Women at work and their tips, challenges, advice, complaints, and experiences

Yesterday I mentioned that I believe every Workerette should know how to use coupons and rebates to save herself some cash.  But what do you do if you don't get coupons for the brands and products you use the most?

Get with some friends from the office, sisters at church, or pals from your weekly yoga class and start a coupon exchange.  There are even several ways of going about it.

First get a handful of people committed to contributing coupons to the exchange.  Five to twelve participants is usually enough to get a good variety of coupons and rebate forms without making it totally overwhelming.  Have everyone create a list of brands/products they use frequently.

Then choose a way of facilitating the exchange from the following methods:

• Have one main facilitator who keeps the lists from all participants and receives coupons from each person.  This person sorts coupons/forms into envelopes for each participant as she receives them and hands out/mails out the envelopes on a weekly basis.
• Create a box with envelopes or small files (like a recipe box) sorted by grocery aisles, such as bread/grain, sauces/spices, paper products, health and beauty aids, baby needs, etc.  Meet up once a week (or whenever is convenient for the group) and let folks sort through the box, taking out what they need and putting in what they've found. 
• Another take on this option is to have the facilitator receive all coupons one day, sort them, and then allow others to go through the box at the next get-together.
• Exchange lists (one copy of each list for each participant) or create a database with each participant's wants/needs.  Whenever someone finds coupons another person will use, they mail or deliver the coupons to that person.  (This one is the smallest burden on a facilitator, but it is also the least organized and most likely to dissolve.)

Be sure to get a group of people together who are truly committed to clipping out coupons not just for themselves but to serve others; that way you don't end up with one "coupon queen" who rules the roost (or hogs the good stuff and passes on nothing but about-to-expire coupons).  This can be especially handy if you work in a small office or a nonprofit where folks are budgetminded and willing to help each other save as much as possible.  They'll alert each other (okay, and YOU) to all sorts of great deals, sales, and other opportunities to save.  You may even save the company money too!  Free office supplies can win over many a leery manager.

(For more Frugal Friday posts, visit hostess Crystal Paine at Biblical Womanhood.)