**UPDATE**No longer taking entries for this giveaway – but thank you for the big response! I have a lot of reading to do! 🙂
**This is a quick giveaway – I will pull a winner tonight (11/8/11) at or after 10 pm EST
Anyone in the mood to win a $10.00 Starbucks gift card? I have a $10.00 Starbucks gift card I’m giving away. There is a caveat though – I need help from all of you. I’m looking for very important input from each and every one of you. I have two questions for you. You can enter this giveaway twice.
For your first entry, please leave one comment on this post and answer this question: How do you organize your coupons? Please be as specific as you can.
For your second entry, please leave a second comment on this post and answer this question: What would your perfect coupon organizer look like? Use your imagination and please be as descriptive as you can!
Giveaway Ends Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 at or after 10 pm EST
Thanks for coming to Addicted to Saving! Here’s a little bit about me so you can know who’s behind all these posts!
My name is Liza and I began my money-saving journey in the Spring of 2009 as a way to stretch a limited household income. I had lost my job and my hubby was self-employed. I launched Addicted to Saving in November of 2009 and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Since then, my hubby and I have struggled with the ups and downs of two failed adoptions and are now LOVING being parents to our little man Asher who we brought home from Ethiopia in August of 2013. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to help you save money. My goal is that you will have FUN and become empowered to save more and more money each week..
I organize my coupons by what expires/what I need or should use next trip.
I use a wallet type folder that sorts them into divisons like bread, dairy, etc. I hate it. But its all I have right now
I use a binder system.
I have my coupons in a binder with baseball card sleeves.
also organized by the isles in the store
I have them in a binder grouped by catgory, then by item. For example. Health& beauty section would have shampoo’s then aoaps, tehn toothpaste, each seperated by brand. In the front I ahve a spot for all the coupons I am using during that trip/ I also have a page for rebates/tear offs I find while out.
I start out by cutting them out, organizing them into categories and inserting them into little baseball inserts.
Maybe an electronic touch screen one where I could see each and every coupon available out there!
I organize my coupons by grocery food items, refigerated, frozen, personal care items, household cleaner, and laundry items. I put them in a organizer & leave the store coupons in front along with some miscellaneous that I use frequently in front.
My ideal organizer would be something I could carry easily. It would have sections for my favorite catgories and I could file them by expiration date. I just havent found that perfect solution yet. I dont want to carry a big binder with me. I would like something portable.
I really don’t have a good system at all! My coupons are everywhere from my (in home) office, to the kitchen, car console, & my purse! It’s a mess!!! But I do try to keep them in a file binder in my purse…but it takes up all the room! ugh! -sonia
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I organize mine by aisle where the products are found. I don’t have a TON of coupons, so they usually travel to the store in an envelope that I’d use to mail a legal size letter. (yay for a starbucks giveaway!!!!!!)
Exactly as mine does. Everything has a place. Alphabetically by section of store. all coupons are trimmed neat and filed precisely. I couldn’t imagine anything better than that. Except maybe a few more high dollar coupons and free ones. 🙂 but then I think I’d be in Coupon Heaven.
To organize my coupons I use a file box with hanging folders and file them by week.
I have a coupon filer in my purse for the grocery store and one for department stores and restraunts…
I organize my coupons by putting all of the same kind in one pile, then i used a 3 inche binder with different categories such as drinks, snacks, cereal, sauces, seasonings, bathroom, kitchen, cleaner, clothes, shoes, personal, etc.
I have an old address book i use to organize coupons. I took all the address pages out and organize my coupons aphabetically a-z with the tabs. I use paper clips to keep them in place. Not the best method sometimes but works for me :0)-
I have my coupons in a file system by date.
The perfect coupon organizer would be someone cutting out my coupons, lol, that won’t happen for a long time…til the kids are older. Then them organizing them in that big fat organizer by Kroger’s isles. but that’s all wishful thinking! -sonia
I organize my coupons in a photo album book from the dollar store. I like it because the inserts are way bigger than using a collectible sports card insert. I put cereals in one, soups in one, bread, baking products, meats, frozen pizza, frozen veg, etc. I had to buy 2 but it is so much easier to flip through and actually see the coupons. I also put the coupon in order from the way my main grocery store is laid out so when I start in the store I am not flipping around trying to figure out where the coupons are.
organized into what I need.. and then expiration dates.. I do not buy stuff I do not need just because its cheap or close to free.. especially if its not healthy.. or something I will never ever use..
I honestly don’t know what my perfect coupon organizer would look like. The system I have now works great. I do need something to organize the ones I take to the store with me, though.
The perfect coupon organizer? Would have an index in the front of where to find certain coupons but I would still organize them in the above manner.
i use a box with dividers in it. i organize it by sections in the grocery store. example,
dairy
cleaning product
frozen
beauty/health
etc.
i need a longer box with uniform dividers that will sit width wise on the shopping cart seat.
I keep my inserts whole, and cut as I need to. I also have a binder with baseball inserts and some larger inserts for my printable coupons or ones that I get from my mother or coupon exchange group. Then when I make my shopping list, I bring my coupons that I will be using in a small accordian folder.
First by product type (produce, candy, etc), then cross-referenced by brands. In 3 accordian fodlers.
We have a coupon organizer that we place them in. They are divided by category.
I organize my coupons by sorting my newspaper inserts by page, stapling them together & then dating them. I have a big laptop size case that put all my inserts in inside file folders (one Smartsource, one Redplum, etc.). I also have a binder with clipped coupons divided into categories.
The perfect coupon organizer would be someone that does it for me! LOL!
My perfect coupon organizer would be all on my Iphone, where I just scan an item and the app searches for the best coupon to use and stores it in an electronic coupon folder to be scanned at the register. Paper coupons are a pain in the butt but gotta use them to save, save, save!
I organize my coupons in a 5 in. zippered binder. I have a contents sheet in the front with a categorized list as to what section in my binder I can find coupons. I also keep 3 zippered pouches in there too…1 for store coupons, 1 for rain checks/rebates/ecb, etc., and 1 to put coupons in while I’m shopping that I’ll be using at checkout. 🙂
Well that’s easy my accordian folders are perfect (for me), I have lists attached to the front of each with general expiration dates (by month and then year)
My perfect organizer would have tabs for each category & every single coupon would be clipped from my Sunday inserts and be neatly displayed. I can dream right? Who’s got time for all that clipping though?
perfect organizer of course would be electronic.. it would have every single possible coupon combined and organized so you just click the items on ur phone while shopping.. and then at the end of your shopping trip have the cashier scan one barcode on your phone and it deducts all the coupons automatically.. no clipping.. no comparing.. no effort.. it does it all for you..
I like my smaller accordian folder for organizing my coupons, but would like it a little big bigger on the depth side. I could put more in it. I do need to purge the coupons that expire, but we have one local store that will take them for 3 months after expiration date. If I had a more “depth” organizer, I could put those in the back that I really will want to use. This is a quick & easy organizing tool I can throw in my purse for my coupons. What I do now, also, is when I am going to store I use LARGE ENVELOPES I receive in the mail with my bills and list my groceries on the outside & coupons (manufacturer) on the inside that I know will use & match them with store coupons. I do like the part that I am reusing these envelopes, but often wonder if there is something else? I only do about $100-$150 before coupons with each big shopping trip. (of course getting those groceries at 50% off or more with coupons & deals!
I use an accordian style folder – first separated by stores they are valid at.
Well, I have a binder that has tabs, organized by things like Frozen, Pantry, Snacks but unfortunately I never feel like I have time to file everything in the slots. So really I have two stacks: food and non-food coupons. Then every time I get ready to go grocery shopping I hunt through the stacks to find the coupons I need.
I file all my inserts in a box by date. I keep all cut coupons in a binder. I have envelopes that I keep in my purse for each store I shop at. I usually only keep coupons for that particular store in the envelope or when I do my matchups, that’s where I keep the coupons for what I’m going to buy.
I currently use a small accordion file folder.
I organize mine by using a storage tote that looks like a little box and you can use the hanging files and each week i dont clip anything, i just write the date on the tab and file all of my inserts by week and when the match ups come out, i then go through and clip what i need. I find i do less impulse buys because sometimes you might “find” a good deal in store with your binder but just because it might be on “clearance” and you have a coupon, doesn’t mean its still that good of a deal. it takes hardly ANY time at all and i put a link under website for something similar to what i have except mine was $8, plastic, and i think it looks way better than the picture of the one i posted.
I organize my coupons in a double binder. I use one side for food and personal, and the other household coupons. On each side I have catagories. It’s not perfect but it works for me.
My perfect organizer would be a binder that has at least 4 different sections for different stores I shop most. I would want my coupons to organized by aisle for each store that I shop. I could move coupons the the store with best deals and have easy access when I go down each aisle. Seems like a lot of work , but it could work :0)
I categorize them: “Baby”, “Beverages”, “Cleaning”, “Oral Care”, “Hair”, etc. in a binder w/ baseball card sleeve pages.
My perfect organizer would be a HUGE binder that I could keep all my coupons organized in alphabetically by category. Ideally, I could have them magically appear in the binder already cut and organized. I haven’t gone to this system because cutting all those coupons would take FOREVER.
I organize my coupons in a binder with baseball card sleeves. I have them under separate categories like, dairy, canned goods, condiments, drinks, frozen foods, dry goods, bathroom supplies, beauty, vitamins, and pet.
I use my most of my coupons at Walmart so I have them organized by the layout of the store and the order I shop in the store. I put my coupons for Walgreens in their own envelope and order them by type of item.
I organize my coupons in a photo album/binder. I have one for grocery/food items and one for non-food items. 🙂
thisisnorma(at)gmail(dot)com
I realize I am somewhat in the minority, but I clip all my inserts rather than filing whole inserts. I have a semi-photographic memory and actually physically seeing and touching the coupons helps me remember what I have and what I don’t have far more effectively than any printed list. I have two of the smaller sized cardboard storage boxes with lids from IKEA and categorized tabs and I file my clipped q’s in there. I also prefer clipping to filing as I am able to pull out q’s that I am passing on to friends or family members as I go.
Ideally, I would not clip individual coupons, but still have a way to carry ALL of them (organized) into the store. Perhaps a mini file box — still categorized.
This how I organize my coupons
anything cosmetic, shampoos, etc have coupon book ( by brands)
Foods (by frozen, butter, eggs bread, salad dressing,cereals, can food. bottle drinks,etc)
Detergents and cleaning products ( detergents, sprays, airwick, glade, lysol.plastic bags,etc
Medicines by type like allergic,stomach.pain relivers,vitamins,etc)
another for restaurants and another for Pets. besides I have a folder for miscellaneuos. Is easy fro me that way.
My perfect organizer would be almost like a zippered binder, but when you open it, there are about 40 “slots”…no pages to flip, but also no big box to carry around. It wouldn’t be bulky at all. When it opens it almost looks like a Hot Wheels car case but with thinner compartments…lol. The slots would have tabs to locate items easily, but no flipping required. Just look for the coupons you need and pull them out! And having everything in the zipped enclosure would ensure your coupons stay put. 🙂
My perfect organizer would have the tabs in sections tailored to the store I coupon at the most. The pockets would be the perfect size (allowing enough room for the expiration date and description) and the binder would fit perfectly into my purse.
thisisnorma(at)gmail(dot)com
I use an envelope type plastic holder. The first section I leave for coupons that I am going to use that week and the second section are ones that expire that week or soon. The other sections have normal category like rice, soap, meat etc. I find making a menu plan for the whole week winds up costing less and not so much “impulse” buying.
I use the binder system. When the Sunday paper comes, I cut all the coupons I believe I will use. I sort into different categories – examples – cleaning, paper, health, oral, frozen, dairy, etc. Then I file in the binder. After everything is in the binder, I go on line and check out some blogs and make my lists and pull the coupons I will use. The binder is time consuming – but I sort and file while I’m watching TV at night. For me, it is well worth the time I put in.
