For another good couponing method, please visit my friend Megan on her simply thrifty site, who has done several really great posts on couponing! How she saves 50-75%, I am still learning!
After a few years of trying different ways, I finally came up with what has been a VERY good system for me and couponing! One of the keys to couponing is to keep the coupons organized and easily accessible so you can grab coupons quickly, plus be able to compare competitors coupons along with the store brands and thus get the best price.
This is not the ONLY way to organize coupons, but it is a great way and one that works best for me, so I thought I would share. Some people organize with boxes or folders, which is fine, but I like this particular method because you can take the entire file to the store, and access any coupon you need quickly and easily with a quick glance!
I spent the morning re-doing my book because the one I have been previously using was too small and is a few years old so was pretty beat up!
For this project you will need:
A medium sized picture album
Permanent black marker
scissors
clear tape (I used packing tape)
pen
paper
1. Clearly label your album (ie. "Grocery Coupons") so you know what it is.
2. Make up a list of large categories to put in your book according to how you shop. Feel free to use my list, add or delete as you feel the need. Alphabetize them so you know what order to put them in your book. *Please note that you will be sub-dividing these categories later on.
Center Aisles
Cleaning
Dairy
Fresh and Meats (I combined this because you do not get many coupons in either of these categories)
Frozen
Medicine
Misc. (this includes things like restaurants, pizza, gift cards and mall deals)
Non-Groceries
Pets
Receipts (and EXCELLENT section to keep receipts of things you may need to return etc.)
3. You can either use store-bought labels to label each section, or if you are cheap like me, make your own! To make your own labels, cut small strips of paper in the shape of rectangles and write the name of the large categories to the right of the label.
Lay a piece of packing tape approximately 7 inches long, sticky side up, and put the label on it so the tape can be folded over to encase it, and stick it to an inner page.
Fold the packing tape over so part of it is on the front and the other part on the back, encasing the label so it can be read from the outside.
*The tricky part will be to figure out how many pages you need for each section. This will come with trial and error. I have been doing this method for a few years now, so I know approximately how much space I will need. I know that my "Center Aisles" section is very large, while my "Pets" section is fairly small. Just use your best guess. Also remember to attach each label a little bit further down the page so they can all be clearly read when the book is closed.
4. Now you will sub-divide each section to further organize the coupons within. Use a separate piece of paper to figure out each sub-division, then alphabetize the list. Once again, I will provide you with my sub-divisions and you can use them if you would like!
Center Aisles:
Baking
Breads
Cereal
Coffee
Drinks
Fruit/jello
Mexican
Oils
Pasta
Pasta Sauce
Salad
Sauces
Sides
Snacks
Soups
Spreads
(Misc). (in each large category I end with the "Misc." category in case I have a coupon that does not fit into any of the sub-categories)
Cleaning:
Aromas
Bathroom
Carpet
Dishwasher
Furniture
Laundry
Kitchen
(Misc.)
Dairy:
Butter
Creamer
Eggs
Spreads
Yogurt
(Misc.)
Fresh or Meats:
No sub-categories
Frozen:
Meals
Snacks
Vegetables
Medicine:
Band-aids
Cold Medicine
Creams
Kids
Pain Medicine
Stomach Medicine
Vitamins
Misc.
Cotton swabs
Batteries
Diapers
Hair Color
Hair Products
Makeup
Kids Soap
Soap
Razors
Toothpaste
Toilet Paper
Wipes
(Misc.)
Non-Groceries:
No sub-categories
Pets:
Cat
Dog
Litter
Receipts:
No sub-categories
5. Now that you have made and alphabetized your lists, label each category in your book with a permanent black sharpie marker. (Make sure it is dry before you turn the page!)
6. FINALLY it is time to file away the coupons!
At another time, I will go into more detail about how I make my list and how I bring my coupons to the store. For now, have fun with your organization!!!
This is next on my list of organization. Have done the kitchen and spare/school room. Now need to work on my coupon book, getting coupons, and this looks like a crap idea. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a different way of filing my coupons - however, I need to organize the ones which are expiring that month. So I got ideas from you. See I am still learning, and from you!! --Mom
ReplyDeleteI'm going to sit down and digest this all tomorrow...it's REALLY helpful and awesome that you made all those categories and showed us how to do it!!!
ReplyDeleteMy baseball card sleeve method is broken down a little more. Each card sleeve holds just one coupon (and any duplicates of it of course). Then I can see all the coupons I have for that category without having to pull anything out except what I've decided to use. :)
ReplyDelete