Coupon organization

[PrincessSuzanne]

Ok, all you coupon users, how do you organize your coupons? I am by no means an extreme coupons, but I would at least like not forgetting to use what I have, but right now, I pretty much just have them in a zip baggie and just go thru them when I am shopping. This takes alot of time and I would prefer not to have them all over the place, and DH gets frustrated with me when we stop in the aisle in the grocery store to look for a coupon.

I want something that isn't going to be expensive to put together or overly bulky. Any suggestions?

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I purchased a Hannah Hansen coupon organizer on Ebay for about $5 with free shipping. I like it, but I'm not an extreme couponer. I clip coupons for things I use/eat and only use 2-4 coupons on any given trip. I like that it comes with index cards with tabs so you can label each section or write your own. I go through a section once a week to weed out any that have expired. The ones expiring soon (within a week) I put up front in their own section. It velcro closes and it snaps around the handlebar (or the back of the place you can put a kid) of the grocery cart so you can see all of your coupons (I've never used it like that as most of my grocery trips are in and out).

 

[JusbKoz]

Most couponing blogs do the hard work for you. They will tell you what is on sale at your grocery store. Match up the coupons with what is on sale and tell you where to find the coupon. With that being said I don't have alot of time so what I do is every Sunday I get my coupon insert then on the front page of each insert I write the date in large black lettering, paper clip it so no coupons pages can fall out and then put it in a super Saver/Red Plum/ or P&G pile and store it in drawer.Out of sight and doesn't clutter up my office. When I have looked at my sales papers and have decided what we are in need of I will go to my coupon blog/site. Click the store tab I am going to and see if the have a coupon for the item I am needing.
Such as Kroger.....Kraft cheese on sale for $2.00 and in the 8-29-11 Red Plum coupon insert is a $1.00 off coupon. I pull out that insert with the date/find the coupon/ clip it.
I usually will have a white envelope with the store name on it- the items I want to purchase from the store and then put my coupons on the inside the envelope.

 

[PudgetteD]

I use a 4" binder with baseball card pages. It's bulky, but it works for me. I like to have all my coupons with me so I can take advantage of unadvertised specials and markdowns that don't always make it on to my favorite coupon blog. (Example: my local K-mart had Hartz dog biscuits marked down from $4/box to $2/box, I had coupons for $1 off/box and was able to get about 10 boxes for less than the cost of 3 regularly priced boxes This was totally unadvertised so I would have missed it had I not had all my coupons with me).

 

[njmom47]

I use a square plastic box with a flip-up lid. I cut slices from cereal boxes to use as dividers, cutting a "blip" so I can write what type of food the coupons in that section are for. I shop in the same store every week so I have stuff divided by aisle.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I use a 4" binder with baseball card pages. It's bulky, but it works for me. I like to have all my coupons with me so I can take advantage of unadvertised specials and markdowns that don't always make it on to my favorite coupon blog. (Example: my local K-mart had Hartz dog biscuits marked down from $4/box to $2/box, I had coupons for $1 off/box and was able to get about 10 boxes for less than the cost of 3 regularly priced boxes This was totally unadvertised so I would have missed it had I not had all my coupons with me).

I have been told about this option, just wasn't sure what it might cost and where to get the baseball card pages ( I guess Walmart or Target??).

I usually only shop at one place, our Commissary and, well they don't have ads, so I have to be prepared. I try to go ahead and pull coupons for items I have on my list and any that may be so good I can't pass up the item, but like you, I like to be prepared for those unexpected cheapy items, which I find regularly at the Commissary.

I use a square plastic box with a flip-up lid. I cut slices from cereal boxes to use as dividers, cutting a "blip" so I can write what type of food the coupons in that section are for. I shop in the same store every week so I have stuff divided by aisle.

That is exactly what my grandmother used, maybe I will see if I can find me a box, maybe that will be less expensive than any other options. It just still didn't seemed to be quite as organized as I wanted to be.

 

[PudgetteD]

As far as cost goes, my binder wasn't too much. I think I paid $5 for the binder (it's the cheapest one Wal-Mart had, I'd worried that it might not hold up but it's still in great shape after 3 years). The baseball card sheets were about $5 per pack with 30 sheets to a pack. You can store 9 different coupons per page. I only bought 1 pack to start and as my coupon collection grew I purchased more sheets. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

As far as cost goes, my binder wasn't too much. I think I paid $5 for the binder (it's the cheapest one Wal-Mart had, I'd worried that it might not hold up but it's still in great shape after 3 years). The baseball card sheets were about $5 per pack with 30 sheets to a pack. You can store 9 different coupons per page. I only bought 1 pack to start and as my coupon collection grew I purchased more sheets. Good luck with whatever you choose!

