Coupon Organization

I have had several people ask me how I organize my coupons, so I thought I would sit down and write a post about it. Let me start off by saying that there are numerous ways to organize your coupons, and what works for me might not work for you. Some people use small accordion style coupon organizers; some people simply save and file their coupon inserts and only clip coupons out when they need them for specific sales. I use a coupon binder that holds all my coupons. Let me say that this method does take more time to organize, but I've found that it makes my shopping trip so much more enjoyable. I am not sorting through coupons at the stores...everything is right in front of me.

This is my coupon binder:



It's a basic 3 ring binder (I have a 3" binder). Those of you just starting out probably won't need one so big, but you will really be amazed at how quickly your stash of coupons will grow!! I use baseball card inserts to store all of my coupons. (These can be found at Wal-Mart, Target, Craft Stores, etc.) I organize my coupons into different categories so I can find them quickly at the store. Some people choose to do this alphabetically, but I try to organize my coupons following the simple lay out of the store.
My basic categories are:
-Frozen Foods
-Dairy (this includes yogurt, cheeses, eggs, pillsbury bread tubes...anything you would find in the dairy aisle of the grocery store)
-Meats
-Pasta/Rice/Canned Chilis (Again, think of products that are on that aisle in your grocery store)
-Snack Foods (this includes Chips, Cookies, Candies, Crackers)
-Baking Goods (this includes spices, sugars, flour, cake mixes, frosting, etc.)
-Breads
-Condiments (Salad Dressing, Ketchup, Salsa, Mustard, etc)
-Canned Vegetables/Fruits
-Cereal/Breakfast Foods
-Beverages
-Oral Care
-Shaving Needs
-Deodorants
-Shampoos/Body Wash
-Make-up/Moisturizer/Face Cleansers
-Feminine Products
-Paper Goods
-Cleaning Supplies
-Medicines
-Store Coupons (I have this section to organize store coupons../Target, Albertsons, Walgreens, CVS that can be combined with additional manufacturer's coupons.

As I am walking through the store I simply flip my binder open to the category that corresponds with what aisle I am on. All of my coupons are laid out right in front of me, so I don't spend time having to flip through numerous coupons to find the one I need. This also helps because I can compare prices and see if there are any GREAT deals that I might have otherwise missed.



As I am walking through the store and finding coupons that I will be using, I simply take the coupon out of the insert and place it in a holder that is in the front of my binder. I use a pencil case that I found in the school supplies section. This helps so much because when I am checking out I don't have to continue sorting through my coupons, trying to make sure that I have all the coupons I want to use. I simply open up my coupon holder and hand them all to the cashier.



At the back of my binder I store all of the different Coupon Policies from different stores. This way if I run into an issue with a cashier who doesn't want to accept my coupons, I simply pull out the coupon policy and show the cashier what the store policy actually says. You will be surprised at the number of cashiers (and managers) who have no idea what their coupon policy states.



As I said before, there are numerous ways to organize your coupons. You'll need to figure out what works best for you and your family. The coupon binder is just one method that I've found works GREAT for me. How do all of you organize your coupons? I'd love feedback on this...you might have ideas that I've never thought of!!

Also, let me know if you think posts like this are useful for you? Thinking that it might be good to do posts every now and then about Couponing 101...let me know!!