I just stack whole inserts by date on a shelf next to the desk. My boyfriend just got me something to file them in though, so I’ll start filing them.
My perfect coupon organizer would have slots larger enough to accommodate larger coupons and printables. It would be accordian type with lots of sections within it. Also it would not be huge so everyone in the store would not notice it.
I’m going to be honest….I am so bad at organizing anything, PERIOD. But I do my best, so I try to at least put coupons into categories so I can hopefully more easily find what I want when I need it! Other than that, I am completely lost when it comes to organizing my coupons! 🙂
I use a binder that’s organized alphabetically by categories from baby to snacks. I use the plastic sleeves that come in various sizes. I have a separate area in the front of my binder for coupons that state free on them, so that they don’t get lost among my numerous other coupons. Oh, I also put my name and phone number in the front of the binder…just in case it was ever lost. I keep a pen, pad, scissors, and envelopes in the binder for quick access as well : )
I use an envelope or a a zip lock bag…nothing fancy
I have the organized by category mostly and then I have the ones I want to use on my next shopping trip in a special place
I use a coupon binder to keep them in. If I am going out for item specific, i clip the ones I want to use and put them in my purse. If I take my binder for every trip i get side tracked and end up with fussy kidlings! 🙂
I organize my coupons by cutting them and stapling the like ones together, then placing them in a plastic envelope and place that into a standing file holder by category!
I organize my coupons as whole inserts by date and type. I have short, wide expanding file folders for loose coupons- store coupons, food coupons and household, etc coupons get their own file folder.
My perfect coupon organizer would have enough room for all my coupons to fit into, or at least display the whole coupon. The baseball card sleeves do not work very good for all coupons, and if you are able to see the whole coupon while flipping through your binder it would make the job so much easier. I have so many over sized coupons that I keep in a baggie because they don’t fit in the card sleeves and I forget about them. So, if I could display all of them that would be great!
I organize by Cereal and then boxed foods and then freezer goods and cleaners and personal hygiene. Then in each of those different areas it goes by date with the earliest expiration date in front in that section.
I leave my coupon inserts filed by the date. I have a file cabinet with hanging folders. For coupons I print, tearpads, etd. I have a binder with 13 sections that I divide into sections like toiletries, pets, baking, etc. Mostly, this works well for me.
I have my coupons organized in file folder which is labeled w/ date and type, oldest file in the back, and keep them all in a file folder crate.
My perfect organizer would be a small wallet size file folder with categories for certain items so it is easier to search for which coupon I want.
I go clip crazy and first just have my “just clipped” coupons on my desk here at the computer (day one) and my others sorted into 2 envelopes (“Target only coupons” and “Manufacturer’s coupons”). I review the store matches that you have posted for the week (day one-day two) and pull what coupons I need from my stashes. The “just clipped” then are put into the envelopes. I then just keep my eye on your site for more coupons and possible match ups. Bottom line, 2 letter envelopes.
I have a big coupon envelope.
I use a binder with baseball card inserts & i organize them by isles.
My perfect organizer is the one I currently use except it would not be such cheap plastic! The edges are pretty sharp and I am just waiting for the little loop elastic string to pop off. My organizer is the size of a regular envelope and fans as it opens, I think it’s called an expandable file? But it’s not the big one that holds whole pages, just coupon size and sections to make each a different category.
How do you organize your coupons? I cut my coupons out every Sunday and organize them into my binder into about 40 different categories, such as produce, freezer, paper products, pets, baby, etc. I have dividers with the category listed on the edge and I use baseball card holders to hold the coupons. My husband pulls out all the expired coupons every week so there is plenty of room when I put new ones in. Its a team effort! 🙂
My ideal coupon organizer would provide me with plenty of room for my ever expanding amount of coupons and would allow me to flip page by page to see them but not be a giant binder… Tried that out and it was too bulky for me!
My perfect coupon organizer? Are you sure you want me to be specific? lol He would be 6 foot blond with blue eyes. He would not only organize my coupons for me but he would organize ME. Cleaning and cooking optional. Sorry I couldn’e resist. I think I am as organized as I will ever be until my local stores start accepting virtual coupons off my phone.
the only thing i would change regarding my system is instead of having the file folders in the crate, setting them up in a wheeled cart so I dont have to lift the container to a chair to get to them.
My perfect coupon organizer? I would like something to take with me to the store, that velcros to the cart, something that could hold a calculator and have slots for the coupons a plan to use and an empty one for the ones I really use!
I use a wallet type organizer now, but recently purchased a 3 ring binder and plan to switch over. 🙂
My “Perfect” coupon organizer?? Hmmmm….”Perfect” is a very strong word. If I’m going to be honest here, I would say he would be about 6 ft tall, dark wavy hair, blue eyes, athletic build, great sense of humor, very organized……..ya, sounds about “Perfect” to me…..:)
For me, the perfect organizer would be inconspicuous. I bring my binder into the store, but wish it didn’t stand out. I need to find a new bag or something.
What would your perfect coupon organizer look like? My perfect coupon organizer would be organized based on my local Publix store layout. Since Publix is where I do the majority of my couponing, I would like my binder to have the same layout with each category in it based on one aisle of the store. This way, when I make my lists and pull coupons, I can have them in the exact correct order for going through the store to help save time and I won’t have to backtrack at all in the store.
I’d love an organizer that is like a folder/binder. That first allowed me to sort by manufacturer or store brand coupons in separate areas. Then an area for what coupons I’m going to use per store… even little slots that I could sort so I can be more systematic with looking through my stashes that I have for the week.
Deft. binder system with a tab on expiration dates
I carry a 3 ring binders with inserts to divide my coupons with dividers for the different catagories.
11 minutes ago
I use an accordion folder…not the best thing but it works for now.
I have a zipper binder with baseball card holders. Love it.
The perfect organizer would be like the receipt scanner. You would scan your coupons and they would automatically be put in order.
I make coupon binders, so that is how I organize mine. I specifically use the case logic binders that have the accordion file inside, and you can access the accordion file from the outside by unzipping a separate zipper. I have mine organized by aisle by my store, that way as I am going down the aisle I can pull the coupons I will be using. For my coupons I am going to use, I use a post it pocket tabs on the front section of my binder, so it is ready to go when I get to check out.
I use a file cabinet that has whole inserts in it and each file is one weeks worth if inserts. The loose coupons are kept in a bag together by category food, pet, cleaning, and so on.
I use a old wallet that I put dividers in with ones that expire first and then the ones later. I have split them up into groups: Example: Bread/Dairy/ Meat/ Treat etc.
I hate it! The coupon usual expires before I get to use it! Its the best I can do for now!
My perfect coupon organizer would be one that I didn’t have to spend so much time putting together. How great would it be for those who are new to couponing to be able to purchase a large binder with the plastic sleeves, dividers with categories, a couple months of coupons already sorted in them. For all of this to already be done would be a great incentive for a newbie!
My perfect coupon organizer would be a hard back, 3 ring binder with differet sized pocket sheets with REINFORCED holes 😉 so the sheets don’t try to tear out. Sizes, 9 or 6 pocket sheets for coupons, (wish there was a sheet for catalinas, don’t like folding) large pockets for thin flyers and extra inserts. A section for retaining ECB’s, RR’s, and small gift cards from purchases. Also a section for rainchecks. Also, did I mention Organized in the order of my local Kroger store? 🙂
I think that the perfect coupon organizer would be large when you need it to be, then it would be more portable when you would go out to the store. Like being able to section it off and only take what you need to the store without having to sacrifice going without the coupons that you would need.
My perfect coupon organizer would be more of a file system b/c I don’t like clipping coupons (however, I love to use them!) but then I tend to miss coupons and can’t keep my system organized enough.
my perfect system is something that doesn’t exist it would be a database like coupon search where I could enter cereal and then the coupons appear in front of me without having to go search for them LOL!
My step-daughter has this cool coupon book, I think she made it! Its dividers like business cards set up in a binder. She is able to see what she has when she goes shopping! Everything at her disposal! She says she saves lots and before she is finished everything is basically free! I wish I had the money to buy the plastic business card films but I can’t at this time! That’s seems perfect for organization!
I organize by exp. date and location of items in my local grocery store.
I organize most of my coupons with the insert method. I have a huge file organizer in a big woman’s briefcase and I organize my inserts by date. Every Monday I sort my coupons so they are all together when i need them.
Frankly I wish e-coupons were the standard/norm rather than the small percentage of the couponing world that it currently is. In my dream world of couponing, everything is electronic, and I am able to view my ‘inserts’ electronically, select the ones I want, with a standard allowance of two coupons per computer (NOT per login/username/account/etc) and the option to somehow ‘purchase’ more of certain coupons if I desire, and load them to a general couponing card that can be used at most retailers. Many stores throughout the country have adopted e-coupons that are tied to their Customer Reward/Member type scan cards. There are problems with this current set up in that you are limited to one (I think in some cases maybe two) of any single e-coupon. This (obviously) frustrates the idea of stockpiling considerably. There needs to be an option to be able to make a request for more of any e-coupon a customer wants to purchase more than one item of. Additionally, more manufacturer’s need to buy into this idea to make it worthwhile. Most of the e-coupons currently available are store coupons, from what I’ve seen. However, I am not as well-versed in this functionality as I’d like to be as I live in FL and we have very few stores here who are participating in e-coupons. SavingsStar (StarSavings? I never get it right) has been recently implemented here, and those e-coupons are mostly manufacturer, but there is not a large amount/variety available. Sorry to be so long-winded, but basically if it could all be electronic and all I have to do is swipe a card wherever I go and whatever coupons I have added to my account online that matches whatever was in my shopping cart would be automatically deducted, THAT would be my dream world of coupons and coupon organizing.
I organize my coupons by category…Categories are organized by my route I take through the store
How do you organize your coupons? Please be as specific as you can.
I began by removing all of them from the newspaper and then cut them all out.
I then organize them into [my] categories (Food, Make up, Hygiene, Household, Candy, Free, Baby, etc.) I have a three ring zip up binder with baseball card sleeves and sheet protectors. I keep all of my FREE coupons in a sheet protector at the very front. I have a set of sheet protectors tabbed with the stores that I frequently shop at and when I have specific coupons to use on a trip I pull them out of the sleeve and place them in the sheet protector so that when I arrive to the store I have all of the coupons that I planned to use and I will not forget to get something. I then have the rest of the coupons organized within each category with the most recent expiration date first in baseball card sleeves. I also have a black sheet in each slot of the baseball card sleeves (it helps make the sheets looks organized and the coupons stand out).
I have a binder system, but sometimes I slack and use a big ziploc bag. Gasp!
I organize mine in a binder in baseball card dividers by sections, frozen, canned, baking and so on, after I scour the ads I clip them in sections and put in a folder for my shopping trip, but also carry my binder for those finds…
I organize my coupons in an envelope.
my perfect organizer is one that I made my self. I have sewn up a coupon/portfolio.when open, on one side holds all the coupons I am using in my current shopping trip and on the other is a “scratch” pad to jot down notes. must buys. check off. whatever my heart desires.
I USE A FILE BOX AND FILE FOLDERS AND LABEL THE SS AND RP ALONG WITH THE DATE. I ALSO CLIP THE COUPONS THAT I ALWAYS USE AND HAVE 5 COUPONS HOLDERS BY ALPHABET WITH FOOD, HBA, PETS, CLEANING AND STORE COUPONS.
