 |
| My daughter’s artwork makes me love my coupon binder even more. |
 |
| That’s one large load of coupons! |
There are many ways avid couponers choose to organize their coupons. I have chosen to use the coupon binder method. A coupon binder is a three ring binder, filled with sports or trading card storage sheets that you fill with coupons. My binder is pictured above. I use tabbed dividers to organize my coupons by category.
 |
| This is my table of contents page, kept in a page protector. |
Here’s a better look at my categories:
| Produce | Breakfast | Lotion | Dish Detergent |
| Pasta/Sauce | Snacks | Soap/Bodywash | Freezer |
| Soup | Vitamins/Medicine | Feminine Care | Drinks |
| Condiments/Salad Dressing | Oral Care | Baby | Yogurt |
| Rice/Prepared Foods | Shaving | Pet | Refrigerated |
| Baking | Hair Care | Laundry | Bread/Peanut Butter/Jelly |
| Canned Goods | Beauty | Paper Products | Meat |
| Candy | Deodorant | Cleaners | Misc. |
This is a look at the inside cover of my coupon binder. I have a blue pocket sheet in the front where I put loose coupons that I need to put away in the pages of my binder. In the front cover, I always keep a small pair of scissors (yes, I stole my daughter’s!) ,a pen, copies of store coupon policies, sticky notes, paperclips, and envelopes labeled with names of the stores I shop. My name, phone number, and address are written right on the binder itself. Very important, since I’d freak out if I lost it.
These are the envelopes labeled with the the names of the stores I shop. I stick the coupons I want to use at each store in the envelopes so that I’m as organized as possible on my shopping trip. Sticky notes help me to remember that I’ve stuck a coupon in an envelope and need to make a stop at that store to grab a deal.
Inside the back cover of my binder, I keep coupons for specific stores (these coupons are for Target and Lowe’s), a couple sheets of scratch paper, and my price list. The price list tells me what I’m willing to pay for an item so I know if something is a good deal. For me, this list is most helpful when it comes to meat and produce.
I also have a blue pocket page in the back of my binder. In here, I keep the weekly store circulars. I often need to pull them out when I’m shopping. Unfortunately, many deals aren’t labeled on store shelves and it’s up to you to choose the sale item. These weekly ads come in handy.
Finally, you need a snazzy bag to carry your coupon binder in. You don’t want something huge that looks like you’re getting ready to move into the grocery store with your suitcase each time you show up. But, it does help to have a pocket here for there for a loose coupon or, more importantly, lollipops for the kids. Also thrown in my bag is a small calculator for impromptu dealing.
A binder can fill up fast a take a good deal of time and organization to keep useful. I will tell you that it gets much easier as you go, and you’ll learn what works for you quickly. There are other ways to organize your coupons, though. Some people choose to keep their coupons in a recipe box and others use a file box. Let me know what works for you, and let me know if I can give you any other words of coupon binder wisdom!
Leave a Reply