How do you organize your coupons?

[IndigoMom]

I spent hours clipping coupons yesterday, and I'm at a loss on how to organize them for use. It's been a L-O-N-G time since I've used them regularly. Like, since I last needed baby products...

[shoiji]

Try couponmom website. She basically has a list you can search for coupons, also matches coupons in your area with a couple of grocery stores. That way you just keep the flyers in weekly order. Go to the flyer and cut out what you need for that specific trip to the store. Any coupons I get in the store or magazine I keep in a small area to put in a coupon holder.

I have found couponmom website saves me a lot of time. No need to clip and sort, then sort again for old coupons.

[Libby]

Since I am currently not working - I have to stop shopping and jumping in on deals when I do find a coupon I can use. For now....I have a plastic flower pot from the dollar store with all my coupons clipped inside of it. It sits on my desk. I have them grouped by category - grocery, HBA, cleaning etc. Only when I'm running low on something or a truly truly truly great deal comes up that I can not pass, I will fish it out and buy it.

Couponing isn't as big of a deal in Canada as it is down in the US but I will admit, every penny does count - at least I try to make sure it does right now!

[Gotonenerveleft]

I think a lot of people do like I do and use a binder. I have one of the zip up kinds that has a bunch of pockets and places to organize things. In it I have baseball card collector pages and have index dividers for separating categories. The best thing I have though is a pencil pouch that zips up. As I go along in the store when I put an item in the buggy I put that coupon(s) in the pouch. When I get to the register I just hand over everything in the pouch to the cashier. No fuss, no muss! No more shuffling or dropping coupons like I did in the old days!

[Grainlady]

- I divide mine by use-by dates in my PRICE BOOK (small pocket folders - one side of the folder for one month) so I can quickly go through them on shopping day. Then they get tossed if I don't use them. Today is Nov. 1, so I've already tossed October coupons, and I didn't need to go through every category (if you divide them by category) to harvest the October coupons out of them.

-I don't use very many coupons because the bulk of them are for over-priced, highly-processed foods I would never purchase anyway. I purchase INGREDIENTS for the most part, not convenience foods, and make my own homemade versions.

When people first start using coupons they often make the mistake of clipping EVERYTHING. What you need to realize is that for every 50-cents you are saving you ALSO have to spend money.

-Coupons are also a good way to waste money on purchases. Unnecessary items, even at bargain prices, isn't spending money wisely. These are called Impulse Coupons in the business. Impulse coupons are those highly-advertised items your kids have seen on TV, the coupons for make-up and hair-care products, fancy candies, frozen convenience foods, etc...

-I make my own cereal from inexpensive whole grains and gluten for pennies, so I don't use coupons for cereal because we don't eat over-priced commercial boxed cereals (which, by-the-way, contain about 17-cents worth of grain for the largest food rip-off in the store - with or WITHOUT a coupon - and even less nutrition). Always look for less-expensive substitute that are higher in nutrition.

-I purchase laundry detergent in a 5-gallon bucket (1,280 loads) that will last me 3.5-years and I don't use anything other than vinegar in the rinse of the load of kitchen towels and the load of bath towels, so I don't use any coupons for laundry supplies because I buy less-expensive in bulk. I don't even go down that isle..... I have taken advantage of free shipping when it's been offered on the kind of laundry detergent I purchase on-line. It will cost me 9-cents per load for laundry detergent, and less than 5-cents for vinegar (which I purchase at Sam's Club). Clothes are soft, even line dried, so no toxic softener needed.....

-On a $50/week food budget, I purchase food with nutrition, not convenience, in mind, which eliminates many coupons. Nearly all my purchases are based on loss leaders and other discounted, clearance, or sale items.

-BTW, having a set amount of money for your food purchases is the first and best way to save. There are ALWAYS sales on something we can use. But because I have a large amount of food in storage, I don't depend on my weekly purchases for meal planning, I'm usually filling in my stockpile with the lowest costing items.

-Once you have a food budget, spend it for FOOD ONLY. Too many people say they can't stretch their food dollars because they use too much of it for non-food items. Set another amount to use for non-food items.

- I only use a coupon if I can ALSO stack savings - the items are on sale, a loss leader or clearance item, and I can get double-coupon, and possibly find a rebate. I rarely buy something just because I have a coupon for it.

[tervsforme]

I have a coupon organizer I found at the dollar store, so I just organize my coupons in that.

[tigo]

I use a plastic accordian file (small) that I got at Big Lots. It came with insert tabs so I wrote in my own catagories :
Basics (things that don't fit in any other catagory)
Meats & Dairy
Fruits & Veg
Pasta, Rice and Premade
Soups and Sauces
Personal (grooming products and makeup)
Household (paper and plastic products)
Pet
Medicine
Cleaning
Expires this Month

[mombottoo]

Years ago I catagorized them, now I just go by expiration date...I have found that by doing it this way I have less coupons expiring.

[spyzvixxen]

I do the binder system as well with about 20 general categories customized to my needs. When I'm planning my shopping trips, I make my list on an envelope and remove the coupons from my binder & put them in there.

I then have a small accordian file that fits into and stays in my purse. I put my shopping list in there along with my cash envelopes. I also keep store-specific coupons in that such as Carters, Babies R Us, etc. I find myself in those places often without planning first so it helps to have those on me at all times.

[lisettelovebug]

I use a coupon binder. You can see a pic here.

[Trishagirl]

Wow I've been using a small coupon pouch that keeps them orgainzed or they just get lost in my purse. Last time I went shopping I saved $22 YaY for me!

[NikoSan999]

I use a coupon holder that has alot of sections but not enough to completely categorize to suit me. But works for now.