I am a newbie couponer, so I have been trying different things out. Right now I have a velcro pouch type folder (sorry I don’t know what to call it) but inside I have envelopes catagorized into grocery, frozen, personal (make-up, deoderant, hair care), paper/foil/plastics, pet, Publix weekly and Walgreens weekly. I cut out the products that I use all the time (regardless of sale) and place them into these folders. The others I keep in the intact inserts and date them and have them filed (like your system). I search these inserts each week with your posts. The Publix and Walgreens weekly are all the coupons I need each week to catch the sales. The velcro folder thingie I carry all the time to every store just in case and usually have these coupons memorized, so if I see somethings on sale I know I have that coupon with me (again these are my all the time used products). I also keep the monthly Publix and Walgreens store coupons in the folder also along with a pair of scissors, a spiral notebook which I write my lists on and a pen. My husband laughs at me because I have been known to cut out a store coupon right in line. 🙂 I also leave my folder in the car so if I have to make a stop I have it with me. I know it’s not the best, but so far seems to work for me.
My idea coupon organizer would have the coupons organized by grocery aisle!
I BELIEVE I ALREADY HAVE THE PERFECT COUPON ORGANIZER!
I use a small photo holder for 4X6 photos. I found these marked down at the dollar spot in target. It holds the coupons I need for current sales and I can fit several in my pocketbook if I need to.
I use an envelope and put the coupons in the order I go through the store.
The perfect organizing system for me would be a small electronic device that senses which aisle I’m in in the store and alerts me that I have a coupon to use for something in that aisle. 🙂 Sometimes it’s hard for my scatterbrained self to remember which coupons I need to use when and where.
What would my perfect coupon organizer look like? It would be a dark cherry, looks like a filing cabinet, only decorative. It would have 3 drawers. The first one would be Small, it would fit 2 rows of envelope sized folders to organize all of my loose coupons.
The other 2 would fit leter sized folders to fit all of my inserts. Each folder would be divided by insert (RP, SS, GM, P&G) and by date. Makes it easy to find exactly what we need. And of course it would serve as my night stand table. SO i can guard it, even when I sleep.
I organize my coupons two different ways. I have a binder with pockets on one side where I place letter-size envelopes for each of the stores, flyers, etc. Then I have the coupon insert baseball pages as well as the three-coupon per page ones where you don’t have to fold your coupons. The other part is I organize my weekly inserts by date in hanging folders.
I organize mine in a 3 inch 3 ring binder and label them with dates on each divider tab. I also have some of those business card holders that I put loose coups in.
I currently use an accordion style folder to hold my weekly inserts and i separate them by Date and Company (SS or RP). Then for my printable coupons I have a binder with baseball card sleeves, I just started this for my printables when I kept going to print coupons out before my shopping trip and find they the print limit had been reached.
Actually, I’m pretty happy with my current system. However, I am somewhat torn between leaving the weekly inserts as they are or clipping them and putting them in my binder because, if I’m shopping, I won’t have the inserts with me — just the binder.
I tried to organize my coupons by the binder method with baseball sleeves first but that is too time-consuming. Now I organize by the newspaper insert date and keep them grouped together. When I go shopping I organize by free items first, then best deals, then isles.
I put my coupons in a folder. Then I go thru and clip when I get time. I put the 1s that will expire by the 1st week of next month into a blue coupon file. I put the others into a black coupon file. Everything that I’m not going to use, I put in a folder for my daughters to go thru. Expired coupon go in another folder to be sent to my adopted coupon friend. Find a friend or just do general donations. Get info @ Expired coupon for Overseas Military on FB.
I organize according to when they expire.
I recently just started using coupons. At the moment, they are in my wallet. Cut out neatly & just stacked, but I pretty much remember what I’ve cut out. When I get more, I’ll organize them by expiration date. Wouldnt want them to expire on me & not be able to use them!
My perfect coupon organzer would be nice and neat, no sloppy pages. It would be labeled by food categories, and dates. I would have pictures of my lil’man on the covers to remind me of him and why I do all that I do!
My ideal organizer would be some kind of electronic gadget. maybe one that would scan my coupons and keep an electronic database for me so when I go to make my shopping list I know which coupons I actually have without searching through my inserts. Since coupons are regional I have ran into the issue of making my list then finding that my insert doesn’t have a coupon that I need. Does any of that make sense? lol
Also, I am looking for a good way to bring my coupons that I need for my grocery trip to the store. I currently have a clear plastic envelope that I put them in, but I would like to have them better organized as I shop, But I don’t want to carry a big binder, I don’t have enough time (or patience) to cut each and every coupon and put in a binder anyway.
The system I have now works well for me. I’ll take a system that does it all for me, including the shopping. Then I will have moretime for other projects!! ;-))
i organize my coupons in a Pampered chef, help whip breast cancer coupon holder, with dividers labled with catergories : Dairy, meat, bread, breakfast, ect. then within the dividers i have the coupons in order to what expires soonest to oldest…. the perfect organizer would have plastic see threw sleeves, in a small purse size book type holder
The perfect one would be one that could organize itself. I would lime one big enough to hold all coupons and can sort with plenty of space for more. If that makes sense.
My perfect coupon organizer would be more of a brief case and very stylish (i.e. rhinestones, damask pattern, monogramed). It would have a designated area for a pair of scissors, calculator, pens/pencils, money, receipts. It would also be more of a hanging file tabbed type system to have the different categories and the sheets (sheet protectors, baseball card sleeves) would just pull out. =D
My perfect coupon organizer.. My bf works at Walmart & he mentioned that Sam’s Club has this thing, where its like a card & you make your account & before you go shopping, you logg into your account & add the coupons onto the card from your home computer & after you are finished shopping & checking out, you run the card & it will automatically use the coupons. Now that sounds nice, each individual store could do something like that or just one in general where you can use at any store. No printing, dont have to carry binders & dont have to go through the newspapers & cut stuff out.
I have a three ring binder with two front pockets. I use pencil holders for my coupons, I have them color coded and I use one pencil holder for food items, one for house hold items, one for restaurants, and one for store coupons. Before I shop I see the sales ads and gather coupons accordingly. I use the front pockets for lists of sales and for when I don’t have time to clip the coupons so it is all together. I don’t have time to use the baseball holders and find them to be to small for some coupons and the pencil holders work since they have a clear front and color backing.
My ideal coupon book is a bigger binder and keeping it simple. That is why I use the method I have I can clip and place in the appropriate zip case and move on, I understand that you could ave time by separating it out into more categories but then time consumption gets much greater and who has the time. I manage to save 70 to 80 percent a week now so as long as I can do that I am happy. I don’t think there is a cookie cutter method that applies to all because we all have different versions that work for our personal mind sets.
I organize my coupons in a basket in folders according to the dates received. I separate the Red Plum/Smart Source and P&G and dated them accordingly.
I use a binder and organize them by section in the grocery store such as dairy together, canned foods together, etc.
I organize my coupons in hanging folders with dates written on the top of each weeks inserts, which are all organized together as well.
my perfect organizer would be someone else doing it for me!! It’s so time consuming!!
At home I have my coupons in a file cabnet. They are in file folders by each weeks insert. Then the coupons I cut out are put in a note book with baseball card holders sorted by food and nonfood.
My dream organizer would be the rolly cart like Liza has so I can roll it from room to room depending on where I am clipping for that week’s shopping trip.
I organize them by expiration date. I definently need to better organize them
How do I organize my coupons? I recycle my junk mail business size envelopes. I have made cardboard dividers and on each divider is a category of products, one has Laundry detergent/laundry aids; Another has Milk/Cheese; Another has Meat, etc. I use about 4 envelopes and put 4 or 5 of these dividers in each envelope and the coupons behind each divider. When the envelopes become tattered or torn, I just replace it with another fresh envelope. I put a large rubber band around each envelope and then place the envelopes inside a small tote bag.
I make a grocery list from the sales flyers for each store; I pull the coupons from the tote bag envelopes and put them in an envelope marked with the stores name and the list of grocery items on it and take that envelope to the store with me.
I use an old cd vinyl case to store all the coupons I don’t think that I will use or ones I will trade with someone else.
Its not a perfect system….but seems to work for me. I am not a fan of binders. I find them to be too big and bulky. I tried a recipe box and it was too bulky as well; I had a small plastic accordian style coupon organizer, but it was too small and didn’t hold enough coupons. I would like some better system but haven’t found one yet that works for me….. : )
My perfect system would be a list where I could find coupons for items more easily. I like the method of dating them upon receipt, however, that causes a problem when you are in need of a specific coupon. I, unfortunately, don’t have the perfect answer.
I organize my coupons in a large two drawer filing cabinet. The top drawer contains files in this order:
Peelies, blinkies, clipped (not used), random
Mags (typically ALL YOU)
Store books/ q’s
Man. books
and then each week has its own file (first 6 months only)
Second drawer is the second half of the year only.
quarterly I go through my inserts and pull only non-expired q’s and create a month folder (January, February, March) as opposed to weekly folders. I then place all of the unexpired q’s for that month in the folder.
My system is quite organized, but time consuming!
Thanks for the giveaway!
1. I file my whole inserts laying sideways with the date on the tab and written on the front of the insert. I stack the insets together like you showed us in the class, which I am so much happier about because it makes finding and cutting the coupons so much easier. I have a separate files for the store coupons (green and yellow adv), coupon booklets, and printable coupons.
Then I have a small plastic coupon holder that I have a separate spot for the stores that I go to with the list for that week and any rain checks. Then I have a few spots for unused coupons for food, pet, personal, and household, and a separate slot for blinkies.
I would like a system that keeps my inserts from folding/rolling. It is so frustrating when trying to flip through the inserts, as they are not flat. Any suggestions?
Oh yeah, a personal coupon organizer that works for free would be great, or perhaps a great deal on this type of service… 🙂
I’m pretty lazy. I keep my coupons in a regular envelope. Before entering the store I will put the coupons I know I’m going to use in the front.
I have tried to do my organizing my coupons with a binder but I have found that keeping the inserts together is better for me. It is so much easier. I shop for my family and also my parents, which equals ALOT of coupons and savings on each trip.
2. My perfect organizer would probably be electronic with no cutting or storing methods, just scanning and using at the store . But in practical terms I would want it to be something with a nice design (ideally pink) that is durable and won’t look worn after a short time. It would have plenty of slots for organizing the different stores, extra coupons, and blinkies to help me feel organized. It would also have a special spot for a pen and a built-in calculator.
I organize my coupons in a small, organ like pouch. Each section has it’s own label of the grocery store with a section for retail coupons and i front section for the coupons I will be using on that shopping trip. It’s nice because it does not take up a lot of space in my purse (but to be fair, I usually carry a purse the size of Texas).
My ideal organizer would be a computer program that I could enter in all of coupons (types,#of each, etc).
My perfect organizer, if I had the time, would be a large photo album. I would love to see every coupon I have, versus struggling to get each sections’ coupons out in the appropriate aisle. Not important to the organizing, I probably would have it purple with sparkles. I can see the looks I would get in the store now!
Now, what would be the perfect solution for organizing my coupons? An “Assistant”….someone who would happily cut the coupons out of the newspaper and cut out the internet printables. Then organize them into a nice, neat alphabetized by category “system” of some kind. And while they are at it, remove the expired coupons from the system. Then go with me shopping so that I have someone to help cart everything I buy into the house! Yeah, I know, I’m just daydreaming here!!!! : )
I really do wish that there was a perfect system for organizing my coupons and then being able to automatically find them fast. And yet, not be so big and bulky that I look like one of those “Extreme couponers” from that horrible TLC show! Something small and unobtrusive would be nice…..I just can’t imagine what it would look like…..
Like most i use a binder mine is a dual binder each side has 1.5 inch 3 ring which zips up nicely. i keep a clear zipper pouch n the middle for coupons i cut and don’t have time to organize at the moment. I organize by category in alphabetical order (air fresheners, baking, etc.) and i have a TARGET section because of all the GREAT coupons they give. I always put the same coupons in one slot oldest on top to make sure those get used first. I use both baseball card and currency size protectors. I like both for different reasons. Mainly, the itty bitty ones work best on the baseball card sheets, the currency works great for the longer ones.
