coupon organizers

[ju-cee]

I"m wondering how you coupon cutting mama's organize your
coupons??
do you have a book? envelopes? what type of system?
links to good organizers?
please share, THANKS!

[aisling]

I use a binder that i found that has handles so I can cart it with me easily. Its also really stiff, so it sets up on the seat of the grocery cart open, which I love.

Here's a link to a description of a binder setup. I do mine slightly differently, but still, this is the idea:
http://www.terismessageboard.com/showthread.php?t=37

I'm big on actually clipping my coupons for a couple of reasons: I like to have all my coupons with meat the store for when I run across unadvertised sales, I get a LOT and I share them with my BFF. So, I clip and pass what I don't want on to her and vice versa.

If I didn't clip them and just were buying an extra paper or two and getting full inserts from friends and family, I wouldn't bother clipping them until I was ready to use something for a specific shopping trip. I would just file them by date and type (Smartsource, Valassis, P&G). There are coupon databases out there (I have a favorite, PM me if you want to know where, etc.) that you could just search for specific coupons (Like if yogurt was on sale and you wanted to know if there was a coupon for it) and the database would tell you which insert it was in and what date. Then you'd just clip what you want with less work up front.

I HTH but I'm sleepy so who knows. lmk and I can clarify anything you want to know or I can come back and tell you things that have worked for me in the past as well.

[mamamac2489]

I have mine in a coupon organizer that I found at the drug store. I have them categorized in

Baby
Dairy
Breads
Snacks
Frozen Foods
Bath
Cleaners
Misc

[shelbell]

I also do a binder. I use baseball card pages from the dollar store instead of photo pages, though. I have mine organized by category - each page is a category, and I try to make them correspond to grocery store aisles (for example, Beverages, Frozen, Canned Food and Condiments, Milk and Milk Products, Yogurt and Butter, etc.). I keep separate coupons in each pocket. This makes them all visible, which is good because I tend to forget what I have if I have to flip through a little pocket.

[xmysticprincessx]

i used to do a 3-ring binder with baseball card holders. it worked really well, but it became too time consuming when i started clipping coupons from 10 or so of the same inserts. (i send extra and expired coupons to military families stationed overseas. see http://www.ocpnet.org/ for more info.)

now, i use an accordian binder since i have so many coupons. if you have a lot of coupons, this may hold them better than one of the small coupon organizers. i've got them sorted by cold foods, other food, cleaning/paper products, pet, baby, and HBC. it sometimes takes awhile to find a specific coupon in the store, but part of it is because i have sooo many coupons.

[mamadonna]

I use an old photo album that I had lying around, and I organize them alphabetically by brand. It works quite well.

[utopia760]

i dont even know here to get coupons but in the newspaper

[Sandi_lea]

:


I would also like to know where you get your coupons.

[reducereuserecycle]

i just keep them all in a small purse.

before i go to the store i look at the store sale ads online and use that to base what i am gonna buy. then i go through each coupon and pick the ones i am planning to use in that shopping trip.

[shelbell]

Originally Posted by Sandi_lea

:


I would also like to know where you get your coupons.

I get most of mine from the Sunday papers. Over several weeks and months, it adds up to quite a bunch. The weekly circular inserts that come in the mail typically have restaurant coupons, which we use as treats. Entertainment Books (which I think are sold in most North American cities??) are a big source, too - Kroger has a $5 off $75 purchase for each month at the back of our local one, and there are tons of Mexican restaurant coupons, which is great to use for a local Mexican place that matches competitors' coupons. I also make sure to get on every mailing list imaginable - CVS, Kroger, Proctor & Gamble, medicines we use (Alavert, etc). I have friends and family know to pass on any coupons they get that they don't plan on using to me. Another source to be aware of is the stores themselves - CVS's registers print out lots of coupons at the bottom of receipts, sometimes for free items. Walgreens and Kroger have Catalina machines that print out coupons based on items you purchase in that transaction. Product websites are often good, as well; Seventh Generation nearly always has a printable coupon (check to make sure your local stores will take printed coupons, though). And lastly, check in the products themselves - many health and beauty boxed items have coupons on the product information pages.

That probably seems a little bit :, but I hope it was useful.

[VisionQuest]

I get coupons from the Sunday paper, magazines and sometimes my mom gives me coupons.

I keep mine in alphabetical order in a little plastic box that I bought at Walmart. I also bought the A-Z dividers and this system works really well for me.

[nathansmom]

I use a coupon caddy, which is fairly large but fits in the childs seat in a cart. You divide by food items in alphabetical order. I clip all coupons (except for ones I'll never use and I can't take to the food bank) although I buy mostly organic. I use coupons for stuff I won't use to donate to the local food bank. Two weeks ago I was able to take well over $300 in groceries and prodcuts to the food bank and I only paid about $10 for them.

[lucyem]

I have a little 3 x 5 plastic file I can put in my hand bag. I keep coupons in sections based on expiration date. That way if I have a coupon for toilet paper that expires this month I know about it and can use it since you always need TP. My mother used to keep coupons by type and was constantly throwing out expired ones which is why I went this route. Works for me. I use the good coupons right off so my storage of coupons is always for staples like toilet paper kind of stuff. I get coupons from the paper and various online sites as well as from manufacturers web sites. I have a second email address for those kinds of things so my personal email does not get filled up with all the mailing lists they stick you on.