Yesterday on the radio show, if you missed it you can hear it HERE, we talked about how to store your coupons. I gave 3 different ways/ideas to do it:
- The Binder Method – this is the one I use, where you place all your coupons in a binder, with clear pages so you can see what you have.
- The Insert Method – where you store your coupons by week in file folders ( I do this sometimes)
- The Box Method – Where you use a show box or other size box to store your coupons, pulling them out as you make your shopping trip.
There are many benefits to any way that you decide to organize your coupons. The KEY is to do what works for you so that you can FIND the coupon that you need.
This is an example of the Box Method sent in by reader Mandy. She buys 4 papers each week.
Mandy used a cute craft box ( I have seen these at Hobby Lobby) and scrapbook paper to decorate and personalize her dividers. Then I believe, ( if I can see that right ) she uses envelopes to hold different coupons in the box.
Reader Patti sent in this picture of her binder…. Patti gets a bunch of papers a week and is out of room!
This brings me to the purpose of this post. Yesterday the first caller Sarah from MN (Hi! Thank you for calling!!) was asking about how to store her coupons when she has so many. Just like Patti, I am guessing Sarah’s binder looks like that as well. As I was talking, I could not think fast enough to give her some suggestions. The second caller Jason, was right on! It snapped me back to thinking straight!
I go through phases when I coupon. For a long time I was getting 10-12 papers a week, that is a LOT of coupons. You can’t possible get them all into a binder, well you can but it would have to be one of the 5 inch rings and I can’ take that to the store. What I would do and what Jason does is cut out half of them and put them in the binder and the other half store and use like the insert method.
What happens then, is that you have your main coupons, the ones in the binder. You can take these with you to the store you can pull out what you need etc. But then, when there is a killer deal, a mega event, or a super clearance you can go into your whole inserts that you have not cut out yet and pull out only the coupons that you need. This saves you space in your binder and time cutting them out. BUT you still have them if you need them.
Sarah, that might be something to try and see how it works for you, it will save you some space. Right now I am only getting about 6 papers a week and so I am not having any trouble getting them all in my binder.
Does anyone else have any suggestions? How do you store your coupons?
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Lately I have only been buying 1 paper a week to see what kind of coupons are in there and then ordering a bunch of the ones I know we will use a lot of. This has really helped me to not have too much in my binder. Also I have been trading coupons with other people to help cut down on all the clutter in my binder.
Hi Tiffany! I do what Jason suggested and I clip about half of the coupons I get each week. The other half goes into my whole insert box, and I pull those as needed. Works great for me, and my binder is manageable when I go shopping. =)
i’ve tried everything and this seems to be the best for me and my fiance. You can always get rain checka nd some of the smaller stores will allow you to “hold” a basket if they’re sure you will come back.
So i bought a binder thinking that would be my method of choice but now that I see the box above I’m thinking that’s teriffic too! ahh what to do what to do. However I had the accordian stype thing at first and that went terribly wrong because I could never find my coupon. I spent 3 hours one day trying to sift through the darn thing and ended up missing a bunch of coupons!
I recyled leftover wedding envelopes, and I put my coupons in the envelopes in alphabetical order in a gallon ziplock bag placed in a small tote bag that fits nicely in the grocery cart.
Example: Bacon, Bread, Cereal, Cleaners, Cosmetics, Detergent, Entrees, Paper Products, Shampoo, Toothpaste, etc.
i simply mark the date of the front of my ss or rp or pg insert, and file it away by date….i keep them in 13 file expanding file holder….i used to cut..but them you have to continually go thru each one and clean out expired dates…it was so much work…i found if you keep them together, most of the time, all the coupons in one insert expire the same time…..saved me tons on cutting…
You said you were trying to look into multiple papers on the radio show. I just signed up for a deal with Houston Chronicle for the paper for .50cent a week Sunday only. They said I can only do one order per call but I can call back repeatedly and get the same deal. She said I had to be a new customer and have to get my multiple subscription calls in before I recieve my first paper.
So say I called Friday and ordered the $.50 Sunday paper because I would like 3 to be delivered I would need to call back 2 different times to get the 3 papers? Will I be paying $.50 for each?
I emailed them asking about this but they never emailed me back. They are probable waiting to respond once the deal is over.
Patti here…Actually I only get two papers a week and every now and then a friend gives me a few. So I don’t have overage in my binder. There is no coupon in there that has an identical of more then 3 or 4. To me, if you leave half you q’s at home and you stumble on a good deal you can only get the ones in your binder..and a trip back to the store with the ones you stored may not be a good deal with gas prices. Everyone knows me in this area and I am proud to carry my book as full as it is!!!!
