keep pests away during the summer!  There is a chemical within the sheets that bugs and bees aren’t too fond of, so use them to wipe on your skin before you go sit on the patio or place in the seats of your patio furniture to keep the bugs away. Some people even swear that these inexpensive multi use sheets can repel mice and even deer from coming near your cottage or home.

Baby Wipes
I don’t have children yet, but I’ve got baby wipes and I use them everyday. These wipes can be purchased at local dollar stores in small travel size containers for those of you who don’t really believe that there are a million uses for them! I use baby wipes to remove my make up everyday, their tough on heavy makeup like mascaras and lipsticks. Many brands of Household Coupons wipes even have aloe in them so they don’t hurt my skin, and leave it feeling soft even after a long day of work.
Baby wipes with aloe are great for taking to the beach. They freshen up the skin and also give the skin moisture that it lost during a  day of fun and sun in the beach.

Coffee Filters
I first came into contact with unconventional uses of coffee filters when I was working at a local coffee shop as a teen. Instead of using heavier more expensive paper towels while cleaning glass surfaces or windows within the store, we were instructed to use coffee filters with cleaning products. The coffee filter has fewer fibers so they wont stick to the surface of the window or mirror and leave it shiny! This is a great tip about the target coupons because paper towels can become pricey and coffee filters are super inexpensive.
Coffee filters are not just for coffee; you can filter and reuse oil from frying or strain homemade soups. The filters are great absorbents too; they work well with removing excess oil from bacon or French fries, or in your cast iron pans after cooking.

Petroleum Jelly
This is another inexpensive product that everyone has in their home, most likely because it doesn’t go bad so there is no real reason to throw it out, just need to find more amazing uses for it. Aside from the dozens of beauty tricks you can use petroleum jelly for, you can also use it as a lubricant. Fix those hard to open cabinets or windows with a little petroleum jelly, or stop the squeaking of a door hinge. Petroleum jelly can also rejuvenate your leather sofa! Petroleum jelly is safe to use as a cleaner and a hydrator to make that sofa looking brand new!

Maximize your savings!

The recent introduction of television shows showing everyday people using Target coupons to save them hundreds of dollars on their everyday purchases has influenced a huge new trend in the couponing world, but are there other ways for us to save money?

One of my most favorite money saving tricks is taking the two minutes to complete online surveys found on the bottom of shopping receipts. Many receipts you get after you make a purchase offer you up to $10.00 OFF a $30.00 purchase in return for taking the time to tell them how their employees served you while you were shopping. That’s an instant 33% in savings on a purchase.

I like to shop at stores that offer customer rewards. These programs are designed to reward you for all the money you have already spent within the company. These rewards many times come in the form of free groceries or even money to spend within the store on your next purchase. Stores are not the only ones who offer their customers rewards perks, some banks and credit card companies offer cash back programs that give you money for spending money.

Aside from Target Coupons, try purchasing household items when they’re on sale. Laundry detergent and toilet paper are prime examples. A couple times a month retailers will list these products on sale for less then half of what they usually retail for. That means you can purchase more to hold you over until the next sale, or just purchase what you need and still save a lot of money you would of otherwise had to spend on household needs.

Set up an automatic savings account through your bank.  Choosing to set aside $25.0 a week really isn’t that much, especially when you don’t need to think about putting that money aside to save. If you set up an automatic withdrawal into a separate account, the money moves and you have carefree savings!

Saving all this extra money can really help us fatten up our bank accounts for a rainy day or unexpected expenses… like a tropical vacation!

Baby Coupons – How & Where to Get Them

Being parent can be a very hectic responsibility, ensuring you are doing everything correctly, teaching your child, cleaning after your child, and providing the proper supplies for your child…..it can be very overwhelming. Parenting today is far more difficult and very different than it was generations ago. Why not let the team here at Coupon-Smart.com help you out by providing you with some great coupons to help you save more and spend less. We’ve scanned newspapers, magazines, and websites to find the best coupons, deals, and discounts to help consumer’s save their money and spend more time with their little ones!

Who Needs Baby Coupons?

Well, obviously parents of little ones under the age of three years. The thing about baby products is that you should always be sure to be in stock because you usually run out of them at the worst times. If you prepare yourself, you can ensure that you are always in stock and always prepared. Baby coupons usually give you access to the best brands with the safest ingredients, all awhile, helping your budget.

It’s always a nicer feeling knowing your little one is using safe and excellent brand name products. When you can afford to buy the best diapers, baby shampoo, or baby power, the higher quality you receive is a much more comforting feeling. Whether you are a new mom or you’ve just had your fourth child, parents should always be prepared for the unexpected, and that means having extra products for unexpected situations.

Stock up on Johnson’s Baby products by using this $4 off coupon the next time you go shopping. Johnson’s is a world-known brand name known for making high quality products that are used by all ages, not just for babies. Johnson’s Baby products include diapers, baby oil, baby cream, baby shampoo, and more. Finding yourself low on diapers? Redeem this coupon the next time you go shopping and receive $1 off any package of Huggies Diapers. Interested in receiving more diapers coupons as well as other coupons for baby products? Check out our Email Subscription (along the right side of the home page), enter your email and you’ll receive our monthly newsletter with both printable coupons and coupon codes for purchasing online.

Get ready for summer with this $1 off Huggies Little Swimmers diapers coupon. Is your baby going to be teething soon? Prepare yourself for .

"Baby Coupons?

Well, obviously parents of little ones under the age of three years. The thing about baby products is that you should always be sure to be in stock because you usually run out of them at the worst times. If you prepare yourself, you can ensure that you are always in stock and always prepared. Baby coupons usually give you access to the best brands with the safest ingredients, all awhile, helping your budget.

It’s always a nicer feeling knowing your little one is using safe and excellent brand name products. When you can afford to buy the best diapers, baby shampoo, or baby power, the higher quality you receive is a much more comforting feeling. Whether you are a new mom or you’ve just had your fourth child, parents should always be prepared for the unexpected, and that means having extra products for unexpected situations.

Stock up on Johnson’s Baby products by using this $4 off coupon the next time you go shopping. Johnson’s is a world-known brand name known for making high quality products that are used by all ages, not just for babies. Johnson’s Baby products include diapers, baby oil, baby cream, baby shampoo, and more. Finding yourself low on diapers? Redeem this coupon the next time you go shopping and receive $1 off any package of Huggies Diapers. Interested in receiving more diapers coupons as well as other coupons for baby products? Check out our Email Subscription (along the right side of the home page), enter your email and you’ll receive our monthly newsletter with both printable coupons and coupon codes for purchasing online.

Get ready for summer with this $1 off Huggies Little Swimmers diapers coupon. Is your baby going to be teething soon? Prepare yourself for baby products.