Organizing Your Coupons

If you want to start couponing, you will need some sort of filing system. Couponing without organization just does not work. If you dont' know where your coupons are, you won't be able to use them to save your hard-earned money.


Envelopes
Envelopes are great for those couponers who don't use a lot of coupons. You can label several envelopes with different labels. For example, you could have separate ones for cleaning, HBA products, dairy and frozen, boxed goods, etc. I have also seen people use Ziploc bags and this might actually be better than using envelopes because your coupons won't fall out. The downside to using envelopes, or Ziploc bags, is that if you get really into couponing, it won't work anymore. It's just not that efficient of an organizational system for mass couponing.


Coupon holder
I originally started out with a small coupon holder that I bought at Target. I soon found out that this wasn't big enough for my needs so I invested in a bigger sized one at Target. These were both $1, by the way. There are several pockets to divide your coupons up by category. They came with stickers so that I could write whatever I wanted on the tabs. Coupon holders are nice for the person starting out, but when you get several copies of one insert or start really printing those Internet coupons, they just don't work as well.


Don't cut, put in folders
Now, there may be a different name for it, but for the life of me, I don't know it. This method of coupon organization is touted by many of the coupon websites such as couponmom.com and the grocerygame.com. How does it work? Well, each week when you get the inserts from the Sunday paper, you simply label a folder with the date and stick the inserts in there. Each week, you can check out one of those sites that will tell you which sales and coupons match up. The date of the insert will be listed and you just go to that folder and cut the coupon out. This is great if you are one of those people who make a grocery list and stick to it. The problem I have with this method is that I find unadvertised specials and clearance items all the time. If I didn't have my coupons with me, I would miss out on really great deals. Plus, where do you put those extra coupons, like the ones you get in the mail or in products?


Binder method
Some people use large binders with plastic insert pages that can hold baseball or business cards. I recently found that my old way of coupon organization was not working and that I needed something new. I decided to try this method. I had a binder that I figured would work until I could get a better one when school supplies went on sale. I bought one package of plastic sheets, but soon discovered that this was not enough and sent hubby out to get another pack. This seems to be enough, at least for now. I have it organized in the same order that my coupon holder was organized in. Which is good, because I only have 2 dividers right now. I am waiting on some good back-to-school sales to stock up on some. This method lets me quickly go to the coupon I want and I can easily see if I have more than one. Yes, there is an initial investment of at least the plastic pages, but I see it as an investment in my sanity. LOL. Especially with three kids, plus hubby, often tagging along to the store, being able to find coupons quickly is priceless. You may also find it a little embarrassing to walk into the store with it. Well don't be embarrassed. Look at how much money you will be saving. If it makes you feel better, find a cart outside near your and put your binder in there. No one will even notice it's there.


I hope this helps with any organizational problems you may have with your coupons. I am sure there are many more ways to organize your coupons. These are just the most popular ones. If you know of any other ways, please share by leaving a comment.