I am a “newbie” when it comes to shopping with coupons. The organizing I find easiest is by listing different “sections” in a grocery store. Since I don’t shop at just one store, I divide my coupons up for “Dairy” “meats” “Veg/Fruit” “Coffee/tea” and generally how a store divides what they offer. That way when I walk into any store, I have the coupons I need together to use them in the aisle go down.
OH my sister and I have given this second question a lot of thought. The perfect coupon organizer would somehow be less bulky (if you can imagine that) and most of all have a built in stand so that when you prop that bad boy up on the cart it stays put!!!
I organize my coupons by week in hanging file folders. I also use the Sunday Coupon Preview and it’s like adding an index to my system. If a coupon has been left off of the preview, I’ll add it myself. I heavily rely on Liza though for those good deals and scenerios.
I think I would like to have a larger 3 ring binder series with enough pockets and see through plastic so I can pick and choose easier. I also would be likely to have a larger on stashed in my vehicle and use a smaller one in the individual stores, that way I don’t have to lug something huge along with me.
I Like to organize by sections in the store. that way while im in a specific section I just pull out the stack and go thru it right there.
I bought a coupon envelope from the $ store. It has several compartments and I organize them by date expired and store to be used at.
The best coupon organizer would have really handy sections that keep the coupons sealed so they can’t fall out!…hahah
I use a binder and I divide the categories into CVS, blockbuster codes, dairy, frozen, bathroom, kitchen, skin, sweets, medicine and misc. I have played trial in error with my systems, and this one seems to work best for me. I file the coupon sleeves that I do not use in chronological order to retrieve best when go backing to find a coupon. I would think the ideal binder would have sleeves that a couponer could manipulate to create a design to his/her preference. Most couponers I know have different methods that work for them. It would be nice to see a kit like scrap-booking that you can create your own coupon binder.
I sort my coupons by grocery catagory in a binder.
I use an accordian holder and they go inorder by type and expiration date.
My perfect organizer would be one that tells me what coupons to use and when to use them. If would calculate the most perfect deals for me, like Liz on Addicted to Saving.com does daily. LOL
What would your perfect coupon organizer look like? It would be a tall dark and handsome male who would do all the organizing for me!! (You told me to use my imagination)
Haha.. I didn’t see your comment until after I posted mine. Great minds think alike. 🙂
I organize my coupons in a 3″ 3 ring binder. I have about 45 categories in it, including one for each store I shop at for the store coupons. Before I go, I make my list, take out all the coupons I will need at each store and match them up with any of the store coupons that I have to use and put them back in under the store’s category. It is a little awkward messing with such a large binder in my cart while trying to shop and keep everything seperated and hang onto my 1 yr old. Which brings me to question number 2…
I organize my coupons in a file box by date.
I purchased a coupon organizer from Office Depot. It has dividers and I try to separte the into catagories like frozen foods and cereal.
The coupons that are clipped are put into an accordian file and my inserts are in file folders according to the date they appeared.. I print the inserts list and go to the files to get the coupons I need. I also print out the walgreens, cvs, rite aid, and walmart inserts to match the sales to the coupons I have.
My coupons are a hot mess!! They are organized in rooms. My kitchen has the food/cleaning supply coupons in order of expiration and separated by type (dairy, snack, cereal, cleaning, etc). That way when I see we have space (as we don’t have a big pantry), I can go and find the coupon to pick up more when I see a special in the grocery flyers. The ones I have in my “office” are clothing/toy store coupons (bath and body, kohl’s, toys r us, jc penney, etc). That way if I see a special come up on the internet, I can see if it is worth it to use the coupon and get better or not. I need to set up a binder system. One of these days (maybe while I am sipping a Starbucks). 🙂
I would like to use a binder so I can see all of the coupons in that catagory without having to flip through them one by one.
My perfect coupon organizer would look like this: Tall, Dark & Handsome while the organizing skills of a mad man!
They are all in a basket.
How do you organize your coupons? I use a plastic file-ler – it has platic tabs that i can file coupons in. Then I make the sections even more specific, I use index cards and put post-it tabs on them labeling them: laundry, feminine hygeine, men’s products, canned, frozen, juices, snacks, cereal, refrigerated aisle, etc..
What would your perfect coupon organizer look like? I guess a binder with clear pages so i can SEE every coupon. it would have coupon sized slots so i can see them maybe 3 at a time. it would still have tabs so i can categorize them by aisle.
I would like to be able to go and get what I need when I need it without having to look through them all.
Im not completely sure what my dream organizer looks like… I think it would be too much to ask to have all my coupons seperated by category and have them all filed in something that is NOT so bulky and awkward. If I could figure out how to make that happen or if anyone else knows, please share! 😉 You know those hangers you see on t.v. where you can hang like 6 shirts all on the same thing but they’re staggered so it takes up way less space in your closet? Some kind of a binder that would allow that would be cool! 😉
The perfect coupon organizer would be the size of an Itouch where it magically sucks in the coupon, scans it and holds it in there. Then I just have this small thing in my purse that is ALWAYS with me so if I am somewhere and see a good deal, I don’t have to pass up on it thinking ‘I have a coupon for that back at home’ and then can’t find it when I get home. Yes – I know this is farfetched but it is my ideal. 🙂
They are all in an envelope.
I use envelopes. One for food, household, beauty, baby, and restaurants
I need to cut out less but then you never know what will come up. Maybe a file system would be better.
My perfect coupon binder would be on that would fit in my purse.
I just have them in an envelope. I don’t buy that much just for myself so it isn’t so bad.
It would be quicker so have some dividers in my envelope.
After tossing and turning trying to find new ways of organizing, I went back to my tried and true binder format. I have it sectioned by type of food – dairy, veggies, fruits, bread, canned items, canned meat, meat, salty snacks, savory snacks, frozen dessert, frozen meals, frozen snacks/sweet or savory, makeup, vitamins, meds, laundry detergent, cleaning agents, batteries, baby needs (for my pregnant sister) and several more that I can’t remember off hand. NO matter what store I decide to shop at, I know I can go to that category and use a coupon i have in the insert. It is more time consuming this way, but after several months of just filing by insert date, I missed out on A LOT of deals and I wasn’t happy with that. It just depends on how much you want and need (which is my case) to save money on grocery trips. Thank you for all you do. I’m so happy I ran into your blog a year ago 🙂
They are in a pile on the counter. I do not get the Sun. paper so I don’t have that many. I just take what I need when I go to the store.
I keep my coupons filed by date of the newspaper and then refer back to them when I need them. The coupons I print online I keep organized alphabetically by brand name with the exception of target coupons, I keep the target printable coupons clipped together.
Idealy I would like all of the coupons to be in one spot. I often forget to use the coupons because you have your electronic coupons, the coupons on the store website and your manufacture coupons. It gets to the point where there are just too many different sources.
I use several of the expandable folders with tabs and put them by date from the paper – then just pull out when I need them.
In a perfectly organized world I would have the time to clip all of the coupons and file them in a binder that I can carry to the store. This way I would have them with me if I unexpectedly saw something on clearance/sale.
I bought a great zipper 3-ring binder from Costco for $11. Then I went onto Ebay and purchased some great baseball card plastic sleeves. In the first week of couponing, I saved enough to pay for my binder and supplies 2 times over!
Would like to have a giant expandable file folder where I would only have to use 1 binder and would love to have it in colorful pink and brown polka dots!!
I use a plastic show box separated into different categories…but thanks to the kids its a whole big mess at the moment
I would love to have a binder and put all like coupons together. I’m not a fan of the baseball card sleeves so I would have to have something different to hold them in
I am still trying to figure out how to organize them in a way that works best for me. Currently I have a binder full of clipped coupons sorted by catagory and I have a tote full of non clipped inserts. I get 16 papers so clipping is a little bit daunting for me.
I keep my coupons in a shoebox with dividers for each category.
since I just started using coupons I use a folder. that said it doesn’t work well. I can never find what I need.
My perfect coupon organizer would be on a tablet device matching up sales and coupons and pulling up e-coupons at the register.
I use two small coupon folders (the kind that look like big file folders, that have many sections, but are smaller in size). One is for food items, the other is for toiletries, paper etc. I try to keep the oldest coupons in front for use, but my system could use some work.
Like most I have a binder.
My PERFECT organizer would be able to alert me a week before coupons are about to expire so that I can keep a lookout for the best deal. It would also include a list of coupons I have frequently used and those that I have not so that I am not clipping more of the same coupons that I am ultimately not using. It would include a weekly list of the sale items at different stores (Publix, Target, CVS, Walgreens) and probably an insert behind each store to place the coupons for my next shoppint trip to that particular store. It would also be full of high volume coupons for items like tide, cheese, milk, veggies, and toilet paper which are all hard to come by at times. It wouldn’t be too bulky, maybe like a portfolio so that the coupons can’t fall out in case someone accidentally pushes your cart and it lands on the floor…. with all the coupons flying out… happened twice.. sigh…
I use a 13-slot divided folder that has a flap closure. My tabs are are as follows: This month (printable coupons that expire in the current month), Next Month (any printables that expire in after this month), Walgreens, CVS, RIte Aid, Harris Teeter, Target and Food Lion. That leaves me a couple of blank slots for miscellaneous stuff (coupons I receive with samples, etc), and I put all my newspaper inserts in the back slot, with the date marked on the insert. Any store specific coupons or shopping lists go in the appropriate slot, and I always clip my pharmacy rewards and put them in the right slot before I leave the store. It’s not perfect, but it seems to work pretty well for me.
I organize mine by when they expire and according to the aisles in the grocery store.
My ideal coupon binder would be bigger and more organized. And if it sorted itself, that would be magical.
I use an accordian binder and as they get older, I clip what is not expired. Then I clip before going shopping what will be used and put in order of the aisles at store.
What would your perfect coupon organizer look like? Tall,dark and handsome. Willing and able to dote on me… hand and foot, and always available to rub my feet after a shopping expedition. 🙂
I have a massive binder and I alphabetically organize them
I’m think a binder with photo or baseball card protector pages would work great for me. I would need section dividers too to label types of coupons, diapers, veggies, etc.
Now you got me thinking, I’m going to go shopping to make one!
I organize mine in a binder by date of the inserts. I keep internet printables in a separate insert, RA VV in another, and then have envelopes for those I have already clipped. I also have pockets for coupon books (like from Albies) and my All You magazines. Then I refer to coupon lists when I am looking for something specific.
I’m still torn as to the perfect system, but it would probably involve a binder so that I can see what I have more easily that flipping through every insert. Beyond that, I’m still waiting to see the perfect one so that I can copy it. 🙂
I use a binder and baseball card sleeves to organize my coupons. I have them in alphabetical order. Except for the catalinas that don’t fit in the smaller pockets, so I put them in the front in an 8×11 sleeve protector.
My coupons are a DISASTER! I need to find a system that I can keep up with and make it work ;-/
I have file folders for each month and each type of source. Ex. folders for P&G, General Mills, SS, RP and Misc.
The perfect organizer would not be any bigger than a Nook Color.. No thicker than a novel and organized by the store isles 🙂
I use Binder systems, I have alphabetically organized master coupon list binder and actual coupon binders. When I look for a specific coupon, I usually look at my master lists then go through actually coupon binder. I also use highliter to mark the product lists I need to get or most likely getting it. This way, I will not miss the deal.
I have a small little coupon binder. And it is hard to have them organized. But the plus is that it’s small enough to keep in the diaper bag when I go out.
I file my inserts by date so when you tell us to go to a particular coupon by type and date I have it! I do have a binder but I keep my printed q’s or blinkers/peelies in that.
I file my coupons in a 3 ring binder in Sheet protectors by Whole insert. Organized by RP or SS and the Date. All non news paper coupons(Printed and mailed) are put into sheet protectors and organized by category.
