Learning to how to organize coupons will be the next step. Now that you have started saving your grocery coupons, you then need to decide what method to file your coupons. There are many organization methods but you should pick the best method that fits you. Also consider how much time you have to invest.
Here is the list:
Large Accordion File Method
Small Accordion Method
Binder Method
Large Accordion File Method
This is where you file all your Sunday coupon inserts. You don’t have to cut out every coupon just write that weeks date on the front page of each and then file that weeks inserts together in a pocket. Then the next week file those coupon inserts in the next pocket.
When you write your grocery list and need grocery coupons you will go to that weeks insert and just clip what you need. You can find the coupon match ups for each store on match up pages.
As your coupon inserts accumulate, go through and discard the oldest ones. You can also save them up to 6 months in a shoebox. This is a commonly applied method that many people do.
In recent years coupon expiration dates have become much shorter. So I just like to hang on to coupons that have a longer expiration dates.
Small Accordion File Method or Small Shoebox
For this method, to organize coupons you will need to clip all the coupons out and file them. What is nice about this method is that it becomes portable storage and can be kept with you to catch unadvertised deals.
You can buy or make your own dividers to group your coupons. Some of the categories to label would be, Dry Foods, Baking/Deserts, Dairy, Drinks, Frozen, Paper Goods, Medicines, Personal, Cleaning Items etc.
For some this portable way is good because you can leave your coupon storage it in the car. So this way there is no excuses on leaving your coupons at home. Just bring them in house when filing and organizing for your grocery trip.
This is one of the better couponing tips and this can be done cheaply if you’re into thrifty living and keep shoeboxes for storage.
Binder Method
For this method you use a 3 ring binder. Some like the zippered binders, so coupons don’t slide out. It should be at least 1 half inches or larger. Get clear baseball sleeve pages to put in binder to file your cut out coupons.
Also the clear photo pages are good for fitting more coupons. You can add dividers and label your coupon sections. Sometimes it is hard to stuff the coupons in the pockets so you have to fold coupons to fit them in.
If you’re a person who is into thrifty living you can often find these binders around your house. Maybe someone in your family once collected baseball cards or maybe they have some left over from being in school. HGTV actually has a neat guide on how to dress up your binders and make them look unique.
Final Word: How to Organize Coupons
All of these methods are proven methods and will help you grasp how to organize coupons. Even the newest or seasoned couponing saver will be able to utilize these organization methods. Like most couponing tips you should consider trying different methods to at least see how each works for you.
Thrifty living can be quite useful when organizing coupons, methods reusing old a shoebox or finding binders can be done much cheaper if you avoid buying new alternatives.
Keep in mind that these methods are the more popular methods to organize coupons and there are more ways I’m sure, so just find what works best for you.
