This is part two of three in the ABCs of Couponing series. Today I want to share how I and others organize coupons, the “B” in ABCs of Couponing:
Be Organized
No matter how many coupons you acquire if you don’t have a good system of organization they will be buried and forgotten. I have forgotten about really good coupons even with being organized. Since my goal is to be a SMART shopper, I have to be an organized shopper.
I already posted in My Coupon Organizer Search different ways other people organize their coupons. Here is a quick recap:
- You might want to use a coupon organizer like Coupon Geek. I really like how pretty it is and how easy to carry but I am afraid that I am very visual and if I don’t see the coupon I will never use it.
- Another choice is the coupon binder which you can look at here or here. The Coupon Mom is my ORIGINAL coupon site where I learned how to coupon and she has her very own coupon binder.
- Finally I found the Coupon Box. Here is a method I haven’t really tried. It’s similar to the coupon organizer Coupon Geek uses but she uses a small box. She has a creative way of labeling and organizing her coupons. It does seem like alot of work though!
The above examples are organizational tools for storing your coupons. I want to share how I organize my coupons in my binder:
- I file my inserts by date and kind (Smart Source with Smart Source etc) in the side accordion pocket of my binder. I do clip the coupons from each insert that I will definitely use but I leave everything else as is.
- I file my coupons in alphabetical order in baseball card sleeves and photo sleeves.
- I now keep my weekly shopping list, store ads, and an envelope for each store in a new removeable accordion file.
On Sundays I look through my ads, cut coupons, file coupons and plan my trips. I will write more about that in the C of couponing which is “Create a Plan”.
Ligia
