One of the keys to being able to effectively save money is by coupon clipping. However, it can be overwhelming to keep track of all of them! There are so many different ways to organize them but the key is to come up with a system that works for you! I will give you several ideas that I have seen as well as show you what works for me. As a side note, put your name and phone number someplace on your organizer in case it gets lost. You've spent countless hours and probably have hundreds of dollars of coupons and you would hate to lose it by leaving it at the checkout or in your cart. My father-in-law found an organizer when he was shopping and he was going to bring it home to me until he realized it had a name & phone number and turned it in. I would have been devastated if that had been mine without any contact info, so don't forget this super important tip!!!
Organizers
I've been couponing for many years and I have to say that my preferances have changed over the years. You will likely find yourself changing systems after finding that something doesn't work for you, and you might do this a lot at the beginning. That's okay and give yourself a break as you see new methods and try them. Everyone has their own preferences so use what is best for you!
I started out using the plastic envelope sizes accordian files that you can pick up at Walgreens. This worked great until I started needing more categories and I quickly ran out of room. Then I tried a plastic recipe storage box but didn't like that at all. Finally, I found a ribbon organizer that I bought at Joann's that I am loving! It has a handle at the top, a separate compartment at the bottom and snaps on & off easily. I just wish it was a bit wider so it could fit legal size envelopes. I guess I'll keep looking but I'm happy in the meantime! A friend uses an old CD wallet for her coupons and that is working fabulous for her!
Expandable Accordian File Organizer - My first organizer
Becca's Coupon Organizer
Jackie's Coupon Organizer
Coupon Organizer Tabs
These will be very personal as every coupon shopper has their own buying habits and favorites. I have found that the more categories I have, the easier it is to find something when I'm shopping with my 2 year old and time is limited. However, the downfall is it takes more time sorting and filing my coupons after I clip them. I make my envelopes by taking an index card and writing the category on one end with a sharpie. I then place it vertically at the back of the envelope and that's it! FYI, I have to trim my index cards to fit my lid.
These are my categories so feel free to add or subtract according to what you need:
Baking Supplies
Bread/RBG
Canned Fruit & Applesauce
Canned Goods & Condiments
Cereal
Cottage Cheese/Cheese/Butter
Drinks
Frozen Food
Ice Cream & Pudding
Meat
Pasta & Rice
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Salad Dressing
Snacks - Crackers & Bars
Snacks - everything else
Soups
Spaghetti Sauce & Canned Tomatoes
Yogurt
Batteries
Baby Products
Body stuff
Cleaning - laundry, dishes, windex
Cleaning - dusting, lysol, scrubing bubbles, fantastic
Dog items
Deoderant
Hair
Feminine Care
Medicine/personal care
Make-Up
Paper Goods
Shaving Supplies
Teeth Stuff
Misc - ziplock bags, candles, garbage bags, other
My Coupon Organizer Tabs
I also keep a few labeled envelopes in the bottom of my coupon organizer with all the stores that I frequnt on a regular basis. When I match the ads with the coupons, I print a master list of all the things I need to buy at the differnt stores that week. Then I put the appropriate coupons for each store in it's labeled envelope. Then, when I get to the store, I have all the coupons already pulled and in one place so I'm not searching all over for my lost coupons. Remember that disorganization is most likely lost dollars so the better prepared and organized you can be when you get to the register, the better!
There are tons of different ways to organize coupons and here are a few more links to give you more ideas. Good luck finding your system and I would love to know what has worked best for you!
Rachel's Binder Method
Laura's Binder Method
MoneySavingMom's Box Method
Ideas for Coupon System
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