To be honest, I am still perfecting my own system, it takes a lot of trial and error. But, I have learned a lot along the way. ;-)
#1 - The Classic Binder System
The coupon binder is a very easy way to see all of your coupons very quickly. Coupons are usually folded into baseball or business card holders. This system is very versatile- you can use any size binder that best suits your needs, and organize it with tabs however you like. The one downside with this process is that it is very time-intensive. At least once a month, you need to go through and get rid of your expired coupons, and add in new coupons. Since coupons come out weekly, you could easily spend a couple hours a week organizing your coupons. The other downside to this system is that it is not easy to integrate online coupons into the binder.
If this is the right choice for you, to start, you will need:
1 Binder. I recommend 2-3-inches.
20-30- baseball or business card sized page protectors.
Plus, 8-10 tabbed dividers (You can label these however you want. :)
And the beauty is that you can add the coupons whenever it is convenient for you!
#2 - The Hip No-Clip Coupon System
This coupon system is good for couponers who handle large-volume (Buy more than a couple papers a week- like 10-15) OR couponers who do not have the time to spend organizing their coupons (You'd much rather be shopping, right?). This No-Clip system is very easy! Every week, you make a new tab for a coupon insert. So, 4/23 RP goes in one tab, while the 4/23 SS goes in another! Easy! The problem with this system is that the coupons (at least for me!) our "out of sight out of mind" and I lose the convenience of being able to flip through my coupons at will! The No-Clip system is good if you plan out your trips entirely beforehand, so you can clip your coupons at home and bring the clipped coupons only with you to the store.
If this is the right choice for you, to Start, You Will Need:
- Several file folders & place to put folders (There are 2-3 inserts per week, per months) plus tabs
- A black marker to write dates on cover of
Coupon Organization While Shopping
Next time you head to Target, check out the magical $1 section at the front of the store. They often have small accordion folders in this section. You easily use 1 or 2 when you go shopping, depending on how many stores you hit.
I recommend a tab for each store you regularly shop at, plus leaving at least two empty. I leave the first tab empty for the coupons I am using at Check-Out (that way I am not scrambling at Register!) and the last tab empty in the way back. I use that tab for the coupons I am not using, so when I get home, I put them back into my coupon organizer.
There are a few "necessities" I recommend bringing out while you go shopping:
- Store Coupon Policy & Customer Service number.
- A small calculator (available for $1 at Wal-Mart)
- A small pair of scissors (to clip coupons, of course!)
- Your shopping list with coupon match-ups! (So that way you don't forget a coupon!)
- Reuseable totes
I have stopped printing a lot of these coupons because they are frustrating. When I was using the Binder system, I found that the IP's *nearly* fit into the 1/2 photo pages that I bought at Staples, but not well enough... So frequently, the coupons would bend, and take up more space in the binder. Oh, and the page is wider than the regular baseball or business card size page, so it makes it more difficult to tab through the binder! :-(
And, well, the no-clip system doesn't really work for internet coupons, so that is just a tough decision! You could try using a pendeflex file to put the different coupons in there, but again, that would be time-consuming.
Here are some simple guidelines about printing Internet Coupons:
- Do not print an item you do not/will not use.(My personal exception? Freebies. Always love me some freebies!)
- **DEPENDING ON YOUR PRINTER** Put the page with the coupon that you just printed face up (with coupon at top of page) and print a coupon on the other side of the page. This will help reduce amount of paper you use.
Option #1 - Utilize the "No Clip System", and each week when you add the new circular to a new folder, head over to to my nifty Weekly Coupon List page, print off the corresponding coupon list and stick it in the front of that hanging folder. As you clip coupons out of the circulars, be sure and cross them off the list. No hassle! :)
To organize your Internet and other misc. coupons, you will need to make a new hanging folder. You could do one folder for all Internet, peelies, or you could separate folders. Then, head over to my Weekly Coupon List page and scroll down until you see the Templates. There you can download a template to print out your own list so you can write down your coupons as you print them. The best part is that this system requires no scissors! (I recommend stapling some pages together to make this a more efficient system)
Option #2- Use a binder. Use single-page whole sheet page protectors and put the entire insert into one page. For me, I put tabs separating each different type of insert. Head over to my nifty Weekly Coupon List page and print out the corresponding coupon list each week. Put the coupon list at the front of each page protector, so you can easily flip through and see the contents of each insert! As you use each coupon, cross it off.
Make a new tab in your binder for the Internet Printables (If you have a LOT of internet printables, you might want to separate these out into separate sections). Stick the coupons in a page protector and put the coupon page in the front of the page protector! You can also do the same for peelies, blinkies, and other coupons that you get mailed to you.
Phew! Any questions? I think with this new system, we can all coupon easily and retain our sanity!! :)
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