I think I will probably go that route. Target had been reducing the prices on their school supplies, so I can probably get a binder pretty cheap. I like the idea of being able to open and see the coupons. I was going through mine last night and it was just a mess, I need to get a bit more organized before I go shopping tomorrow.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have something similar to the coupon organizer shown above. I did to major customizations.

One is I bought a set of 4x6 separators and cut them down a bit so I have 25 categories.

The other is I set up a spreadsheet that has columns for Category, Value, Expiration Date, and description of each coupon.

When I am done updating I give one command and it will do three separate sorts and print the list after each sort and save the file.

First list is by group and then alphabetic by brand within group
Second list is by Expiration Date and then by group
Third list is alphabetic by brand.

Yes, it took a while to initially create and load the spreadsheet with all the coupons I had, but keeping it up does not take much time and having the lists helps in shopping.

 

[Local_Girl]

I also use a binder and baseball card pages. They are divided by category. I cut cardstock pieces to fit into each slot (yes, that took some time...) and use both sides of the page, so I can fit 18 coupons into one page. I will also put more than one coupon into the same slot if I have identical coupons. I have no problem folding the coupons to fit, though some folks don't like to do that. If I have to fold it and can't see the date, I'll write the date on the coupon so it can be seen without having to pull it out.

I'm not an extreme couponer by any means, but I like being able to see the coupons easily with a couple of page flips. I used to have the envelope size coupon organizer but absolutely hated pulling out a wad of coupons from a pocket and looking through all of them in a store aisle because I just "knew I had one" I could use! I do try and go through the ads and get my coupons ready before I leave home, but there are often unexpected deals to be found at the store, (especially the commissary, where we also shop).

 

[LovesTimone]

I use a 2 inch binder, baseball card holder sleeves and business card holder sleeves, I have dividers for main categorizes, and sub categorizes with-in;
Household: Home Cleaning product, paper products, Tide, Dish cleaning, and Home scents.
I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Publix, I love their web site, I can put my list together, check if I have coupons, and when it prints, it is by isle and if there is a special sale. I do attach my coupons to the list.

I always take my binder in with me. On several shopping trips, I have gotten better buys than what was on sale. At Kroger, I found Irish Spring marked down to 1.99 and I had 1.00 coupons - I paid .99 cent each.

 

[pannm]

YUP, I do the binder and baseball card holder plastic pages. Got the binder on school clearance about 6 years ago for about $2 and I got the baseball card holders in a LARGE pack for about $3 or so.

Then, I have 'divider' pages that section things into categories. Those cost me about $1 for a pack of them. I have divided my sections into:

-food items: deli, fruits and veggies, bakery, store coupons on one page
Canned, boxed, snacks, candy, chips/crackers is one page
beverages, bread, dairy is one page-
I've pretty much organized it by my path I usually take through the store...
then in the next section I've got cleaning supplies, paper goods, food storage items,
then in another section I have makeup, personal care items
Then, I have just a section of target, and another section for Walgreens

I've found that the most room is needed for personal care (toothbrushes and toothpaste each have their own sleeve, because I have more coupons for those items than what fits in one sleeve all together)

I have separated make-up into brands, so they are easier to manage when I 'combine' things like Target or Walgreens coupons with them.

Then, in the back I have 5 big plastic sleeves for rebates, with a sheet in the first one that I've written out what rebates I've sent it and approx. how long it takes to get them back.

 

[robinb]

I tried the binder with baseball card sheets and it didn't work out for me. I ended up spending a lot of time putting the coupons in the little slots. and then it was a PITB when they expired. I went back to a coupon organizer like NeverlandClub23 posted and I find it much easier to use. I think I got it from an ad in a coupon circular .

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Thank you for all the suggestions, I think I am going to try the binder, sounds like it might be the easiest for me, I sort of remember things by sight, so I think seeing them will work out best. I have had the accordian folders before and it was still a PITA to have to check each section and sort through coupons and those other Army wives with their brood of kids racing down the aisles is not the best.

DH goes with me, but he doesn't like to help me with coupons and I am using a scooter because I have had a boot on my foot and now in another brace, so I need to be able to help myself better, it takes 2 hours to get groceries.

 

[.:allisonr:.]

I use a binder with baseball card sleeves. I have it broken down into categories - Food, Tolietries, Misc., and BOGO's. I then separate the coupons by month that they expire.