I recently received an e-mail from a reader asking me how I organize my coupons.
I am a mom-to-be and have really started clipping coupons and trying to be frugal.
My question to you is, do you clip all the coupons out of the magazines or just the ones you think you will use? I’m only asking this because it seems possible to get a good deal on items that you don’t normally use – but you can’t do that if you throw the coupons away.
My second question is, how do you organize your coupons? I have a small organizer but it’s not enough for me. I forget about half the coupons I have when I get to the store and then a week later I see I had a coupon for that item.
I sent an e-mail back to the reader letting her know how I organize my coupons, but there are so many methods out there…and each method does not work for everyone.
I use the insert method, and then I have a Couponizer to hold all my loose coupons. You can find out more about my coupon organization system here (with pictures).
I thought I would open it up to you to answer the question. Please leave a comment with your system or, if you have a post written about your coupons organization, please feel free to leave a link directly to your post.
Corrie is a "cents"able wife and stay-at-home mom of 2 boys.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Empty baby wipe containers are great for storing & organizing coupons. I use one for health & beauty, one for food, etc and label the outside with a permanent marker. Then I use index cards inside each container to further divide them up so locating the coupons I need for my shopping trip is quick & easy!
I just use a cheap little file container from Target although I find myself spending a lot of time standing in the aisles at the store searching through piles of coupons. I need a better system….I’d like to try the Couponizer but it’s a little pricey. I do save all the old coupon inserts in a big file too and I date them so that I can find older coupons when new deals arise and that seems to work well for me.
I organize by aisle/department. Then I go through them before I leave to shop. Then one more quick review before I bring the cart to the checkout. That gives me a chance to find anything I may have missed. It’s really about knowing what coupons you have. Right now they probably all look the same to you, but when you get the hang of it, they start standing out it your mind. Like 10 cents off corn may make you think, “big deal, so what” and you’ll remember your opinion of it and that you had one. Another $1.00 off will stick out in your mind because, woohoo! you got a big one!
I linked to the blog hop, but I just wanted to say that I love Kristi’s idea. Years ago, there was this one brand of diaper wipes that had a “boxy” rectangular shape. They were stackable (almost like Legos, but they didn’t snap together). I used to save those for storing all kinds of things – buttons, pens, pencils, art supplies, small toys, bandaids, Q-tips, disposable razors, dental products. If it fit, it probably had a box. LOL! For some reason, it didn’t occur to me to store coupons in them. Sadly, that brand “disappared” some years ago. I still have MANY of the containers, but they are in use. Unfortunately, I took quite a few to the dump a few weeks ago. It figures! I just may need to re-purpose one or two of the ones I kept. ;oP
Oh, and another storage idea (totally unrelated to couponing), I now buy wipes in a round tub. I’ve been saving those for…drum roll please…YARN. I haven’t tried it yet, but I just know I can put a skein of yarn in the tub and run the loose end up through the hole in the top of the lid. If I were working on a project with several colors, the skeins would NOT be able to get tangled.
)
Can you tell I love storage? My goal is a place for everything and everything in its place. (That doesn’t mean I achieve it though.)