dedicated coupon users - help me get better

[meganmarie]

So I'm trying to gather, save and use the coupons that come to me in the mail...but not doing as good a job as I'd like. I don't have a good organizing system for them, so they pile up and/or get forgotten, and then they expire. they cover everything from shoes to clothes to takeout food to car wash and repair services, and probably add up to a decent amount of money I'm leaving on the table.

Sometimes one will arrive right when I need it ("Oh, Stride Rite! I was just thinking dd's shoes were looking tight!") and I'll put it in my purse or diaper bag right away, and bring it to the mall or grocery store on the very next trip. But if its a coupon for something I know we will need in the future, but not right away, I put it in a folder marked "coupons" on my desk, and 8 times out of 10 I won't remember its there when the time comes to make that purchase next time. I've tried leaving them in a more visible place but then it looks messy - so I tuck them away when company is over because I am a neat freak, and they get totally lost.

I'm sure someone has a really nifty system to store, track and use these - without being a huge eyesore - please share it with me!

[my2girlz]

~keep all coupons contained in my purse
~go through coupons when I'm making my grocery list
~seperate the coupons you will be using and pull them out while shopping

I think of it as a game. If you feel it's a chore it will get old very quickly.

[Parker'smommy]

Try taking a peak at hotcouponworld.com

They have forums for every store imaginable and forums on how to organize your coupons, how to work the best deals, everything!

[MaddieMay]

I was always forgetting my BB&B and Costco coupons at home, so I put them in a gallon size Ziploc and left them in my car. Worked perfectly!

[Mama2Bug]

I use one of these guys to keep my coupons in order. Mine is small- just a little bigger than your average wallet. I got it at Wal-mart or Big Lots (someplace like that anyway) for around $3.00. It's got about 10 sections, so I divided it up into categories like food, household, services, eating out, pets, toiletries and clothes etc. I left one section empty. That's where I put coupons that I intend to use asap, either because we need the item right away or because the coupon is about to expire.

I keep the binder on the desk where I clip coupons and sort them into it right away. Then the only thing left to do it NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT THE BINDER. You can always leave it in the car/your purse if you end up not needing it. That way, you are never without a coupon you wanted to use.

[SusanInItaly]

I put them in my purse, in my date planner.

[aisling]

I use a three-ring binder with photo pages - 1 pocket for each category, alphabetized.

I do usually take the whole thing with me when I go to the market (in case I find unadvertised sales) but I have pockets for restaurants, Barnes & Noble, the video store, etc. It makes it easy for me to stay on top of them because I have a set place to put them when they arrive and I know just where to go get them when I need them.

[meganmarie]

Oh, thank you ladies!

I love the idea of a binder or folder with sections by category - that would really help me (because they aren't all grocery coupons)

And, the idea of storing it in the car. That would solve the problem of leaving home without them! Plus, on weekends I'm usually riding in the passenger seat while DH drives us around doing errands, so that would give me a chance to go through sorting them, checking for what we have and need, etc. while kids are nicely tied down in carseats

Appreciate you sharing your stories.

[tonyarn]

Originally Posted by aisling

I use a three-ring binder with photo pages - 1 pocket for each category, alphabetized.

I do usually take the whole thing with me when I go to the market (in case I find unadvertised sales) but I have pockets for restaurants, Barnes & Noble, the video store, etc. It makes it easy for me to stay on top of them because I have a set place to put them when they arrive and I know just where to go get them when I need them.

I also do the 3 ring binder. I have 2 of them actually, one for food and one for non-food. I use baseball card inserts and photo pages to slip my coupons into, that way, I can see at a glance what I have. I have many categories also, cereal, soups, medications, oral care, etc. Then I have a check file that has my 3 CVS cards separated, Walgreen's coupons, pizza coupons, fast food, sit down restaurants, services, etc. I also have a mini check file that is separated into stores, so say I know XYZ is on sale at Target. I'll pull the coupons from my binder, stick them in Target's slot, they're ready to be used without a lot of hunting. I also keep catalinas from the grocery store in their store's slot, store coupons from their ads, etc.