Remember how I said I was thinking about trying a new coupon organization system?
I was considering switching from the coupon box system I’ve used for almost ten years, to leaving my inserts whole and only clipping the coupons I’d need that week as I planned my grocery list. I was hoping this would save me effort and be more efficient. And was I ever wrong.
I took the plunge and tried it–for almost six weeks. And I think I can safely say it was a failed experiment. I found it to be more frustrating than anything.
When I clip and file the coupons in my coupon box, I have a sort of mental file in my head at all times of what coupons I have. When I didn’t clip them, I had no idea. I’d see an item in the sales flier that I guessed there might be a coupon out for, but then I didn’t know whether or not there was a coupon for it and I’d have to look online to find out or shuffle through six weeks’ worth of coupon inserts–which is not practical or efficient. Even if I knew exactly what insert it should be in, I still struggled to find the coupon.
Countless times, I was at the store and would see something on sale that I was sure I probably had a coupon for, but I didn’t have my coupons filed in my box like usual so I couldn’t take a quick look. And then I’d find myself feeling disorganized and out-of-sorts for not being able to pull out my coupon box and adeptly fish out the prized coupon.
So, yes, I tried the filing-your-inserts method and decided once and for all, it’s not for me. I’m sure it works great for some, but I found that after years of doing something a certain way when it comes to coupons, it’s pretty impossible for me to change.
I’m spending the next few days clipping and sorting and whipping my coupon box back into shape. Deals and unadvertised deals, here I come!
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I have the box system, which I like alot. I have extra catagory envelopes for Department store coupons,free stuff, I currently have all my extra coupon sheets in clear plastic sheets in a binder and I am finding that I dont like it. I am naturally unorganized and the box keeps me on point. I will be clipping my coupons this weekend and cleaning out my box.
I’m a former clipper but am using the filing whole method and love it! I always browse through the inserts anyway and clip out those coupons that I know I will need – diapers, eggs, etc. When I go through the sales ads for the week, I have several resources on-line I use to help locate coupons. The local retail reporter for our newspaper has a coupon database on her site, which I use to search for coupons. She also does a coupon match-ups every Wednesday on her blog. Taylortown Preview also lists the coupons by insert and Hot Coupon World has a great coupon database which lists not only insert coupons, but tearpads and blinkies as well.
It’s so funny that you bring this up, as I too have tried switching to this over the past couple of months, and I have spent my spare time the past few days this week cutting all those coupons for my filing system, LOL! I haven’t finished yet, but I went to the grocery store yesterday and it felt SO GOOD having that box with me, and I was able to nab some unadvertised sale items for FREE because I had my coupons with me!
I think I have tried every method out there, but the easiest for me has been to just clip what I know I will absolutely use and leave the rest of the inserts intact. With my two kids and working fulltime, I have come to peace with the fact that I won’t get in on every deal, but I can quickly look up and clip a coupon by insert if I hear about a deal. I used to get multiple inserts and would cut, file, and type up a list of all coupons I had – that was before kids! Now I do the best I can to get in on some deals.
As to those wondering where to find the baseball card holders… At my Walmart they were with the books and baseball cards, not with the page protectors and folders…
Hope that helps someone!
I have a combined system that I just started using. I have a box that I cut and sort all my coupons according to categories that are logical to me. In each category I have envelopes of sub-categories which making finding one particular coupon a little easier (and if the box gets knocked over I don’t have as much resorting to do).
I also just made a binder from left over school supplies. In the binder I have plastic pocket folders. Each folder has the flyer for the different stores where I shop and any catalinas or ECBs for that store. When I make my shopping list for each store and pull the coupons I need for that store. I have an extra folder with an envelope that has extra coupons for items that I see on message boards or blogs.
At the front of the binder I have an old zippered pencil case with a calculator, pen and gift cards. I take the binder on my shopping trip and have found that I does same me a lot of time in the store. I have missed some deals, but I’m trying to live by a budget (for the first time ever), so I don’t really mind too much when I miss a deal.
Wow. Great comments.
I keep my coupons in a photo album, but I’m thinking about switching to baseball cards files. The photo album pages are too deep, and they’re starting to rip. Thanks for the tip about Staples!
I’m so intrigued by the person who sorts coupons by bar code. I never thought of that!
I categorize my coupons by aisles at my local Wal-mart, since that’s where I do most of my grocery shopping. When I go CVSing, I am usually only using the heath/beauty and cleaning products sections, anyway.
Has anyone tried the couponizer? I keep looking at it, but need to know if it is worth the money. Thanks.
Excel excel excel! I’m with Georgia above–I enter all of the coupons from the inserts into a spreadsheet and leave the inserts whole. It works great and I don’t have to sort through and take out expired coupons from a binder or box. I just sort my spreadsheet by date and delete them off of the sheet. I print off my spreadsheet and take it with me when I shop (sorted by brand) and I always know exactly what I have a coupon for and for how much. I can cut coupons ahead of time and take them with me when I shop, but I also leave the inserts in the car and I can run out and grab another coupon or two if I find a good deal. Love it!
I found saving inserts frustrating as well. I use a binder method, but unlike most people I don’t organize by product type. I file the coupons alphabetically. I bought a package of A-Z side tabs and then use baseball card sheets for the coupons. I use one slot for each manufacturer – i.e. all the Glade coupons go in one slot in the sheet under the “G” tab. I have 1-4 sheets per letter [there seem to be a lot of products starting with "C"] and try to keep food items on separate pages from household or personal care items. I’ve been doing this for about a year now and it works great!
I use MrsA’s coupon organizer! (mrsascouponorganizer) I LOVE it! It’s the only method that ever worked for me.
I didnt read thru all the comments so I dont know if anyone mentioned this. I go to couponmom.com each week and save the online coupon organizer list as an excel file. I then edit it down to only those new coupons…i enter next to each, the quantity of each coupon I have (ie. how many inserts i purchased that week). Then i print that out and put it in the front of each coupon week.
Whenever I use a coupon, I just update the quantity for that particular coupon. Say I got 4 inserts…thus 4 of that particular coupon…so if i only used 2 coupons, i cross out the 4 and put a 2 next to it…or if its 4 then i just draw a line thru that whole coupon line. That way I can keep track of how many of each coupon I have, or have used. The coupons are all listed in alphabetical order and by which insert (RP, PG or SS). So when i need to see if I have a coupon, i just skim those printed pages really fast. Its super simple. That way I dont need to be on the internet, and I dont have to clip all those coupons each Sunday…it saves me sooooo much time.
To Sheila – Walmart does sell baseball card sleeves. In ours, they are located in the front by the cash registers where the baseball cards are.
I have switched over to the binder system. Started with the box then tried the filing but I, too, felt I was missing on deals. The clipping and sorting into the binder helps me remember what i have and I like flipping the pages to find the coupon rather than grabbing a whole section like “dairy” out of the box and having to go through every coupon to find the one I want. I guess everyone has their own way and whatever works out best for you is the right one!
Hi! Thanks for all the great information you share, it’s such a blessing. I have a quick question for you (and your readers), what do you do in regards to printable coupons? Do you print them when they become available or just when you need them. When I wait, I can never print them becuase they run out. But if I print them when they come out I feel like I would waste paper and ink. Any words of wisdom would be really appreciated.
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