Organizing your coupons?

pammygreeneyes · **Posted:** 07 Jul 2008 12:27

Until recently, I had only been clipping coupons that I KNEW I'd use. However, after seeing all I can save by hanging on to them, even for items I wouldn't normally buy (ex: Homeland sale last weekend with the ice cream bars - we usually buy the off-brand at WalMart, but Homeland's was a great deal with the coupon!), I am clipping every last one of them!! I was wondering how everyone organizes theirs....? Before a trip to the store I'll occasionally separate them into sections of the store, but that's as far as I get. Any ideas?

Karen_Perea · **Posted:** 07 Jul 2008 12:35

I have a binder and baseball card sheets and put each like coupon into its own pocket. I split up the sheets by area (HBA, Dairy, Canned, Paper products, etc) and then I use dividers to split it up so I can run through it easier. Then no matter what store I am in I can use my coupons. I always have the binder with me in the car! I have fallen behind but I have most of the coupons in the baseball card sheets now I need to put them back behind the dividers! My husband thinks it is funny to bring a binder into Wal-Mart or Homeland but he is slowly getting used to it.

Frugal Fraulein · **Posted:** 07 Jul 2008 13:02

I organize mine the same as Karen. This way you can see all your coupons at a glance and pick up unadvertised deals as well. No more shuffling through loose coupons.

bkokc00 · **Posted:** 07 Jul 2008 13:33

same here, one thing i do also is..the coupons that i'm pretty sure i don't use i just put them in an envelope, that way they don't clutter up my binder but i still have them handy if i need them. Every now and then i go thru it and take out the expired ones.

pammygreeneyes · **Posted:** 08 Jul 2008 11:52

Those are good ideas

I'm guessing with the binder and baseball card holders, that you just fold the larger coupons and stick in the pockets... Has to be better than flipping through a stack of them, trying not to drop them in the middle of the store! Ha! Last week my husband & I went to Homeland (we don't usually shop there but I HAD to go check out the sale); I just wanted to walk the aisles and check things out... ended up not getting anything, and he was a little aggrivated, but a good sport in spite of it. Yesterday after work we went to Williams, armed with my coupons yet again. He still isn't a big fan of just looking for the deals. I did talk him into going to Walgreens, though, and got a few good buys there. The more bargains we get, the more he'll like it. I'll keep working on him

Karen_Perea · **Posted:** 08 Jul 2008 12:04

My husband hates shopping (he gets "tired") so I go without him. I try and match sales at Homeland with my $1 coupons! I prefer Homeland to my Neighborhood Wal-Mart so I sometimes stop there on my way home from work so I have an idea on the average prices of the stuff I buy so I know what I should run in and grab when good coupons come out!

Frugal Fraulein · **Posted:** 09 Jul 2008 12:29

I don't take my husband either. I like to shop alone to avoid distractions and/or complaining! LOL
But I do bring my stuff home and set them on the counter or table with my receipt so when he gets home I can show him what all I got for almost nothing. Or I just remember a few of the really good deals and tell him about them. Like the other day when I got 4 packages of OM weiners, 2 tubs of cool whip, a 9oz can of Planters cashews and a 24oz jar of Planters roasted peanuts for $3.52. He loves my frugalness!

Karen_Perea · **Posted:** 09 Jul 2008 13:18

My hubby got excited over the Walgreens diapers and sent me out again and again on the 4th.

I get him excited by telling him I paid $x.xx for this stuff and that included YOUR BEER!! He knows how much the beer is so when I can come in with a couple bags of groceries and beer and spent less than the beer normally costs then the light goes on.

pammygreeneyes · **Posted:** 12 Jul 2008 14:11

Well.... I'm now a "binder babe" (made that up). We went to Staples last night and I got a 25cent binder and a pack of baseball card sheets. Got everything organized. Can't wait to put it all to good use!

