Series for New Couponers: Coupon Organization, part 2

If you missed my last post on how I organize my coupons- click here. I also found a few other bloggers systems here (basket) and here (album). Another popular option is the Couponizer– which is a mini organizer that fits into your purse. Click here for more information on this system. It is really about what works for you to stay organized.

For step 2, I wanted to show what I do with the coupons I don’t clip. As I mentioned, with my system I only cut coupons for products we use, I want to try or I think there might be a sale for. An example would be Egglands eggs. I try to get the best price on eggs and I never know what brand is going to be on sale so I might cut a coupon like this just in case it happens to be Eggland.

I keep the rest of the inserts in three boxes in my “office” (closet) one for Smart Source, one for Red Plum and one for other- like P&G or Unilever or booklets I find in stores.

I usually go through the inserts on Sunday evening- cut and file what I want (during Desperate Housewives)- and then mark the insert with the date in a sharpie. On weeks where there is more than one Smart Source I mark either 1 or 2 as well. This helps me remember there is a second SS insert when I can’t find a coupon I want.

If I have multiple copies of the same insert, I take the extras and tuck them inside the cover of one copy. Then they are all grouped together and I don’t have to go through the entire basket when I want a particular coupon.

That’s it! I like to keep things simple and yes I do occasionally miss a deal because I haven’t cut the entire insert out. There is no way I can keep track of all those coupons though, so I’d prefer to return to a store to get a deal than try to manage 1000’s of coupons at a time.

When the weekly deals are all posted I plan my shopping trip, cut or print the coupons and I need and I am off. I go through the stacks every 6 months or so and toss the inserts that are expired (note these can be donated to military families which I will post all about very soon).

There are lots of other systems out there and again it is all about what works for you. Personally I don’t like a lot of stuff so I keep things pretty simple.

In regards to Internet coupons, I typically print them when I need them or I look for stuff I think I might find deals on. An example would be the $2.00 All coupon that came out a few weeks ago. This was a high value coupon for a product I would definitely use- so that is something I would print for sure. Popular items like the Kashi waffle coupons are also something I would print immediately and I add to my coupon bag as I know those types of coupons will go fast.