OCW: Day Ten ~ How to Organize Your Coupons

If you missed any of the posts from the Online Coupon Workshop, please visit the Online Coupon Workshop page under the Welcome Tab at the top of the page. If you missed Friday’s lesson on coupon fraud, you can find it HERE.

How to Organize Your Coupons

There are lots of different methods for organizing your coupons.  None of them are the “right” way unless it is the way that works best for you.  If what you are using is hindering you from actually using it, then change your system.  Your organization method should match your lifestyle so that it is less time consuming. 

Coupon Accordion Folder
 

How to ~

• Clip all coupons and file by type.

Pros ~

• Very portable
• Easy to find coupon by type
• Great for clearance shopping 

Cons ~

• Must clip all your coupons
• Hard to find a specific coupon by date
• Some have predetermined categories

Photo Album Method or Baseball Card Pages in Folder
 

How to ~

• Decide which categories you want for your coupons.
• Clip all coupons and file by type.
• Place all coupons of one type in each pocket.

Pros ~

• Customizable
• Very portable
• Easy to find coupon by type
• Great for clearance shopping

Cons ~

• Must clip all your coupons
• Hard to find a specific coupon by date  

Storing Coupons in File Folders By Date
How to~

• Write the day the insert comes in the newspaper on the front
• File the entire insert (without cutting) in a binder or filing system.

Pros ~

• Easy to find coupon by date and insert
• Time efficient because it requires less clipping and searching

Cons ~

• Bulky and hard to carry with you
• Must use a Coupon Database to find a specific type of coupon
• Hard to clearance shop

Note: You can find a great coupon database at the Coupon Mom’s Website.

Meet Penny, My Coupon Binder

Penny is a 3-inch ring binder with page protectors & dividers.  Her cover offers a reward if she is lost.  I use her inner pockets for storing paper scraps (from the online coupons I cut) to use for shopping lists & individual store envelopes.

The first section in Penny is dedicated to the Price Book Worksheets.  The next section is where I store the Coupon Inserts by date in page protectors.  Keep flipping and you will find a section of Store Coupons, specific stores like Walgreens and Target.  After that, I have my clipped coupons organized by type.  The last section is reserved for rebate forms.

The Next Step
I used to carry Penny around but she gets really heavy, especially when I have her on one arm and a child on the other.  So, I placed her in a sturdy utility tote. Also in the tote, you will find:

—  File folders for:
—  Online Coupons (unclipped)
—  Clipped Coupons waiting to be filed
—  Magazines
—  Receipts in a gallon-sized zip top bag

—  Pockets for:
—  Pens & Pencils
—  Post-it Notes
—  Calculator
—  Scissors

Keeping everything together in Penny is extremely time efficient. When I am getting ready to shop, I print out my coupon match-up list from Southern Savers, sit down and cut out the coupons I will need for my trip. I place the coupons in an envelope marked with the store’s name and use a binder clip to attach it to my shopping list and the store advertisement.

I sit down to match all of my lists for the week at the same time and then keep everything in my purse for when I am driving by the store I need.

You can see me explain how I organize my coupon binder on YouTube.

What method of coupon organization do you prefer?

You may also like ~

The Daily Saver ~ January 9thOnline Coupon Workshop ReviewThe Daily Saver ~ January 10th