This may be more work but I use the little photo books. I use one for food and the other one basically for everything else like household, toiletries, dog food, etc. They are small enough to fit in my purse but big enough to hold my coupons. When I get ready for a shopping trip I already have envelopes with the store names on them and just put the coupons I plan on using in them. But I keep my photo albums just case there’s a deal I missed. Where I live we don’t get as many coupons as some of the bigger cities so it works.
I don’t have any suggestions different from what is already here other than every 2 wks I will do a clean out of my binder and if the coup expires within that 2 wk period I will pull it and put them in a snack size ziploc at front of each section. To make it easier to find one I might need I paper clip together like products such as toothpaste, bodywash, air freshners, ect.. I have found this keeps it clean and room for new coups each week.
sorry so late….just sent over the pics we talked about on bthe phone.
I have three systems going which may seem confusing but it works for me. I have a basket with a lid which has the dividers made from the bottom of folders which is where I store printed and any unfiled coupons by categories like refrig, freezer, and personal care. Behind that section in the basket is the envelopes with each week labeled like 5/22 SS (SS, RP, and P&G kept in order). It is great because it does fit in the top of the shopping cart so you have it when you go through the store. Also on the one side, I keep my pens and calculator and the other is my scissors. I do my match up and pull the coupons that I need and set them aside before going to the store and put them on top of my basket to get going. In my bag, I keep an accordian file with a file for each store. When I am going to CVS, I pull it out and it has my card, ECBS, CVS specific coupons and I shove my match up so that I am ready for the week. It also means that I always have my store coupons with me and I keep my baby coupons in the back because I never know when I am going to be buying diapers 🙂
I have a 2 inch zippered binder. I only cut what products I would use for free or almost free. I file the inserts in the filing cabinet and I can grab and cut when a great deal arrives, ex money maker 🙂
I use to use a box. I liked it, but sometimes the coupons would get buried down in there and I’d miss them. One time I dropped my box. Oh my goodness. That was a huge mess. I never recovered. I went to the binder with the baseball card inserts and its more time consuming, but works best for me as I can actually see the coupon. With the box I would have to pull every coupon out to check for expired ones. I don’t cut coupons for items I know I will never use even if it is free.
Patti, that is an amazing binder. Maybe you should get another one to split it up. That sucker looks heavy!
Started out with a small box, graduated to a larger one, then to 2 boxes – one food and one non-food. Now I have 2 binders – a 3″ (need a 4″!) for non-food and a 2″ for food. I cut all my coupons, since there’s been MANY times I get to the store and find a great unadvertised deal. I put all of the ones I’m pretty sure I’ll use in the binder, then 1 or 2 “iffy” ones. The rest I sort into ziplocks divided by food/non-food and expiration date and keep in a big canvas bag in my car. That makes the additional “iffy” ones very easy to find if I come across that good deal and then I can just grab the bags of expried – already divided – to send to the bases overseas.
This also allows me to use coupons on those unexpected great deals that I might not use personally, but are great for donations!
I fought the urge to switch to a binder because I thought you could only get the baseball-sized pockets and was afraid that once you folded some of the big coupons to fit, you couldn’t see what you had. Since I found all different sizes and configurations, I LOVE IT! It took awhile for me to get everything changed over – having to trim some closer, etc., but I love being able to flip through and see exactly what I have.
I wanted to share mine so here is my link to the photo!
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e139/meek_heidi/May2011043.jpg
I use a couple holders I got BOGO at Staples a while back, they are magnificent! I buy anywhere from 4 to 20 papers a week depending on the inserts coming out.
oh and I carry both of those babies in my big purse, they are not bulky at all
I actually ALPHABETIZE mine by the brand….super helpful (rarely is it not) and I keep mine in a huge accordian file.
I do the binder method – with a twist! I keep the whole inserts and I print a list of the coupons, and slip them inside sheet protectors. That way I can flip through my binder, scan my list of coupons, and clip as needed if I come across a great sale! I cross them off the list as I use them, and I highlight coupons I know I’ll want to use (even if they don’t go on sale). I keep 4 of the same insert in each sheet protector.
I also keep my All You mags in sheet protectors, tearing out the table of contents so I can scan the list of those coupons too! 2 magazines fit nicely.
And finally, I don’t cut my printable coupons right away either.. I put a few in each sheet protector and rifle through as needed. Oh and a helpful tip if you always forget where you print the coupons from: I mark a small “C” (coupons.com), “S” (smartsource), “RP” (redplum), “FB” (facebook), “M”(manufacturer’s website), etc next to the coupon after I print it. That way if it goes on sale next week and I want more coupons, I can remember where I found it!
So that’s how I store my coupons! It saves me from cutting and organizing them all, and I still have them on-hand at the store!
Thanks for all the great ideas. I think I will stick with the binder method and have a back-up system at home for extras. I really appreciate all the ideas.
Thanks!