Yesterday we listed all the MANY places to find coupons, now on to organizing what we've found! There are many ways to organize coupons, but the important thing is to have them organized. Planning out my shopping trips is a much quicker process when I know exactly where my coupons are and can easily find the ones I want. There's no right or wrong way to organize, but here are my top picks:
1) Three-Ring Binder: This is a great way to organize whole coupon inserts. I keep all of my inserts intact until I am ready to use the coupon. This is perfect for those who follow drugstore and grocery match ups which list coupons from specific inserts; keeping the coupons unclipped makes it easier to find a coupon listed in a match up.
There are a few ways to store your whole inserts in a binder. One easy way is to use a hole punch so that the binder rings can go directly through the inserts. However, this has the potential to damage coupons so my preferred method is to place the inserts in clear plastic sheet protectors. You can also keep clipped coupons (such as online coupons) in your binder by using trading/baseball card sheets. I've found these sheets at the dollar store!
To create your own coupon binder, you'll need to organize the coupon inserts by date. You can find the date in very small print along the spine of the insert cover. I like to write the date across the front of the insert for easy reference later.
2) Accordion Folder: A large accordion folder is a good choice for those who clip all of their coupons in advance. You can use the various pockets to divide coupons up by category and keep them sorted by expiration date.
A small accordion folder is nice to use to actually bring into the store. This is what I use for my shopping trips after I've clipped coupons out of my binder. It also doubles as a great place to store ExtraCare Bucks and Register Rewards earned from CVS and Walgreens, as well as receipts.
Tip: look for accordion folders in the dollar section at Target toward the end of the summer.
1) Three-Ring Binder: This is a great way to organize whole coupon inserts. I keep all of my inserts intact until I am ready to use the coupon. This is perfect for those who follow drugstore and grocery match ups which list coupons from specific inserts; keeping the coupons unclipped makes it easier to find a coupon listed in a match up.
There are a few ways to store your whole inserts in a binder. One easy way is to use a hole punch so that the binder rings can go directly through the inserts. However, this has the potential to damage coupons so my preferred method is to place the inserts in clear plastic sheet protectors. You can also keep clipped coupons (such as online coupons) in your binder by using trading/baseball card sheets. I've found these sheets at the dollar store!
To create your own coupon binder, you'll need to organize the coupon inserts by date. You can find the date in very small print along the spine of the insert cover. I like to write the date across the front of the insert for easy reference later.
2) Accordion Folder: A large accordion folder is a good choice for those who clip all of their coupons in advance. You can use the various pockets to divide coupons up by category and keep them sorted by expiration date.
A small accordion folder is nice to use to actually bring into the store. This is what I use for my shopping trips after I've clipped coupons out of my binder. It also doubles as a great place to store ExtraCare Bucks and Register Rewards earned from CVS and Walgreens, as well as receipts.
Tip: look for accordion folders in the dollar section at Target toward the end of the summer.
3) The Couponizer: This is a fantastic organizer especially for the
beginning couponer. The Couponizer is a complete set of tools designed to make saving money easy. It is made up of 18 category pockets for grocery coupons and other coupon and discount category pockets. The Couponizer includes a section for store loyalty cards, a shopping list, a CoupTracker (to keep track of your fabulous coupon savings!), and a pair of scissors. It also comes with a CoupStacker to store coupons that don't fit into the Couponizer.
* I started with an envelope - moved on to the accordion - then to the Couponizer - and finally am currently using a mix of the binder and accordion (I use it to put organize coupons for my weekly shopping trips by store). So, you may start with one, try it, then realize you need another one.
For those short on time - just file the ENTIRE insert by date in a file drawer/crate. Then use our coupon database, it lists the date of the insert the coupon is in, so you can find that insert and quickly cut that coupon. It's super easy!
*Please leave any questions or comments below or e-mail me (mymilitarymommy @ gmail.com)
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