Sunday, October 24, 2010

How do I Organize My Coupons!!

If you want to be successful with couponing you MUST be organized!!!  I have done quite a few organizing techniques that I have found throughout the blogging world and I am going to tell you about a few that work for me. Remember what works for one person may not work for you.  Just tweak it until its perfect for you.

So let me help you out:

1. Coupon file 

This is a good beginner coupon file. It can fit easily into your purse and is very inexpensive ($1.00).  You can find these pretty much anywhere.They have 6 slots for you to categorize however you please.

I had mine for about 2-3 months then it was so full I couldn't fit anymore inside.  I was having a hard time finding the coupons I needed.  I would have to pull them all out and fiddle through them in the store. Such a hassle...I needed to upgrade and fast.


2. File your coupons


This is a really good way to organize your coupons if you are SUPER busy but still want to coupon and save money. All you need is a file, your Sunday coupons and a black sharpie marker.

When you get your Sunday's paper all you have to do is write the date (ex: 10/24) and you file it...DONE!!  Then all you have to do is keep checking my site for the store deals that I post every week.  When there is a coupon from your Sunday's insert I will let you know if its a SS, RP or P&G and the date will follow (EX: RP 10/24 insert)

3. Coupon Binder

If your going to do this method you will need:
1. A binder (If your going to turn into a coupon diva then I recommend a 3 inch binder like mine) Some people like the ones that zipper because if it falls all your coupons won't fall all over the place.  I find those are to small for me because the largest one I saw was a 1 inch or 1 1/2 inch)
 
I LOVE this method because I have ALL my coupons with me when I go to the store. If I find something on clearance I can just pull out my coupon binder  and go. I am never caught without my binder. Sometimes there are unadvertised sales and I just hate finding a great deal and don't have my coupons with me.



This method is time consuming. You have to clip each coupon you  have and place them in the baseball card slots. With kiddies and hubby in the house this can be hard to pull time aside to do. Some people are to embarrassed to pull it out in the grocery isle to find those unadvertised deals...not me! It's funny because when I go into my local Publix they are waiting to see what deals I am finding that day.  I only go to certain cashiers and they coupon too.  We exchange deals that we have done...its all to funny!!

2. Baseball card inserts. These you can find at your local walmart or target.  My store has them in the section where you can find the baseball cards or pokemon cards. They are not very expensive. I paid about $3.00 for a pack. There are 9 slots per sheet and you will put your coupons in the front and back.

3. Envelopes I also use envelopes when I coupon. (you can use them or not it will be your preference) I have an envelope for each store I use. (Target, CVS, Walgreen's, Walmart, Publix)  When I am making my list to go shopping for the week I will clip all my coupons and put them in the store envelope. I put my coupons, my shopping list and my coupon policy for that store. Depending on the store I will keep my rain checks, register rewards and extra bucks in them too. Then I add the envelope in the see through slot in front of my binder.  I like this because if I make my list to go shopping and never make it to the store until a couple of days later I know exactly what to get from each store and what stores I have to go to.

This part of couponing is definitely going to take time till you find the right way for you. Remember what works for one may not work for all.  It actually took me about 6 months before I found something I was comfortable with.


I hope you all enjoy my post.  If you like my site then "follow me" by clicking the link on the right side of my blog.

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