It all started with a little index card filing box. However, it wasn’t long before little coupon box was overflowing with coupons and it was time to move on to bigger and better things.
After reading and researching various coupon organization methods I decided to go with the binder method. I found this wonderful 3 inch, 3-ring Case It binder @ CVS for around $20 (of course, I used my extra bucks to pay for it)! :)
I LOVE this binder! I must say, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well this binder has held up through all my shopping trips. What I love about this binder is that it has a shoulder strap for easy carrying and it zips closed (two things I highly recommend when selecting a couponing binder!)
I like having my coupons clipped and being able to see each coupon without having to fumble through a folder or envelope. I keep my binder in my car and 95% of the time the binder goes with me into the store (I can’t risk missing a free- after-coupon clearance item, right?).
No fancy tabs or dividers here! :) I use post-it flags (freebies from ’08) to divide and organize my binder into categories.
My binder is divided into two major sections. The front half houses all my non-food coupons & the second half houses all my food related coupons. These are the categories into which I divide my food & non-food coupons.
FREE- all free product coupons
Baby- wipes, Johnson buddies, J&J products, huggies, etc.
Air Fresheners
Cleaning
Dishes
Laundry
Household- includes Ziploc bags, garbage bags, Reynolds wrap, etc.
Medicine
Paper Products-toilet paper, paper towels, kleenex
Toiletries
Toothpaste
Food Coupons
Bread
Baking
Breakfast
Condiments
Chocolate
Dairy
Frozen
Soup/pasta
Refrigerated
Snacks
I keep this smaller envelope- sized holder in my purse. If I’m doing a quick shopping trip or I already have planned what I’m going to get I will pull coupons from my binder and place them in here. I also carry my CVS extra bucks & CRT coupons in here, as well as, my weekly receipts. If you look closely you can see all my paperclips for keeping my coupons organized during my shopping trips.
How do you organize your coupons?
Hi! I'm Jamie, a wife and mom who is passionate about living debt-free, saving for a rainy day, and spending money wisely. This blog is my way of teaching other how to save so that they can live a debt-free life!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I love it!!! Even Chocolate gets its own space!!! LOL!!! ;) About a month ago, I found out how to really save money by using coupons and RR or Extra Care Bucks! It is a blessing because I am currently unemployed. I have been able to restock our empty pantry and bathroom with necessary items and also create a stockpile. I also will be donating some items to charity. I have now switched to a 2 inch binder for my coupons. I keep them alphabetically.
Lol, Of course chocolate gets it's own section. I need to be sure I can find all chocolate coupons fast. :) I'm so happy to hear that you have been able to learn how to save money using coupons- it really is pretty amazing! That's great that even though you're unemployed that you're still able to give back- what a blessing!
I, too, usually purchase multiple newspapers. I separate and make a stack of each page, then I staple the edge of each coupon (note, coupons are on both sides of the page) As I cut them out I let them fall into one of three piles: food, paper products/cleaners and self-care products, then put them into envelopes until I can file them. This pre-filing helps when I need to look for one before I get them filed. When needed, I pull one from the back of the stapled-stack. I hope this helps someone. I too am a week behind filing!
I have a binder with a clear pocket on the front – that's where I store my new in-store coupons from the Commissary or tear pads. My binder looks like yours, except I sort mine alphabetically. In the back pocket I store coupons from craft stores and Babies R Us, in the front I keep my shopping list and list of inserts. This is the best method I've found so far for random shopping trips (like oh, while we're here… we need diapers!), the only major downfall is that it's hard for me to keep up with. I buy 3-4 papers every Sunday, but don't get around to clipping them all so I always fall a couple weeks behind and it's stressful.
Sam, I totally understand about not being able to keep up! I think that is totally normal! I have two weeks worth of inserts that I still haven't either (I just carry them in a packet in my binder, until I finally get around to clipping them. :) Thanks for stopping by!