My ideal oraganizer would be a binder big enough to hold all the coupons I have/need, but yet small enough to be carried easily. I just bought a new dual ring zipper binder and am hoping I have found the “perfect” one! It has a carry strap, which will make it easier to get in and out of the stores.
My ideal coupon organizer would be small, but the way to organize is by each isle of the grocery store I shop at!
I organize mine by category paper grocery etc then by expiring first within catergoty
If only there was a perfect system right?? I’m totally game for using my coupon binder! i have to be able to see everything I have right in front of me. How terrible would it be if you had an electronic device that held everything you needed and then for some reason it died, you accidentally dropped it, or there was no service at the store? bad news. I prefer to keep everything clean cut, otherwise it’s just a mess…but that’s just me. I used the whole baseball card holder method, being able to see each one as i flip the pages. I have it organized by aisle, and try to keep it earliest expiration date to the front. i have to have everything cut out, and in here. otherwise there’s just too much for me to look at and i over see things. Being 19, it works great, and it’s quick and easy to get done and get going!
by Category and what expires first
Perfect organizer would be in a binder with each product in the aisle
What would your perfect coupon organizer look like? Use your imagination and please be as descriptive as you can
My perfect coupon organzier would be pretty! It has a shoulder strap and a handle and easily holds all my baseball inserts. 🙂
I use a notebook, I think a 4 inch one, with plastic baseball inserts. I cut out
the coupons that I use the most and save the other coupons “just in case we
need them or if someone else may need to use them.
I organize my coupons in a case it d185 binder. I just got it and love it. It’s a 4 inch d ring zip up! It’s great!
I currently organize my coupons in just a plastic, wallet-sized, see-through pouch with a single compartment. I just put the grocery/food items in the front and the non-food items at the back. I don’t like!! BUT, it does accomplish a few key things which would be incorporated into my ideal coupon organizer (in my next post 🙂
I seperate the different inserts by date in a 2 pocket folder and write the date on the front. I then place the folders in plastic stand up drawer bins and attach the dates to the front of each bin so I can locate the inserts that I need right away.
I just started organizing my coupons with a hanging file system and leave them in the original inserts (combining multiples of the same insert) and file by date.
My perfect coupon holder would be a notebook that looked more appealing and had different size inserts for different size coupons. Some I clip and some I print from
the internet, like the ones on your website, and they are not all the same size. Also,
a divider between the inserts to write different catagories like: dairy, frozen, meats, cereals, etc.
I think there should be two kinds of organizers. One at home sorted by date for unclipped and then a category one accordian style for the store. I shop multiple stores and like to match them up with the store ad. Sometimes I will clip the store add and attach so that I can get the right size. I put these in the front of my organizer so that I can prioritized those coupons. I would like to see one where you could include add clippings and shopping lists. I like to mark the list with ones that match to a coupon or sale.
organize coupons by grocery food items, refigerated, frozen, personal care items, cleaners, breakfest, ect…. in a accordin file
I organize my coupons in clear big shoeboxes
My current systems is 2 file folders – 1 for general coupons & one for store specific (BBB, commissary, etc.) I try to go through every once in awhile & throw out expired ones. not my ideal though.
My perfect coupon organizer would have a machine that cuts all of the coupons I need or that week. I find once I locate the coupons that I need I dread the cutting time before shopping.
my perfect organizer would be something smaller than a binder (tried that before… too complicated, too big) but bigger than a typical ‘coupon organizer’ Something cute, but not too girly. Easy to find categories.
I organize my coupons in a pink file box by date they come out. I get 10 papers every week from a girl at publixs that sells the tampa tribune for .50 Then I come home sort the pages together (easier to find and cut) and file them by date. When I make my shopping list I cut what I need. I also carry 2 small coupon organizers in my purse. I have one for store shopping list and 1 for high value coupons and leave a divider for blinkies. I started couponing in March and have went through many systems. This is working best for me.
My ideal coupon organizer would incorporate the following characteristics which are in order of importance (according to me of course :):
Portable – nothing worse than getting to the store and realizing I forgot my coupons or having to lug something big around – a binder will NEVER work for me. I want to be able to toss it into my purse or carry it around the store easily.
A way to do a primary sort or flag the coupons that will expire first. I often go through my coupons to be sure to use the ones that are about to expire. I sometimes hold onto coupons with longer expiration dates for quite a while.
I do think it makes sense, and this seems to be a consensus, to organize food/grocery separate from health and beauty or non-grocery (paper towels, etc.). While I may occasionally use my non-grocery coupons at the grocery store (to combine with sales or get doubled), I don’t generally mix the categories.
Might be helpful to have a way to sort the coupons that can get doubled or multiplied separately? and/or maybe a notes tab where you can note doubling days or other rules for your area?
What would I like?
For my smaller, portable organizer, I would have main dividers by grocery store isle:
1 – Pasta, grains, Canned Veggies, etc
2 – Soups, condiments, seasonings, etc
And within those main dividers, I’d have smaller tabs to separate like things. For example, if I had a main divider for the cold/freezer section, I’d have smaller tabs for:
Milk
Yogurt
Cheese
Baked Goods (Cookie Dough, canned biscuits)
Frozen dinners
Frozen veggies
Other
This way I could keep all my clipped/internet/store/blinkies better organized for on the go shopping.
i’m not sure what the purfect system would be but it needs to be less time consumming!!
I use a binder with clear sleeves. When I get my ads on Sunday, I keep Smart Source, Red Plum, etc together and put the date on the front of each one. It is easy for me to reference back when I clip them.
My perfect coupon organizer would be electronic so I could type in a certain coupon and it would tell me exactly where to find it. That might be asking too much 🙂
I love my binder. I feel like it is my perfect organizer. The baseball card holders help me see everything and it is in the order that I can find everything.
I think the only thing that would make my binder better would be some type of digital binder. Where it knew every coupon I had, what page it was on and when it expired so I could just type in the name and it would tell me I did in fact have that coupon and where to find it. Sometimes coupons do end up in the wrong section of my binder and they get lost and I don’t use them.
I organize my coupons in a wallet type holder that separates by category – but these are only the products I normally use. Then, the rest of them are in a drawer by date order, with the date written on the front. I also have a list that I keep updated in alpha order of the coupons I have printed, manufacture, target and other stores. Kinda confusing for some I guess, but it works.
a computer that organizes the for me… and then spits out the ones I need. 🙂
I put all my duplicate inserts together each week and then I organize them by week in a magazine organizer.
I have a 5 inch binder divided into 30 categories. I file all of my coupons in baseball card holders. I keep the Publix yellow and green ads whole and in the pockets in the front of my binder. Everything else is clipped and filed.
My perfect coupon organizer – I am not sure. Haven’t figured out what would work best. I would love to have all the printable coupons (that seems to be the ones that I need and don’t have with me) as well as the ones on products that we use all the time. I don’t want a big binder because I’m afraid it will be too bulky but may end up using one.
Clip coupons and organize by sorting into groups:
– Food and pet food
– Health and beauty
– Cleaning
Each group is then sorted again by the month of expiration.
Large paper clip holds each group
Kept in a plastic shoebox container
Works pretty well for me!
The second question is hard. I think a binder with pagesspit in half about 3 pages. (for store shopping list. Then 10 pages divided by 3 for high value copouns to sort. a place for small scissors, a place for shopping cards, a place for a pen, a folder for each store to put flyers and coupon policy in I think thats it. Now if I could make it not so bulky : )
The perfect system would involve not clipping coupons until they are needed. I don’t do this now because there are too many times when I need to find a specific coupon for a clearance item or something else not on my list that day. I can’t rely on the whole insert method unless there is a way to find your specific coupons more quickly.
I just started with this couponing thing so I don’t have some great system. I bought a coupon accordian folder that I have separated into the following categories: Breakfast, Lunch/Dinner, Sides, Desserts, Condiments, Cleaning Supplies, Hygiene Items, Medical things, Baby Things, and Pet Supplies. I have two children that are under 2 so the baby things is the most important and I am always looking for the great diaper coupons as I go through them FAST.
I am not sure what the perfect system would be but I would like to be able to have a file folder on my computer/phone with a pdf copy of the coupon and then be able to print the coupons that I need, when I need them.
I organize my coupons in a binder in alphabetic order by brand, this seems to work best for me! 🙂
I use 2 accordian like folders . One for food and the other for non food items like cleaners. There in alphabetical order. It worked for a while but I’m out growning it.
I organize my coupons first by specific store coupons, then matchups, and then by category like dairy, meats, breads, snacks, etc. Each section is then organized by expiration date. It’s an accordion style binder I keep in my purse.
My perfect coupon organizer would have to be electronic on my phone or an ipad where you wouldn’t have to have so many pieces of paper to mantain while shopping. It would be nice to only have them scan a barcode that all your coupons were saved to. Not only would it save paper but the time it takes us to cut and saves time for the cashier as well! 🙂 One day I am sure we will get to this, hopefully it will be soon!
I am thinking maybe i will try a a big organizer with the baseball card sleeves. Not really sure ?
My ideal coupon system would be electronic – like scan a coupon to log it in my inventory, then be able to go to just electronically be able to search my own coupon stock for the coupons I need/want.
My ideal coupon organizer would be one that cuts and organizes itself and then tells me where the best deals are 🙂
I use a binder system divided by categories
My ideal organization system is for someone to do cut them and organize them for me and me just look for the coupons before shopping…hehehehe. No really, I would like a three ring binder (or two if needed) that had sheets similar to baseball card holders only a bit longer so that the printed coupons would fit in it. I would also like for those slots to be moveable (I know that this is not really possibly). I will say why later. My binder would be divided into the areas listed above and then have sub-categories under each such as “Cereals” under the breakfast section and within those sub section, I would have like items together like Post Cereals and General Mills Cereals and within those sub-categories I would have them divided by individual brands. Within the individual brands they would be organized by date of experation. All Categories and sub categories would be alphabetized and that is why I would want the pockets to be moveable so that if I got something that needed to be put alphabetically that I would not have to move all other coupons.
I have them in a zipper binder grouped by category, then by item – breakfast items then yogurt, cereal, granola bars, etc, and each seperated by brand. I use 4×6 photo sleeve pages that insert from the side – more roomy and easier to use than the sports card sleeves.
Right now I use a divided folder type organizer and have them organized in categories ( use now, cool food, dry food, pet, office, home goods, personal care, cleaning, retail, restaurants) and then have them organized within the category by expiration date. Although I need to expand into something that can accommodate all the coupons I am acquiring.
I put them in my wallet, closest to me means they are closest to expiring.
My ideal method would be more organized, easier to find the coupons I need instead of me having to frantically flip through the pile of coupons in the store.
I have a plastic bin that stores all my inserts. I use that when I prepare my weekly lists and then cut the coupons and put them with my shopping list in a plastic bag in my purse. For others that I cut out and am not able to use for whatever reason, I store those in my binder which has baseball card sleeves.
My ideal organizer would be something I could carry easily. I have nice binder that I bought at a great price at Target. I have different categories (sweets/ salty/ refrigerated/ detergents/ oral care/ etc) I keep my coupons in the baseball card holders and it works pretty good. It would love to have more time to be able to cut my coupons and organize them in my folder every weekend but sometimes it takes me longer … 🙁 . I just havent found that perfect solution for keeping up with the experation dates yet. I carry my binder in the car all the time. But if I am going say Publix I try to make a list of what I am going to buy and take the coupons I am going to use and put them all in a small accorddion type envelope that I carry with me all the time in my purse that way I already have the ones I am going to use handy. I would love to have some sort of method of knowing when the coupon arrived that way I would know if I have it when I read your list of coupons 🙂
I used a coupon binder to organize my coupons.
I would like a organizer that had a shoulder strap and ample room for coupons and sleeves that would hold internet coupons by category.
