how to organize your coupons

Now that you know where to get your coupons, here is your second step - HOW TO KEEP YOUR COUPONS ORGANIZED!!

First, I want to tell you (and show you) which approach works for me. Here is my coupon binder:

Personally, I use a binder to store my coupons. My coupons are filed in baseball card holders (you can get them at Wal-mart for less than $3) which are then divided by grocery categories using tab dividers. I think this is the best approach for me and my lifestyle which may not be the best approach for you. See below for other options. The dividers help me tremendously when I am in a particular aisle in the store for example, if I am in the aisle with canned soups, canned meat and canned fruit, all I have to do is flip to my canned goods tab. I have all the coupons for that particular category right in front of me and I don't have to waste time by flipping through each individual coupon just to find the one that I need.

Also, I think it's important that I mention I also utilize an envelope system. I have an envelope for each store that I frequent. When I am doing coupon match-ups or making a list of the things I need/want and I have a coupon for that particular item, I throw it in the store envelope so that I can run in the store, grab what I went there for, hand my coupons to the cashier and get out. Yes, I do take my coupon binder with me in the event that there might be something on clearance that I could get for FREE or cheap to help with my stockpile but I try not to spend a whole lot of time in the grocery store.

There are lots of ways to organize coupons; the key is to find the approach that works best for you. Three options to consider:

- Clipping out all coupons

- Clipping out just the coupons that you intend to use

- Leaving the coupon inserts intact, and clipping coupons on an "as-needed" basis

Personally, I clip EVERY coupon but I do this for several reasons:
- I have the time
- You never know when you can get a FREE item (and I get FREE items allllll the time just because I clip every coupon)
- I'm not shopping for myself but I am shopping for the needs of our low income families at work

Whichever approach you choose, there are several things that you can do to ensure that your coupons remain neat and accessible:
Develop a filing system. Many couponers organize their coupons by grocery category - dairy, frozen foods, deli, etc. – but it's not the only way to go. Find a filing system that works for you - by aisle, by expiration, etc. – and put it into action.
Find a container to hold your coupons. Use a shoebox, a storage container, a coupon binder, a coupon wallet or a recipe box – it doesn't matter what you choose – but it's important to have a designated spot for all of those coupons.
File coupons the same day you get them. Okay, so you may not always have time to file your coupons right away, but try to file them as soon as you can. This will prevent them from getting lost, and save you the hassle of having to sort through a big mess of coupons all at once.
Purge regularly. Expired coupons won't save you money, so don't let them hog space in your coupon file. Set a schedule for purging expired coupons, and stick to it.

Sunday is my day to clip coupons, file them in my binder and to purge the expired coupons. I recognize that not all people have the time (or patience) to do all of this in one day but maybe over the course of 3 days you can get it done. Maybe day 1 you can clip coupons, day 2 you can purge and then on day 3 you can file them away. Purging is a rather easy job if you stick with it. You can even get it done while watching a 30 minute sitcom.

Another tip that might be helpful is to designate a tote bag as your "grocery trip" bag. The one I use has 2 side pockets and a main compartment where I throw in my binder and reusable grocery bags. On one side, I throw in my wallet and cell phone. I now only have ONE bag to worry about instead of my coupon binder and my purse. While I am at the store, I use my other pocket for the coupons that I will be using, which means the store envelope that I referred to earlier gets put in here and then if I use any other coupons, they go in this pocket so I am ready when I reach the check out.

I hope that this helps solve the mystery to how you can stay organized with all those coupons!

I am interested in how other people organize their coupons. Feel free to leave a comment or a picture.

Happy Shopping,
J