Build your Coupon Binder!
There are two great and effective ways to organize your binder. The most popular is organizing by category.
There are two great and effective ways to organize your binder. The most popular is organizing by category.
Organize by Category: More time up front, less time shopping!
- Organizing by category requires a few hours of time each week to clip and organize all your coupons.
- This method makes preparing to shop quick and easy because your coupons are already clipped and organized! Plus, when you find a clearance item in the store, it only takes 20 seconds to flip to the right category and find the coupon you need.
- Use Baseball Card Holders to hold the clipped coupons (I have found mine at Target and Walmart! Both are in the front section by the trading cards and check outs). Should be around $5 for 30 pages. You’ll need around 60 pages.
- Download this printable table of contents and categories you can print right from home!
Organize by Date: Less Time Up Front, More Time Getting Ready to Shop
If you don’t have the time to clip all your coupons every Sunday, you may want to try organizing by date. When using this method, you don’t clip any of the coupons until you use them.
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- Organizing by date will require you get sheet protectors to put each insert into its own page- for easy access.
- You’ll also print the Coupon List from Pinching Your Pennies (which gives you an alphabetical list of all the coupons)- so that if you run into a clearanced item- you can find what week the coupon is from and flip right to it
- Another tip if you are going to try out this method, is to write the date (that the coupon came out) on each set- so that if it comes out of the sheet protector you can find its home again.
How to begin organizing
1. Tear the inserts apart, careful not to ruin barcodes
2. If you get multiple copies of each insert, lay the entire insert out on the table, Soon you have 10 copies of the 1st page in a pile, 10 of the 2nd page in a pile, etc.
3. Next, we staple all 10 of the 1st page together, and on down the pages…
4. Then, if you’re organizing by date, write the date on each stapled set and put each stapled set into a clear plastic sheet protector. If you’re organizing by category, start clipping each stapled set and put the coupons into its corresponding category!
2. If you get multiple copies of each insert, lay the entire insert out on the table, Soon you have 10 copies of the 1st page in a pile, 10 of the 2nd page in a pile, etc.
3. Next, we staple all 10 of the 1st page together, and on down the pages…
4. Then, if you’re organizing by date, write the date on each stapled set and put each stapled set into a clear plastic sheet protector. If you’re organizing by category, start clipping each stapled set and put the coupons into its corresponding category!
The Coupon Box!
Boxes are great for organizing coupons, you can use anything from a cardboard shoe box, a plastic tub (with lid), a recipe box, or try an index card box. You can go as large as you need or keep it small with recipe and index card boxes if you don’t have a large coupon collection (although these little boxes will hold plenty!).
Use dividers to separate your categories and then cut, clip and sort your coupons within each category. Either buy index dividers that will fit your box or make them out of cardboard from old cereal boxes. Make sure each index divider is tabbed so you can mark the sections.
An Expanding Wallet or File
You can choose a large expanding file (example in the picture below) or even a wallet sized one, they do hold a lot even though they’re smaller. The best wallet sized ones for long term use would be a plastic or fabric organizer since they hold up longer, the wallet size also makes it easy to bring all your coupons with you on your shopping trips.
Each Pocket in an Expanding File Can Be Used To Keep Coupons Sorted
You can buy an accordion file at the dollar store or any retail store. Use each pocket to store your coupons. If you have a wallet sized accordion file organizer, keep the front pocket free and you can toss in the coupons that you plan to use on your next shopping trip.
If you’re going to buy an accordion file (either a folder or wallet), look for one that has tabs on top of the pockets. This way you can mark each pocket (ie. the Month or Product Category) and you can see at a glance what each pocket holds. I bought a smaller one that fits in my purse that I use to separate each transaction I do at the store that way I am not scrambling to find my stack of coupons!
Big thanks to Krazy Coupon Lady for her article on organizing and great photos!
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