My ideal method would be to create a device that would make everything electronic. You could scan your coupons into it and it would store them for use at the checkout. It would eliminate printing (ink & paper) costs, waste and would delete expired coupons. That would be ideal!!
I put my coupons in gallon ziploc bags by date and type (ss, rp, pg). I also cut out the ones I know i’ll use before I file them.
I would want something that doesn’t look like a coupon binder! I don’t want to hear that groan when someone sees me coming! I’m not sure what that would look like as i just use a small accoridan (sp?) file folder to keep my coupons by aisle in teh grocery store!
I organize my coupons in manilla file folders that have been cut down to 5″x8″ with tabs labeling different product categories.
I organize all like inserts by date then cut only when I need them.
I would love to keep a coupon binder for all of my online coupons and blinkies. I currently have a crate with all of my coupons collated by date and all of each month SS is stored together and all RP stored together for each month. Then I have an accordian for my loose coupons.
I don’t take an organizer in the store with me- it would be helpful to know when complete inserts are out of date so I know when to get rid of them or donate them.
I have a “designer” coupon book separated by categories. Baby, toiletries, beverages, paper products, cleaners, frozen, etc… I love it and hate it at the same time. It is so easy to be in a store buying snacks go to my snack category and find the good deal!! It stinks if I don’t keep up with expiring coupons though.
I would love an app like giant eagle has where you select what you want and when you go to checkout they are automatically applied but I would love to have an app that organizes and sorts by store and needs.
My ideal coupon binder would be someone else figuring it out for me, orgainzing it, then I would take it to the store. I would love every clear protective sheet labeled so I can see and not have to dig around. Would need a publix, CVS, walgreens, target, and Walmart pencil pouch so that those would be when I was ready with my shopping list and coupons I just slide into the store that It went with.
My ideal coupon organizer would be easy to take everywhere, wouldn’t spill out, have lots of dividers, include a calculator, scratch paper & pen, and would somehow clip on to my grocery cart. I usually plan out what I will be purchasing and separate the needed coupons but often enough something unexpected is on sale and I dig through my stash of coupons (so this organizer needs to hold all my coupons and have a little pocket for the ones I know I’m going to use immediately). Target has this tiny coupon organizer that clipped on the grocery cart handle but it was way too small for my stash of coupons and didn’t include all my dreamy features.
My coupons are organized in a binder with baseball card inserts. They are separated by categories, stores, resturants, etc. So many times I wish they were organized a little better or I had the time to cut all the coupons out. Just when I think I’m caught up….we get hit with 3-4 Sunday inserts x 4 or x 6 depending on the week…then I fall behind. I have changed it up several times, but this works for me right now!!!
I have an envelope sized file folder divider. It’s divided by section, ie: dairy, It is sub- divided with envelopes ie: yogurt, milk, cheese.
I bought a simple photo book at Target for $10.00 and I put the coupons in the picture sleeves which are see thru plastic. I have them organized by the following categories – breakfast foods, snacks, frozen foods, meats & dairy, canned foods, cleaning products, toiletries, pet supplies and misc. (batteries). When I go to the grocery store, I just flip through the book and can see all of my coupons easily. People usually stop me and ask me where I got the book. It’s such a simple solution.
I learned very much by trial and error
I bought the biggest binder I could find and also bought 5 pkg of subject devider’s
My favorite store is shopRite so I know that all my produce is the furthest to my left and I have numbered each isle and what it contains so each devider is set up as so
Produce first Fresh veggies fruits etc next would be cereals hot and cold then next would be prepared foods such as Rice, hamburger helper, Idaho potoes instant
I know most can food items are next isle so I put Canned food starting with fruits delmonte Dole Canned cranberries and then canned veggies next would be snacks
such as fruit roll ups snack packs breakfast bars and quaker snack bars
then Pasta Isle I put Pasta , pasta sauce, egg noodles etc, Bread is next which includes Bread, english muffins cornmuffin tops etc
Cleaning supplies is next this can consist of Laundry detergents Bleach fabric softners and comet scrubbing bubbles and dish liquid.
Then bathroom supplies
Toilet paper, paper towels , napkins sponges
then bath supplies consiting of body wash , bar soap, shampoo
then Lotions
then I have one for Razors shaving cream
then one for oral care consisting of toothpaste mouth wash, floss teeth whitening
and tooth brushes
Then I have femenine products Tampex kotex cleansing wipes
then I have pain relievers and vitamins
my last devider is frozen foods anything that is frozen then i seprate it into sections
like Ice cream, frozen veggies, prepared meals etc .. then I have my Dairy, eggs cheese milk etc then I do frozen last because sometimes I’m in the store well over an hour and a half at times or more depending on how many transactions I do and I do not want my frozen items to thaw. I try to do everything in order to the isles and in order to my needs as well like i said i learned this all by trial and error very important if you follow anything follow my last two Dairy and frozen always go last. I have a huge binder and when I make my list my binder is set by the isles in my store and it is easy to find and pull out what I need then I just add to my smaller according binder that I keep my shoprite catalinas in and money off next shopping order in then I make sure i purchase the item that give me the catalinas that I want that it in a nutshell might confuse you but its just perfect for me I love my binder Good luck everyone!
The perfect ideal coupon method….electronic card or something like that so you could choose which coupons you wanted, load them on a card and then when you check out you just slide the card (like a store card) and the deductions start coming off. That would be nice!!
My ideal organizer would be similar in size to what I have now, envelope size divider, but with a sturdy bottom, and some kind of fold back top that stays open but closes tightly. I like my system of categories and sub-dividing the category but would like some other way of dividing them. More visible at a glance.
I keep my newspaper inserts (uncut) and organized by date in indexed portable folders, basically an oversized version of the traditional small coupon organizers. I have about three that fit in a shoulder messenger bag that I can keep in the car when I am traveling. For shopping I have two small traditional coupon binders; one for food/pet & the other for everything else. This is where I keep all cut coupons. For specific store trips I paper clip my coupons with the shopping list, but still bring my two small binders.
I organize my coupons by store. After printing and cutting out my coupons I put them into envelopes marked with the name of the store I most likely will be using that coupon at. My envelopes are then hung up on a cork board in my laundry room. When I am ready to go to the store I just take that envelope with me.
I use folders and pull as I need them.
Lables on the organizer is nice.
I stack my inserts up and label them by date….when I go through each sunday; however, I cut the coupons I think I will use/high value ones and put those in envelopes labeled: food, household, bathroom, misc.
1. I use a binder system with baseball card holder sheets.
I used to use the binder with baseball card holder system but it was too time consuming. Now I just file the inserts by date in a plastic file box and clip the coupons when I need them. All Coupons I print off the internet get organized alphabetically in my old binder.
What would your perfect coupon organizer look like?
Well If you were to ask my husband that question he’d say he wish it looked exsactly like him because I look at my binder more than him 🙂 …
Anyway I know I have this sick kind of love for my Binder and no one is allowed near it
but if I could choose what it would look like I would have to say like bright Gold to me my binder is a book of money like Gold if you ask me so I would want it to glow like brite Gold and each devider would have a Seri function just like my Iphone touch and ask seri find my coupon for cereal and it would notify me when my coupons were about to expire. I would push a button and it will tell me all the best coupon match ups and catalina deals in the store I’m in. It would also be small and compact so not everyone in the store stares at you when you walk by unless its that sweet old lady buying something without a coupon and you just can not help but give her one. So Brite Gold Seri automated speak function compact binder that fits in my purse. and you can’t shoot your eye out with it either!
2. I would LOVE a better sleeve than the current baseball card ones — I dont particularly love having to fold the coupons to fit into the sleeves – especially because it becomes hard to read the expiration dates. Another plus would be a better way to pull specific coupons for shopping trips and having a better way to store the pulled coupons rather than in the front pocket of the binder! Great questions!
My ideal coupon organizer is exactly what I use, file box & binder system
i organize my coupons in a recipe box with descriptive tabs. i try to corral the ones that i KNOW i am going to use, or for products we must have that specific trip, in the front of the box. i really don’t like it, but i haven’t been able to come up with a system i DO like, so i use it for now. it’s just really time consuming!
summer
I have a portable file that I use for the newspaper inserts and use a binder with 3 clear pocket holders called currency holders (sold on amazon) and also put pocket folders in there for misc stuff.
my PERFECT organizer would be a neatly organized binder – and held by my grocery shopping fairy, who would be ALWAYS on the look out for better deals. she would also make the stores stick to their policies and would do the “ugly talking” when wal-mart won’t accept a coupon for an item that is CLEARLY PICTURED AND DESCRIBED on current dated coupons i give the cashier and the register “reports” that it can’t be used!! haha! have a great day!
summer
Dream organizer – Rosie the robot from the Jetsons to do all the work! LOL
I have a zippered binder. I use baseball card pages and organize by catergory alphabetically. My sil was nice enough to sew an old luggage strap on for me so it’s very portable.
I would like a binder that is a little more stylish in color and design.
I organize my coupons in a 4 inch binder alphabetically by brand name.
I organize my coupons in a small expandable carrier… it’s small enough to carry around with me in my purse when I plan to go grocery shopping.
My dream coupon organizer would be a binder… but I just don’t know how to make the transition!
I use a wallet style pouch with different catergories, such as, Cereal, Bread/Pasta, Drinks, Meats, Frozen, etc…
I would love a portable computerized coupon computer/printer, where I can type in the product on sale and poof it prints out all coupons that I need for that particular item!
I use a coupon clutch.
I’m ashamed at how little organization is used in my coupon ‘system.’ I’m the woman in the aisle at the store who has to sort through all my coupons to find the one I want!
My dream organizer would be a good binder system with everything sorted by type of products.
I have a 15lb “tub” (flat and long) that I put my coupons inside. The coupons are then divided into separate envelopes with catergory names such as “drinks”. I put the envelope in a plastic see thru pencil pouch that I got for .05 at Office Depot during back to school. I’ve tried the binders but it is too much for a full-time worker.
hmm..There use to be rhyme and reason to my system and now its just a disaster. I use to have an organized binder with food together canned together make up and toiletries household and so on but no its a disaster and I have piles and piles of un clipped books! I need like three days of nothing but couponing to get back on track I also keep a small expandable in my purse with coupons i want to use right away or if I prepare for a trip I stick the ones Im using in that.
I save the inserts from the paper and cut them out based on the date listed on the grocery match-up…
Dream organizer -would be binders filled with fruits, vegetables and meat coupons on top of all the other coupons. It would also have a winning lottery ticket so I can help others save and stockpile.
I organize my coupons in a check-size accordion file. I have additional envelopes for restaurant and store coupons.
My coupons are in a binder, placed in baseball card sleeves, arranged alphabetically by topics (baking, baby, canned goods, etc.)
I use a pocket filer I can fit in my purse.
I use a pocket filer.
Perfect organizer? I haven’t found one yet. Probably some sort of self sorting, self-expanding binder, so that all I have to do is give it the weekly list and it would pull all the appropriate coupons for me, as well as purging the expired ones.
My perfect system would be a big binder that is organized by month and inside each month is dividers is baseball holders for food, canned goods, candy chips, make up and toiletries and household and a folder for dairy and internet coupons under each month this way when I clip my coupons I can file it under the month it expires in and then at the end of the month I can empty those right into an envelope for the troops. Then I would have and expandable in my purse for prepared trips this way I can access my binder when I want to or leave it in the car if i want to when I have a planned trip.
I clip my coupons and file in an accordian style envelopes, one for food and the other for non food items.
I love my system. The only thing I would change would be to make it more attractive and high quality. I paid $1 for them at Target/
I have tried several ways , the first way was a clipboard with the printable coupons still on the sheet. the second way was accordian style holders, I think my favorite is my 3 ring binder,Which i do now and i list all the coupons by what source they came out of. Also for my shopping trip i do my matchups and place all my coupons in a plastic pencil box, but none of this would be possible with out you 🙂 thank you so much!
