Comments on: It’s hard to teach an old couponer new tricks

By: Rachael

Rachael — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:11:37 +0000

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.

By: Dani

Dani — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:12:12 +0000

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!

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:33:52 +0000

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.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:32:29 +0000

I use MrsA’s coupon organizer! (mrsascouponorganizer) I LOVE it! It’s the only method that ever worked for me.

By: Pam

Pam — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:22:30 +0000

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!

By: Courtney

Courtney — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:22:53 +0000

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!

By: Terro

Terro — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:22:51 +0000

Has anyone tried the couponizer? I keep looking at it, but need to know if it is worth the money. Thanks.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:42:40 +0000

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.

By: WorkingHardMom

WorkingHardMom — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:30:54 +0000

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.

By: Bette Anne

Bette Anne — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:55:52 +0000

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!

By: The Deal Diva

The Deal Diva — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:41:00 +0000

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.

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:37:22 +0000

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!

By: Mary Ellen ~ Carolina Momma

Mary Ellen ~ Carolina Momma — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:36:59 +0000

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.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:36:50 +0000

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.

By: Marli

Marli — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:28:33 +0000

That’s how I feel! I use the binder-system and love it b/c I take it in the store with me and can easily find what i’m looking for b/c they are divided into categories. Anyway, If I kept mine whole I know that is exactly how I would feel–not knowing what is there, and how to find it. Plus, I couldn’t be able to take it all in the store with me and grab one easily–without having them already clipped.

By: Lori Lemberger

Lori Lemberger — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:22:39 +0000

Hey Crystal, I’m sure you are not in the mood to try a NEW method of organizing coupons, but I really LOVE my system. I organize them by the first 5 digits of the barcode. That way when I am at a store and I see a product, I just look at the product bar code and then go right to that number in my file. Maybe sometime down the road when you feel ambitious you could give it a try. I also keep all my B1G1 and Free item coupons in their own pocket of my expandable file. Good luck!

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:17:06 +0000

I didn’t do well with not clipping my coupons. I use a binder and baseball card sheets, but instead of filing by category, I file alphabetically (A, B, C). This way if I see Cheerios are on sale or clearance, I look at C for a coupon. It seems to work well for me, and I don’t have to pull out a bunch of coupons to look for one I “might” have.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:57:40 +0000

I have a PocketPC, and I’ve found it useful to enter my coupon info into an Excel document. Because I don’t have very many categories in my coupons expanding file, looking at my list in Pocket Excel helps me know quickly what coupons I have (esp when I’m at the store and see something on clearance / sale), and which are expiring soon. I also do my shopping list in Pocket Excel, so I can just copy and paste into my list which coupons I intend to use.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:57:26 +0000

I think it’s interesting, everyone has their own preferred method, I tried the whole “keep the insert intact” method for awhile, ended up wasting more than I used. I too, need the visualization of clipping the coupon, it mentally helps me remember what I have without even having to look in my organizer to check. But I am currently looking at upgrading to a different organizer, as I’ve outgrown my couponizer.

To Jodi (I think) who asked about categories, I think the best recommendation is to break it into manageable categories that work for you, based on the coupons you clip & the quantity you have. For example, I have ALOT of Health & Beauty coupons and I really don’t want to sort through all of them to look for one shampoo coupon, so I have different categories for dental, hair, face, etc that make sense in my head when I’m filing. On the other hand, a category like breakfast is where I might combine cereal, pancakes, granola, etc – because I don’t usually have as many. Hope this helps!

By: Michelle H.

Michelle H. — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:49:37 +0000

On Sundays I go through the inserts and clip coupons for items I normally buy. I file them the cut coupons in a large accordion check register, with each section sorted by the layout at my grocery store.

After I get the coupons I know I’ll use, I write the date on the front of the inserts and file them by date. Before I go grocery or CVS shopping I check out the forums and see what other coupons I need for the deals. Then I pull out the inserts and clip those coupons.

I tried clipping everything for about 2 weeks, but it took me far too much time, and I didn’t use most of them. This way works for me.