When you begin couponing in earnest, it doesn’t take long to build up a good collection of coupons. If you’re like me, having answered the first question of “Where do I get coupons?” your next question may be “How in the world am I going to organize them?” My personal choice is to use the clipless system. You can read more about that here. But, different systems work for different people so I asked Melissa from Saving Cents with Sense if she could share how she chooses to organize her coupons using a coupon binder.
Coupon Organization is definitely a personal choice and the best choice is what works for you. I’ve tried several different methods and love my new method that I have been using for about two months now. It keeps me much more organized, which cuts down on the time spent in the store (always a plus with 2 little kids in tow)!
Since some people are new to couponing or looking for new methods to organize coupons, I wanted to share my coupon binder that I made from a 3-ring binder, dividers and baseball card plastic sheets. Here’s how I made it:
3-ring Binder– I found this binder on clearance at OfficeMax for only $9.99. There is a pretty wide range of prices for 3-ring binders, but check the back clearance section of OfficeMax, Staples, Target, or even Amazon to find a good price.
Baseball Cards plastic sheets– Luckily my hubby had close to a hundred pages left over from his collecting days, so I did not need to buy any. However, I did check and Target has a pack of 35 pages for only $5. Not too bad- I would estimate that I have about 100 pages, so that would cost about $15.
Dividers– I just used old folders that we had in our office supplies. I cut them in half, added 3-punch holes, and labeled them. You could also buy label stickers to make it look neater, if wanted.
Once I made the binder, I divided my coupons into categories based of types of products. My categories include:
Grocery:
Frozen Foods
Meat & Dairy
Fresh Produce
Fresh Bread
Boxed Goods (sides, cereal, etc)
Canned Goods
Snacks
Drinks
Condiments, Sauces, and Peanut Butter
Baking Goods
Paper Products (toilet paper, napkins, paper towels)
Baby Products
Pet Products
Storage Containers (Ziploc, etc)
Batteries and Light Bulbs
Baby Products
Pet Products
Drug Store:
Tooth Care
Face Products
Hair Care
Deodorant
Shaving
Body Wash & Lotion
Feminine Products
Medicine & Vitamins
Cleaning (laundry, air fresheners, multi-purpose, and floors)
Another way to divide categories is by alphabet so that you can look up products by their names. For me, I like having all similar products on one page, but again, it depends on what works best for you.
I’ve truly enjoyed this coupon organizational system and hope that it can help some of you looking for new ways to organize all those great coupons!
