[watawata]

I read the sticky on coupon organizing tip and there were wealth of information! For me as a newbie, it was a little overwhelming, too LOL I haven't even started getting the Sunday newspaper yet, but I'm trying to see what organizing method would work for me, and I'm thinking of "keep inserts intact and clip as you need" method to start with.

1. If you organize your coupon by "keep inserts intact" and cut up coupons as you need (by matching with sale etc.), how successfull are you? I read that pros are less time clipping, but cons are you can miss deals because you didn't have the coupon with you at the store.

2. I'll probably start with getting one Sunday newspaper per week, and if I do that, do you think my file box where I keep intact inserts would be way too big or thick? Also, for expiration dates, how far back do you usually keep your inserts? 2-3 months or longer? Is the pile of intact inserts thin enough (say, keep them in a tote bag etc.) to carry into the store?

3. With "keep inserts intact" method, matching the coupon with store's sales and/or store coupon is the key to get the rock-bottom price, right? Do you use the GroceryGuide (under "coupon resource"), and/or coupon database to find the match?

4. Any successful tip on "keep inserts intact" method is welcome!

5. Any failing stories to "keep inserts intact" method?

TIA!