It’s been a while since I’ve talked about the best way to organize your coupons, and on this super rainy day in Western Washington, I think that’s exactly what we’re talking about!
For the past few years, I’ve been figuring out my own ways to organize coupons, both by organizing entire inserts and by using binders.
Honestly, there were a few months earlier this year when I just couldn’t keep up, and the binder system felt like a guilty binder – full of expired coupons and work to be done. I did organize entire inserts, but I found that I often had to spend more time repeatedly looking for the coupons I needed.
I also missed a lot of deal opportunities because this method was not portable. I’m now using a simple coupon box method that I want to share with you today.
Decide which coupons will work
You may be surprised to learn that I don’t cut out all of my coupons! I used to do this, but quickly realized it was a huge waste of time because I wasn’t even using half of the coupons that appeared in the Sunday inserts!
What makes my life so much easier is that I only cut out the coupons I think I’m most likely to use.
Here are some tips on how I decide which coupons to cut:
I cut out coupons for products and foods that my family actually uses. For example, today I cut out coupons for brownie paper towels, soft soap hand sanitizer, Rosalita’s refried beans, and all laundry. I skipped the pet and baby related coupons.
I clipped high value coupons and/or coupons where I was sure there was a deal. If you are new to the coupon world, it can be hard to know what a high value coupon is or where to get a discount on some of the coupons you see. That will come with time! Today I clipped a $2.50 Tresemme coupon because I knew I could get this product for free at Rite Aid this week. I also clipped the Golden Grains Pasta coupon because it’s free at Siffway until tomorrow. {Please note that these deals were good in September 2013}.
I only cut the number of coupons I could use. When you’re clipping coupons, take a moment to read the fine print – it can save you time! I noticed that the Tresemme coupon I clipped today was limited to two per person, so I only clipped two of it, even though I get four in the paper every Sunday.
I usually don’t bother clipping P&G insert coupons. The P&G coupons you find in the monthly inserts usually expire at the end of the month. I’m also very familiar with the P&G family of brands (Crest, Olay, Wipers, Pampers, etc.) that are likely to be in these inserts. With that in mind, I’m more inclined to go back and cut out what I need from these inserts when I need it. The only exceptions are those super high value coupons that I want to remember, or their quarterly inserts where you have a month or so to redeem the coupon.
I try not to spend too much time thinking about whether or not I want to cut a particular coupon. The key is to make a quick decision!
Sunday afternoon (or Monday, or whatever!) Coupon Clipping Program
Now that I’ve outlined which coupons I clip, I thought I’d share my entire process for clipping coupons.
Step #1: Categorize and group your coupon inserts. As I mentioned, I get four delivered to my door every Sunday (more on that later!). I remove all the inserts and put similar ones together.
Step 2:Clip the coupons that interest me. When I cut the first insert, I usually take a little extra time to make sure I haven’t missed any great coupons. Then I place each coupon on my counter.
When I move to other similar inserts, I just stack them on top. Now, another way to save time is if you have multiple inserts, place similar inserts on top of each other so that you cut once and 2, 3, or 4 of the same coupons pop up. This isn’t a bad idea, but make sure those coupons are lined up well before doing this!
Step 3:Put the coupons in a binder or box. This is the small box I use to organize my coupons now. And it’s pretty small! I’ve decided that I’d rather take something less conspicuous with me to the store, considering the amount of coupons I’m actually clipping. I also find it easy to put the coupons in the box because I don’t have to shove them in and out of the plastic dividers.
By the way, I got a lot of stuff on my organizer! It’s made by Snapware and retails for $2.49 at Fred Meyer. I used a $2 coupon, so I only spent $0.49. These alphabetized dividers are just index cards – get them for $0.19 during the Back to School Sale.
Not bad, right? (PS – if you’re looking for a similar organizer, this one on Amazon is pretty close to what I bought.)
Whether or not this is the way you file your coupons, I hope I’ve encouraged you to come up with some new ideas today, or at least to see if your current system is becoming too cumbersome or doesn’t fit your style.