I have an accordion style folder for my newspaper inserts and they are organized by date of newspaper, then I also have slots for each store’s own flyers. Then I have a large binder for my loose coupons that are organized by type of grocery inside baseball card plastic covers. Then i have a coupon holder that attaches to my shopping cart, and inside that I have an envelope for each transaction that I am doing (since I do multiples to save more money), and in each envelope is the coupons that match with that transaction, also a pair of scissors and a pen inside the holder incase I see some last min. coupons I need to cut out while I am there! . 🙂
My perfect coupon organizer would be a large binder with plastic covers and each individual coupon cut out plus a store coupon match, and organized by type of grocery followed by expiration date, then a page for what I am willing to pay for each item and a page for each individual stores coupon rules, with a area to hold my pen, and my scissors. 🙂
I’m pretty simple – just a small coupon organizer that is split up into categories!!
Hi Liza, I have gone from a wallet type organizer and moved up to a binder. It was the best thing i could have done. Although not perfect it helps me feel much more organized. I have baseball card pages organized by category. Makes finding certain coupons easier. My husband recently wanted something sweet from the store. We flipped to the candy tab and picked something from there for him lol. I would love to see an app for the iPad or iPhone that would allow couponers to scan a coupon and have a database that would keep track of expiration dates and even match the coupons to current sales. The app could give alerts when expiration was approaching or when something at our favorite store was on sale and the coupon we have to match. This would save so so so much time from having to cut every coupon and organize into categories. I find i have to look through my binder often so as not to miss out on anything I would want to buy even at regular price with a coupon. I hope this helps with what you are trying to figure out. Thanks again for everything you do!
I use the envelope technique!
I have 1 binder that breaks down their into common grocery categories.I also have 3 File Totes one for SS one for RP and the other for misc. like P&G etc. Then I have a
1 Expanding File Or Wallet for when I got shopping inside the stores those are the coupons that I have cut and I know there are deals on them the others material that I mentioned before I also take with me just in case there is a deal that I did not see and I can get it right then.
My coupon organization is kind of rough right now. I have a foods and a non-foods dollar store coupon booklets for my coupons. Each divider in the booklets were popped out relabeled and returned in alphabetical order.
My perfect idea of organized coupons… I have no clue. I try and pull the coupons I think I will use for each trip prior to arriving in the store and stuff them into my pockets as I pick up the items. There must be a better way, unsure how. I am thinking of a some portable machine that shuffles cards, but change it up so that when a coupon is added, a button is pressed and saved into a group to use immediately, store or will not use and giveaway.
I have mine in a binder in baseball inserts. But also are in ABC order, and in order of the rows in the store. Takes more time , but faster in the store ! Liza, you are my fav Facebook site for savings !
I organize my coupons with the binder system using picture inserts instead of the baseball card inserts. I also have them on an excel worksheet by Manufacturer and that tells me how much the coupon is, the quantity, the expiration date and how many coupons I have. This is very helpful!
Second entry – My perfect coupon organizer would be a “man” to carry my binder around the store, and pull all the coupons in the order I say!
My perfect coupon organizer would be a person that cuts the coupons, files in the right section of the binder and then puts them into my excel worksheet. This organizer would also do my shopping lists, gather the coupons & delete from the worksheet. (I tried to get my daughter to do this, but she says it is too time consuming!)
Question 1: “How do you organize your coupons”?
Answer: For the time being I have a plastic pencil case for 24 different categories of coupons. I have them separated by a folded index card, labeled with each category. I keep the most frequently used on the top for convenience. I also keep my scissors in this case. Now I have a folder that I keep store coupons and restaurant coupons in as well. I also keep my stores’ coupon policies in here too oh and any rebate forms too.
Question 2: “what would your perfect coupon organizer look like”?
Answer: It would be something that folds and when opened can rest in the shopping cart perfectly. It will have a built in calculator and place for a note/sticky pad. It will have at least 30 different spaces/compartments for my several different categories of coupons. (I don’t worry too much about the dates because my local grocery store accepts expired coupons up to 30 days!) one of these comartments will house the coupons I plan to use on the current trip, I always seem to fumble in the store when I need to add to the stack I have pre-sorted to be used. Maybe even a smal clipboard that I can clip my coupons under….hhmmm LOL I could probably go on and on!
I just use and envelope, and put in coupons I plan on using for that trip.
Short, wide accordian file by category, then by product, most recent to the back. I drive myself nuts trying to find coupons in the aisle. Not sure I could keep up with a binder tho.
My “ideal” organizer would come with a savings fairy to clip and file, weed out the expired Q’s, and also do the match-ups for each store when you scanned it on the way in the door. Since I shop at multiple stores, I really need things by category or brand so that I can pull and place in an open slot, which would be easy to just present to cashier. I like the portability of my short, wide zippered accordian, but am starting to wonder if I need to expand to a binder or large box (which totally intimidates me). Is there really a ‘perfect’ system out there?
I use a coupon binder.
I use have an assistant cutter and filer of coupons!
I organize them when they expire and I put them in the order of my Aisles in my store it helps me know what I am getting
I organize my coupons by food, and non-food items, than wittle them down to more precise subsets, and then put them in my coupon book according to the subset they belong to.
i have a student zippered binder with 3×5 photo holders (4 per page). I also use alpha dividers, but group according to type of product. For example, my laundrey detergent and my dish detergent/soap are in the D section for detergent.
I just keep them in a business-sized envelope in an order matching the grocery store I frequent. Produce first, then health and beauty, then pets, etc. I go to the store web site and make my grocery list from their weekly flyer, add the other things I need, then take out or search for the coupons to go with them. Keeps me buying what I need.
I spend 1-2 hours on every Saturday to sort out coupons for the following week, write down what I want to buy at what store, put coupons in an envelop designated to that store.
My perfect organizer would be something that is already pre-organized for me, so all I’d have to do is use that system, so that I don’t have to come up with one on my own. Also that is portable and easily fits into a grocery cart.
My coupon organizer would probably be a binder which is divided into section based on stores, item categories (food, household, beauty, etc)
My perfect coupon holder would be the an accordian file 9×5 made of something durable with at least a dozen slots and blank tabs. Give me blank stickers to fill in and stick on those tabs so I can make it up as I like.
I just put the entire insert in a binder and write the date on it. This way when it says product X in the 10/16 Red Plumb or what have you I can clip it then insert it in my baseball card insert before I go to the store.
File folders, by date and then store
I cut my coupons and put them in a sports card insert and put those into a binder. I lable the coupons with plastic tabs according to items; dairy, shampoo, condiments, etc.
The perfect organizer would be someone doing it for me! It’s so time consuming, but well worth it.
I use the filing method for my coupon inserts – date the inserts then file by date. For my clipped coupons I have a little binder with pockets categorized by type of product.
I organize my coupons in envelopes that are labelled for different categories.
In my secretary by marking on the top of each packet the weekend I got the coupons and then filing them in a folder organizer.
My perfect organizer would be small enough that it could fit in my purse and yet still have enough dividers for me to find the coupons I need easily. It would also still be pretty wide and super secure so I wouldn’t have to deal with coupons falling out issues.
I just got a 12 tab organizer/ divider. I organize them by date- in order of when they expire.
My perfect coupon organized would be one that was alphabetical and arranged by expiration date.
A pottery barn room with corkboards and clear filing cabinets with magnetic scissors and pens attached to a wall that was magnetic that was all black and white so my coupons stuck out. I would have solar panels and big windows to let in natural light. I would have a desk covered with printers, copiers, lap top and a fax machine with a stash of envelopes and stamps to mail out old coupons, requests, etc.
I organize my coupons by date. Basically I just date each coupon booklet (SS, RP & P&G) and stack them in piles by month with the newest booklet on top. I store them in my loft/study area and only get about 4 – 6 inserts a week from other people. Clipping them all and putting them into binders is wayyyyyyy too time consuming for me lol there are pros to it but I just don’t have the time or patience.
The perfect coupon organizer to me would be some app on my smart phone. I would use it to scan in each coupon, then I could search for a certain product by typing it in or scanning an item- it would let me know if I had any coupons for the product and when they expire. This would help me to find them- using my current system, I often forget what coupons I have until they are almost expired. 🙁
I organize by binder.
My perfect coupon organizer would be in the form of a person haha someone to clip all my coupons, organize them, tell me what’s on sale and get rid of the expired ones. Not to mention a person that doubles as a driver because I hate driving so they can drive me to the store to get good deals too. rofl
I organize my coupons in a wallet size organizer into categories such as bread, meat, household, personal, sweets, restaurants, etc
organize my coupons- i put the date of paper- (sunday ) on it and organize them by dates.
tcogbill at live dot com
I am actually switching my system right now I have been using a binder that has 2 different sets of rings in it. The coupons are organized by category using currency and baseball card holders. I am finding that to be too time consuming so I am starting to to keep the inserts together instead using page protectors. Once I switch over I will have inserts sorted by date and then a smaller category section for the coupons I print out. Now when I make my shopping list I have a small accordion folder sorted by store that I keep the coupons I plan to use.
I have my coupons in a file box sorted by redplum/smartsouce/other and current date to the front
my coupons are organize by date
I use a binder. However, I have not clipped coupons in a month and have a huge pile to clip!
My perfect organizer would be more portable so I could take to the store with me. The only thing about the baseball type is all the cutting and organizing you have to do and that took way to much time for me. I’m open to suggestions, maybe someone to organize them all for me that would be ideal! Thank you Liza
my perfect coupon organizer would probably be something that I could use on a ipad/tablet (which I hope to actually get one of these days). I think it would be perfect for those times I find something in clearance and need to see if I have a coupon that will match up. I would love to just search on an ipad instead of flipping through my binder. and what would make this even better would be a mini printer that could print a coupon right in the store. oh… i can dream…
My perfect coupon organizer would be something electronic. Maybe something that filed the coupons by the aisles in the store.
my perfect organize would be a binder that fits all my coupons i could fit in my purse
I organize my coupons using a recipe box. I have index cards that label each section such as, “baby supplies,” “Shower supplies,” or “laundry detergent.” Coupons are then filed based on their expiration date – with the most recent expiration date at the front to the furthest away in the rear.
My perfect coupon organizer would be broken down by category and brand. So if was laundry detergent as the category it would then have, “Tide,” “All” “Gain,” etc. In each of the brand categories the coupons would then be organized by expiration date. The organizer would be easy to understand, perhaps 1 or 2 pages per category.
My coupons are organized in a file foler by type (household, cosmetics/bath products, types of food)
Ideally I’d organize them into little baseball inserts and have a binder.
I use a metal cash box, I cut all my coupons out each week.
My perfect coupon box would automatically cut my coupons out for me.!
I use a binder and sort by categories… I would love to start trying something new…. Thank you for this opportunity!!!
I cut out all the coupons I want from each Sunday’s flyers and stick them in a huge jar until I need them. When I make out my grocery list, I go through them and pick out the coupons I need. All my internet coupons/flyers/magazines, are put in a basket in which I also keep the big jar. I would like to get more organized.
I would like like to have a binder like system, except that the coupons would be in a fabric fold up type of thing. I do not like to have a big bulky thing with me at the store.
I used hanging folders broken down by week and by brand such as ss, rp and p&g.
I file them by date. I check your website for deals then clip the ones I need.
He would be a mlb player, dressed in his uniform, collecting, cutting and organizing my coupons.
My inserts from the paper are in hanging files labeled by the week, which is fine if you make you list ahead of time and cut the coupons you need. But I have run into the problem repeatedly of seeing something at the store at a bargain and knowing I have coupons at home for it. So I am considering going to a binder but how much time does it take to cut all those coupons??
In a binder, but not all of them. the inserts go in a bin.
