Coupon organization or lack thereof can make or break a coupon start up — and even derail a seasoned coupon-er. Today I will introduce you to my own coupon binder and discuss other popular options so you can choose the system that will work for you. Being comfortable with your organization set up will be one of the most efficient ways to make sure you will continue to coupon and shop smart.
Meet my binder…..
It is a zipper binder I picked up on clearance at Target after Back to School about 2 years ago (and it probably will need an update soon…here is hoping it holds until the end of September for a great deal!). I keep unclipped coupons and printable sheets I need to clip in the front zipper…on the inside of the main compartment there is an accordion file I use to hold additional coupon inserts I buy or am given (we will talk more about why I keep “overflow” later in the series) and it houses 3 pencil pouches I use for pencils, scissors and restaurant coupons. Also in the main compartment are 14 page dividers dividing my baseball card sheets of coupons by section or the page protectors I use to house the CVS beauty book sheets and my CVS ecb’s, Catalina’s and Walgreen Register Rewards.
I use the binder method because while it takes a little longer to organize, it is easiest for me to flip thru when I am planning my shopping or I happen upon a sale in the store. The pros and cons of this method are below:
Binder:
Pros:
- Easy to keep track of what you have
- Quick to find coupons
- Provides more customization of organization (grouping all likes together, etc.)
- Easy to clear out expired
Cons:
- Takes Longer to Organize
- Coupons can be awkward to fit
- Can be bulky to carry in card holders
Before I made my binder I used a 10 pocket coupon wallet. This had some great aspects to it. It fit in my purse or diaper bag and was fast to fill up. I found myself forgetting I had coupons and letting them expire though. I also got frustrated trying to find my coupons when I was planning my shopping or I ran into a clearance sale.
Coupon Wallet:
Pros:
- -Quick organization of coupons
- -Easy to carry
- -Limited organization
Cons:
- Easy to forget what you have
- Longer search time for coupons to use or clean out after expiration.
I have friends who use the envelop system and it works good for them because it is easy to put together and you can break down the categories in detail. The envelopes fit into your purse and you have easy access to them without thought. I do use envelopes to sort my coupons after I cut them if I don’t have time to put them in the card holders or I have run out of space, but my ultimate goal is to always have the coupons in the card holders so I can see quickly what I have when I see that clearance tag on the chicken strips.
Envelopes:
Pros:
- Quick organization of coupons
- Easy to carry
- Requires replacing torn or worn envelopes regularly.
Cons:
- Easy to forget what you have
- Longer search time for coupons to use or clean out after expiration.
- Longer search time for coupons to use or clean out after expiration.
The last system I will discuss is the box system of organization. You can go as large as you need to or keep it small with a recipe card box or the likes. Many people find these work well for them because it is easy to set up in the shopping cart and flip through. You can use as many dividers to separate your categories as you want and it is large enough to differenciate easily. The boxes also hold a LOT of coupons so if you plan to jump in full force you wont find yourself running out of space as I sometimes do with my binder. It is bulky and NOT easy to tote around if you don’t have a shopping cart though so that rules it out for me.
Box System:
Pros:
- Quick organization of coupons
- Easy to carry
- Provides more customization
of organization - Easy set up in cart
Cons:
- Easy to forget what you have
- Longer search time to use or clean out Q’s after expiration.
- Bulky and not convenient without a cart
of organization
I am obviously biased and prefer the binder but I know my method is not the only or best. It is just what works for ME, so I hope I provided you with adequate information to make your own choice and choose a system that will work great for you.
Questions? Did I assume you knew something and left out vital info? Do you use a system that is different at all? Did I miss something? Let us all know in the comments. I learn so much from the other bloggers I follow everyday and I am always grateful for tips and tricks!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article, Tia!
I use a system where I keep the coupons in the insert form (without cutting them out) and store them in page protectors in a binder. Then, I cut the coupons out as I am planning my trip using a site like CouponMom to help me find which coupon is in which insert.
I do use a Couponizer for those coupons I have clipped but end up not using or coupons I get from sources other than the newspaper.
Here’s a post I wrote with pictures of my system. One of the cons of this system, is that I do not have coupons ready for clearance items that I see…but I figure it cuts down on impulse purchases
.
http://www.centsablemomma.com/2008/09/how-i-organize-my-coupons.html
Thanks Tia! And you to Corrie. I’m just getting started, and am using a coupon wallet, but not sure how long it will last. I’m tempted by the notebook, but Corrie, I do like your method b/c it would cut down on wasted cutting. Plus, I’ve been wondering what the best method is for keeping surplus and this would address that. Thanks to you both! Tia, when do you buy more than one Sunday paper?
Thanks Corrie! That is a great point about impulse buying! It is an issue for me at Target for sure but usually it is less then a $1 so I have not addressed it. I date and stash my extra inserts and store them but I have never gotten into coupon mom or anything like it I think because I do better with actual ads. I am going to email you because I am hoping you will do a guest post on Grocery Game for me. I get asked a lot.
Kym, I used the coupon wallet for the first 8 years I couponed. It is much easier to carry just not so effecient for me because I would forget I had a coupon or I could mot find it when I went looking because I had so much in it. I like Corrie’s set up and it is what I do with surplus. I buy more then one Sunday paper when I know it is a big coupon week. The first Sunday after New Years weekend is always a big week so I grabbed 2 preview papers Sunday and of course we get delivery on Sunday morning too. When I see coupons for things that are big items in the house like $1 off Aaron’s soy milk and $1.00 off Peanut Butter on Sunday, I pop over to our Dollar Tree and grab a few papers because they sell Sunday’s Daily News for .75 all week and just those 2 coupons make it worth it for me.
thanks for the post. this is something that i’m working on myself and was just getting ready to post about. i hope you don’t mind, i’ve added a link from my blog back to your post since it is so thorough.
http://whatacoolidea.blogspot.com/2009/01/organization-is-key.html
Thanks Tia! After seeing the atkins coupons, I went out and bought a second paper yesterday, and need to check out Dollar Tree to see if they sell the Sunday paper here.
Wow! Thanks for breaking them all down. I am in need a new method. I used to use the coupon file, now I just throw them all in a basket and hope I can find the ones I need!
Thanks Cher! If you are considering trying out the binder method I hope you will come back tomorrow and enter my giveaway for a binder of your own! I am a big fan of your blog btw!!