*ANN* AVON QUEEN! · **Posted:** 12 Jul 2008 15:04

I guess I'm lucky since my husband usually goes with me to Homeland for coupon shopping. THe kids like to go sometimes too. I give them their own coupons and they can spend their own money (kids love to spend money). They use their allowances to buy snacks, drinks or for the girls, they like to buy their own beauty products! LOL It's fun for them and I think it's a great way to learn about math and smart ways to spend your money.

My husband likes to see the savings........after all he makes most of the money in our household and he likes to see it "spent wisely". He knows how much we save with coupons and almost always asks before buying a product if we have a coupon for it. :lol:

The kids do too! If I send him to the store for something I always send him with coupons and he's (the kids too) learning so quickly...I've never been more proud of him (them)!

Everytime we go into Homeland he sees other men in there with their wives using coupons and sometimes they even make joking comments to each other!

Frugal Fraulein · **Posted:** 12 Jul 2008 20:50

pammygreeneyes wrote:

Well.... I'm now a "binder babe" (made that up). We went to Staples last night and I got a 25cent binder and a pack of baseball card sheets. Got everything organized. Can't wait to put it all to good use!

Good for you! Have fun!!!!

pammygreeneyes · **Posted:** 28 Jul 2008 15:14

My husband admitted this weekend that he's not embarassed that I take my coupon binder with me everywhere

Yeah!

On another note... Do any of you have a method to weeding out your expired coupons? Yesterday, after adding the new coupons, I took out all that are expired or will be expiring the end of this month or beginning of August. I put them in the pencil holder in the front of my binder in case I find use for them before they expire. THEN I had tons of empty spaces, so I tried to combine each section down to as few pages as possible. This took some time, but I'm willing to do it, if it'll save some money.

AND on yet another note... For those who have dividers... How specific do you divide sections down to? I think I may divide mine more specifically; I have medications (aspirin, allergy meds, etc), food (this is SO general!), paper & cleaning goods, and bathroom stuff (toothpaste, soap, TP, feminine products). Thanks!

Frugal Fraulein · **Posted:** 28 Jul 2008 15:33

I don't know if there's any EASY way to weed out. I just simply make sure that on "like" coupons, I'm filing the latest expiration date to the back. This way I can see the expireds easily and also use them first. I'm sure you have found by now that many of the same coupons come out just about every month or so. Like lysol cleaners, glade air freshners, GM cereals, etc. so I'm constantly filing the new coupons behind the ones that are closest to expiring. Also, most coupons expire in cycles so you can set aside time once or twice a month to go through and pull them out. Like we have tons expiring on 7/31 so I'll sit down next weekend and clean out my binder.

I divide my binder pretty specifically. Food is actually broken down into dairy, pantry, frozen, meat, cereal, beverages, candy, snacks, baking/cooking etc. I have my H&B broken down into deodorant, toothpaste, feminine products, razors (including shaving cream), lotions, cleansers/body wash (includes bar soap), cosmetics, etc. I also have paper, laundry, cleaners and misc.

I put all my health items together but try to keep them grouped together into pain relievers, allergy/cold, first aid items, vitamins, etc.

You may have other categories depending on your own needs like baby stuff etc.

Hope this helps.

Karen_Perea · **Posted:** 28 Jul 2008 16:28

I have 2 binders. One is food and one is non-foods.

They are divided as follows:

Non-Food:

Air Freshners
Baby
Medicine
HBA (need to sort this down more there is just TOO much there)
Cleaners
Laundry
Paper/Plastic (This is for Potty paper, paper towels, foil, ziploc, paper plates etc)
MISC

Food:

Cereal
Sauces, Seasonings, Ketchup, Mayo
Produce
Meat
Drinks
Dairy
Junk (Candy, Popcorn, Chips, Fruit roll ups, basically junk food)
Frozen
Canned/Jar
Baby Food / Formula

*ANN* AVON QUEEN! · **Posted:** 06 Aug 2008 10:44

I just tossed out my filing folders and adopted the binder/baseball card method!

:lol:

Yay me!

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