To organize my coupons, I have a binder with baseball card holders. I have dividers in the binder to separate drug store items, food items, frozen items, household items, and restaurant/retailer coupons. Within each of the categories I have things alphabetized like baking, cat food, cereal, crackers, dairy, etc.
I also have a coupon accordion I keep in my purse and I put my coupons I’m using for that shopping trip in that and all paper clipped together.
I organize my coupons by category in a coupon organizer that I found at the Dollar Tree.
I would love to have a big binder to organize my coupons.
My perfect coupon system would be for coupons to go completely paperless and all go into an app on your iphone. You could pay for multiple inserts to be downloaded onto your iphone. Then, all your coupons would be grouped by type and you should use a search bar to find the coupons you needed. The coupons would automatically disappear when they expired. You could put all the coupons you are using into one file with a barcode and then the cashier could just scan that one barcode and all your coupons would come off your order automatically!
I put inserts in a bin and then on Sundays I cut them out
my perfect coupon organizer would have room for inserts and then a pocket for the coupons that I am using,
My perfect organizer would be tall, dark and handsome !!! He would also be available to go on every shopping trip with all my coupons to give me as I need them. LOL Seriously, I have no idea what a perfect organizer would be but I sure would like one.
LOL! Rolling here!!! But then again…think about it, you have to do more shopping to feed him. Thanks for the laugh!
I am glad you enjoyed my humor !! I certainly don’t have one of these….. but wish I did……………I would gladly feed him…
To organize my coupons… I go through the fliers each week and cut out coupons I’m pretty sure I will use and file them in a small basket that I have made dividers for. This I will take with me on all shopping trips. The rest of the coupons I put in folders (2 weeks per folder) and write the date on the front of the folder and store them in a drawer. I have about 10 folders and I reuse each folder by taking the oldest date and tossing those coupons and inserting the current weeks coupons. By the time I get back to each folder they have mostly all expired. I usually look through the coupons to make sure thier aren’t any with really long expiration dates. If there are I will cut them out and store them in my basket
I am pretty happy with my coupon basket. I just wish it was a little wider to fit the extra large coupons like the Target coupons.
right now I use a plastic file box with hanging file (labeled: publix, P&G, red plum, smartsource, misc, printed and expired)and as weekly sales come up, i clip and carry with me a list of excatly what and how many to buy that i carry in a zippered binder pouch.
my ideal organizer would be a dual ringed binder one side with baseball card inserts and seperated in to categories (food: frozen, canned goods, beverages etc. and nonfood: health and beauty, pet, cleaning etc.) then the other side would hold multiple binder pouches, one for each store that i planned to shop at with coupons. One to hold other items such as pens, sissors, paperclips, post-its, etc., one to hold my receipts so i can keep track of my spending and saving and most important my own masterlist of coupons so i know whatsin the binder. and after i do all that i hope i can go into a store with all my coupons together and no have to even open te thing cause i’m that good at this, plus shopping with two kids and looking through a ginormous binder are not condusive to a simple shopping trip.
I just recently started couponing more, right now I have separate envelopes that I keep in the make up part of my purse, one for health/beauty, frozen, dairy, cleaning, paper products, etc.
I use small envelopes to organize.
my perfect coupon organizer would be light-weighted, fit in my purse.
my ideal organization would be someone to cut them for me, then organize them into categories, I would prefer a tall dark handsome man to do this as some nice eye candy
I file my Sunday coupon inserts by dates in file folders. The magazines and misc are cut out and filed in my large binder that is organized by category. In that binder I also have a sheet protector for each place I shop like Publix, CVS and that is where I keep all those coupons. I can always find what I am looking for before my shopping spree and I can easily take along my binder for those deals that were not posted and I was not prepared for. I like this system, but am always open for new ways to work with coupons! Your sight is invaluable.
How do you organize your coupons?
I keep small file totes with inserts separated by month. I cut out coupons when I get inserts only if I know it’s an item that I will be using within the next couple of weeks. Otherwise I cut them out when I need them, having searched databases or seen the match ups. Keeping the coupons by date/month is so much easier than cutting out every coupon, every week. When a family member calls and says…I need this or that…I can check in a database and go right to the coupon.
What would your perfect coupon organizer look like?
I love the one I have. It is a plastic accordion style, but each of the 13 slots are separate, not just by a card. And there is a spot in the front about a half inch or so rectangle where the coupons I am using go as well as all the rain checks I have. It is lightweight. The only thing I would love is for it to have more slots so I do not have to double up on them all as I do now.
I Love Starbucks! (am gold member) Thanks for giving us the opportunity to win this! With all the craziness going on right now, had to stop and enter after reading your email! LOL
My ideal coupon keeper would have slots larger than the baseball card holders so coupons could slide in sideways all the way down, not inserted from the top. A lighter style binder and a good fit so the binder would lay flat automatically in the shopping carts. Also the addition of tabs are great for quck turn to page instead of using the premade tabs found in the office supply stores.A pull out for the coupons we already have organized for that shopping trip with a few organizational sections on it (I know it can’t be too big and it would have to be limited to sections too). If it would just lay on top of the binder and be kind of stiff not flimsy to make working with the coupons easier.
I organize my coupons by writing the date at the top of each insert. I then put them in order from oldest date to last and keep them in a basket tray. I also have a box for stray papers that i do not know what date they are from. (I am gradually going through them to get them organized as well.) I have 2 nice card boxes that has loose coupons in it which contains any coupons that were sent, given or cut out and not used. One box is for foods and the other is for non-food items. When it is time to go shopping I have reusable envelopes that have the names of all of the stores I shop at. I put the coupons i need for those stores in them before i go shopping.
My perfect organzier would be something where i could insert my inserts into and then it would automatically file them for me. After they were organized all I would have to do was enter a coupon name/description into the monitor and it would cut and spit out my coupons for me… Kinda like a “COUPON VENDING MACHINE”
I organize my coupons in a coupon wallet by catergory of beverages, breakfast, snacks and soups, pasta and vegetables, dairy, meat, oil and dressings, etc. Then I put them order of expiration date. I have a special section in the back for the current month so I use them firsr.
I use a binder w/ baseball card sleeves, organized into sections such as Store q’s, Baby, health and beauty, household, frozen foods, refrigerated foods, and pantry items. I’m currently trying to get it organized- I’m swimming in unfiled coupons!!! 🙂
My dream coupon organizer would be a 4-inch binder- right now, I think mine is 1 1/2- 2 inches and it is bulging at the seams!!! LOL
I have a portfolio type binder that holds my baseball card inserts where I have coupons categorized into major sections such as Paper goods/oral care/personal hygiene. It also has a calculator built into it and a section where you can insert files. There is also a place for store cards (or any type of card for that matter) and a small zippered section that I put some of the coupons I am going to need for the day. It has been wonderful with the exception of the fact that it just BROKE! I need a new one, but it is $25! I have no idea why I wrote this much considering all of the responses, but you did say to be specific. 😉
My ideal coupon organizer would be like the one I have but with a few upgrades such as:
– sturdier
– better calculator
– a little more room in the zippered section (it is flat so when you pull stuff out it kind of goes flying)
– if the accordion file section could also be just a little more giving that would help. I would like to keep my store inserts in there, but it just gets a little tight.
OH! I forgot to mention it has a legal pad on the back panel. I think that is good, but to be honest I feel wasteful using an entire sheet so if it were a smaller notepad, I’d be fine with that.
Ok I guess that about does it.
Thanks!
I organize my coupons by week that I receive the flyers. I have all the flyers (red plum, smart source, etc.) stacked chronologically in a box and flip through and find the flyer with the date I need to cut coupons. I only print from the internet when it’s an item I know I need or one I’ll use that week (my printer is old and drinks ink!)
My perfect coupon organizer would probably be somekind of electronic database in which I could enter items that I am interested in purchasing and it would alert me when those certain brands or items were a good deal/had coupons out/went on sale that week.
I organize my coupons in expandable folders. One for the inserts and a smaller one to carry in my purse. In the small one I have the coupons arranged by store and expiration date, as well as what it is (i.e. – grocery or other).
I organize my coupons in 4 small envelopes. The first contains food coupons expiring in the next month. The second contains food coupons expiring later on. The third contains non-food coupons expiring in the next month. The fourth contains non-food coupons expiring later on. Within each envelope, they are orgainized by group (dairy, frozen, salty snacks, etc.)
My ideal coupon organizer would be similar to what I use now but a little different for the inserts. I would like something more sturdy and bigger because the folder I am using can only hold so many and is bendable.
The pefect coupon organizer would be a little machine that you could scan all of your coupons into. All of the coupons are then included in the machines database. Then when you need a coupon, you search the on-screen database. You select the coupon you need and the machine pops it out for you!
I use a Coupon Clutch. I clip my coupons and sort them into the default categories that came with it. It works for me. I may change it to my own categories later.
You want ideal? Perfect world? Hmmm…I would have something that automatically took the inserts and clipped them, sorted them, and filed them. Hahaha, so an electronic version of me I guess. 😉
But, if we were talking real world, I just need something sturdy, easy to carry, easy to access coupons, file some unclipped inserts, hold pen/pencil, calculator, paper, scissors.
I mainly use the binder system.It holds my printables, high value, blinkies, tearpads and frequently used items. I go through my inserts and clip high value or mostly used items. Then the inserts go into a file cabinet labled by insert date. My binder is organized alphabetically with food products in the front and non food it the back of the binder. I also use different size baseball card holders. Sometimes the coupons are too long or big and I dont want to fold them up, I just slip them into the appropriate size plastic.This works great for me.Thanks for all the hard work you do!! Love your sie!
I really like the vera bradley patterns and colors. I also like the binders that zip up closed with a handle. Unfortunately I had a binder ( it wasn’t cheap or attractive) that had the cover and handle but it just couldn’t handle all the coupons that I had and ripped( after about 2 months). My ideal binder would be at least five inches wide and have a pretty vera bradley like pattern, with a strong zipper and a strong handle. OOh, how about removable( I could switch out patterns!) and washable!!
I use two mini photo albums (one for food and one for non-food) and organize my coupons by categories in the photo holders.
My perfect coupon organizer would be a binder that is small enough to fit in my purse and can organize my coupons by item.
I have a file organizer storage container (from staples) & the folders are by weekly dates of coupon booklets.
The perfect organizer would need to be long enough to fit those coupons that you have to fold !
How do you organize your coupons?
I organize my coupons by using a binder. I divide it into sections by items I use the most. I’m not very organized when it comes to each section. I try to put like-item coupons together, and then by expiration date. But it ends up being a mess.
What would your perfect coupon organizer look like?
The perfect coupon organizer would probably be something electronic! I need to find a way to sort things by category and be able to quickly find those coupons which are expiring.
I scroll through the weekly coupon inserts via the coupon website blog. I cut out what I know I will use or high value coupons. I place them in baseball card sleeves in a large binder(categorized into 16 sections). When I clip coup. and place them in the sleeves, I place them in the back. The Q’s I don’t clip, I keep in another binder/suitcase according to dates and I keep this in my CAR! I keep my shopping binder in the CAR at all times whenever I am out of the house. When I’m ready to go into a store, I take out all the Q’s I need and place them into a labeled(ex…CVS) ziploc. I will take out the ziploc in side the store and pull out of this. I also take my binder inside the store at times(in case I come across clearance items/FREE STUFF!). This works for me! I also place any rainchecks the store issues into this ziploc…remember, the Q’s are already inside. I will take the ziploc into the store the next week, so I have raincheck and Q’s available. This system works for me. I am so thankful for COUPONS!
I cut out the ones I need for my shopping trip and organize by date. For the ones I don’t need to use yet, I keep them in the inserts and organize the inserts by date.
My ideal organizer would be to have it all scanned to my iPad, that way all I would have to do is scan my iPad and it would pull all the relevant coupons! Until then, I would like to try the binder method.