Coupon Organization

Coupon organization to some degree is a MUST in order to be a successful saver.  I promise that without a filing system in place, you WILL become overwhelmed before the first big sale hits.  

Keep in mind, there are numerous methods to being organized in this area and honestly, it boils down to personal preference.  What works perfectly for one person might be a train wreck for another.

I personally have tried a few different methods over the years and am pretty satisified with my current (combined) method.

Method #1:

The recipe box holder or small accordian style:   Clip the coupons you think you might need and stick them in here using an index card system of sorts.  Not a lot of room here and it might take way too much time looking through each tab for what you need. Not to mention you may have thrown away some pretty amazing Q's that would match up to a sale right now! Bummer.

Method #2:

The Whole Insert Method:  Here you would keep the entire coupon insert(s) intact.  Using a Sharpie - put the date (which is found btw, on the outter crease of each insert in teeny, tiny print) on the top of each one.  If you have multiple of the same insert by all means, combine them neatly into one and mark how many on the outside too! Then you can store these in a rubbermade style bin with dividers categorized by month, date, type, etc.  However YOU choose.  Then when you look online for your pre-made weekly match-ups you can go directly to the insert named for the Q's you need for that shopping trip.  Easy, yes.  But again,  utilizing THIS method alone might cause you to miss out on sporadic deals while out and about.  Frustrating indeed.

Method #3:

The Binder Method or what I call "The Beast":  This method has been highly reconized as the method of all methods.  Either you love it or you hate it, point blank.   This method involves clipping all (or most) coupons, though you don't have to (again, personal preference) and filing them into neatly categorized sections so you have an "at a glance" system.  This method is magnificent because you can take it with you (it might get some funny looks from non-couponers but who cares, smile and carry on knowing you are about to save LOTS of money!) and always be ready for the unadvertised deal or a spectacular find on a clearance end-cap!

You can find these pre-made on-line but really, they are not hard at all to make up yourself.  1 Binder,  Dividers (plastic preferably as they get a work out), baseball card holders (again, invest for a more heavy duty kind if you can).  You can start off small and work your way up as you see fit.  The cost of start-up $20.00-$30.00 will be paid back in NO time once you start utilizing it to its fullest potential!!!