I am excited to be joining some other bloggers on what I will call an excursion. We are heading back to some basics. These are things we all know about, but throughout the year, forget or neglect. Hopefully our posts will help you get back to feeling good about yourself. In couponing. Eating. Budgeting. Taking Care of Yourself. And more. Every Tuesday in January, we will be featuring a topic that can help you feel renewed!
Renew Your Coupon Organization
Come on, admit it. If you have been couponing very long, coupon organization starts to feel like an oxymoron. You have coupons on the table, in your purse, in your car, and who knows where else. I have been there, and unless you are an organization queen, I bet you have too.
Ask yourself, “Is my current method of coupon organization working for me?”
I did the coupon binder thing. It did not work for me. I spent too much time trying to stay organized and never quite succeeding. I have tried lots of ways and have finally landed on filing by insert. HOW you organize your coupons does not matter. IF they are organized is what matters.
My coupons get tucked away still in the insert. I clip them when I see them on my grocery list.
Filing by insert is not for everyone. My stores don’t have a ton of unadvertised deals, so I don’t miss out on unadvertised sales. Also, when you file by insert, you still have to have a place to put those clipped coupons, catalinas, and printable coupons. My file is sometimes thin and sometimes overflowing!
If your current method is working for you, weed out the expired coupons. A ton of coupons expired on December 31st. Put all the leftover coupons in their place and breathe a sigh of relief.
If your current method is not working, research some other methods like a coupon binder, box, paper file, baggies, and inserts.
Remember, it is your time and money. You will save both if you have a good method for your own organization!
Need some additional encouragement this week? Please check out the following articles by some wonderful bloggers.
- Kansas City Mamas with the Family Budget
- Maven of Savin’ with SELF-ESTEEM: What’s your Style
- Give Me Neither with Care for Yourself: Lessons Learned from Postpartum Depression/Anxiety
- Frugal Weight Loss – Stockpiling Moms: A Guide to Frugal Living
How do you organize your coupons? Is it working for you?
I disclose : There may be affiliate links in this post.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
You are so right – I always say that coupon organization is about as personal as the kind of underwear you wear. If you don’t like it, it isn’t going to work for you.
And without an organization system, you’ll always be feeling behind the eight-ball. And nothing is worse than feeling stressed out while trying to shop and coupon.
Even with a system, my coupons get crazy sometimes!
Great reminders – this is the perfect time to re-organize and evaluate what has been working or not working for you. I cannot tell you how many times I have changed my system – and I am sure I will change again…
I think sometimes new couponers are afraid to change systems. Don’t be afraid!
I sort by insert, too, and find your database really helpful. The one small change I made last month was to collate my multiple inserts so that all my coupons from each insert were in sequence. (So, page 1 of each of the three Red Plums I got last Sunday were next to each other, followed by page 2, …) Since I don’t always use or clip all the coupons at once, it’s made it easier to find whether the coupons are there (so far). I had resisted because I don’t usually have that many (mine and my mom’s and sometimes our next door neighbor’s), but it does make it easier to purge the old ones. I also write on each month’s folder when I last purged them. I’m finding it hard to keep up with the loose ones, and to file the ones I clip but don’t use.
Glad you utilize the database!
Great post. I also agree about it being personal. When I started out, I wanted to have one of those awesome binders with the baseball card holders. It just looked so impressive. I spent HOURS doing it and then I just couldn’t keep it up. For me, losing out on the few unadvertised clearance sales is okay if it means I actually have coupons to use for the rest of the sales! My biggest challenge is staying on top of the printables – but I guess that’s part for the course with me. (You should see my pile of clean, but not put away laundry!) I’m enjoying this series – great idea, you guys!
I had one of those shiny binders too, until I left it at a store and someone stole it. That is when I knew it was time for a change!
Oh, no!! Was your name/contact info in it? That’s terrible. :-(
I left mine in the cart at CVS once and luckily someone turned it in. I had my name on it out of sheer luck but no contact info. Luckily I remembered where I last had it.
Yes, my contact info was there, and I returned less than 10 minutes after I left it. It was at Harris Teeter triple coupons. Someone knew exactly what they were getting. Sad!
I am all about the binder method. I love it but I agree it is whatever method that works for you :-)
I can’t live without my coupon clutch and the thought of it being stolen makes me want to cry.
If I didn’t work full time, I would definitely go back to the binder method. I just gotta do what works!
I clip all the coupons in the inserts. I make 2 piles, the ones I want to keep and the ones I know I wont use. This makes it easy for me, because I put the ones I’m not going to use in a baggie and let friends go through and take out what they want.
I am looking for a better organization method for the ones I’m not going to use besides a baggie. Any ideas?
I started out with an accordion file and quickly out grew it. I got an old blue jean zipper binder last January and it was served me so well!!! I just need to get some of the 4*6 photo protectors for the longer coupons.
I use the insert system also, but I find that often I am at a store and see something on clearance–knowing that the coupon is home in my insert! Very frustrating, but it hasn’t yet prompted me to start another system. The binder system seems so time consuming…
I also use the insert system, but am looking for good ideas to organize all the loose coupons I accumulate (peelies, in packages, etc). Would also ike to know how others organize the printables.
I’m a combo method girl. I file my whole inserts in a binder that I bring to the store. I have a small coupon box that I use for coupons that I’ve cut before heading to the store and for my printable and coupons that I get in the mail.
I’ve tried several different methods and this is the one that I can maintain :)
Definitely agree that you have to find what works for you.
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