Old coupon organization
For a long time I organized my grocery coupons by stuffing the entire insert into a manila file folder and marking it with the month and date the flyer arrived with the Sunday newspaper. (If you get your coupons in the regular mail, look for a teeny tiny date printed at the very top of the crease on the cover).
But that used a lot of folders.
The folders took up space and it was a waste to mark them up, even if I could cover the date with a sticker and mark them up again. Did I need to use so many folders and stickers?
New, easier way to organize coupons
No.
It occurred to me that I could just as easily mark my weekly coupons with a single sticky note and paper clip, see above. After marking the date on the sticky and securing it with a paper clip, I shove the coupon insert into a drawer by my desk, where I can grab them and flip to the insert I need.
Why do coupon clippers file the inserts by date?
Savvy coupon clippers file their inserts by date because bloggers who spend time matching coupons with sales to find free and heavily discounted groceries (called coupon matching), list the coupon you need to get the deal by the date it was published. Here is an example from Bargain Briana.
Carnation Evaporated Milk – $0.94
$0.50/2 Carnation Evaporated Milk 11/14/2010 RP Insert (exp 12/31/2010)
Final Price: $0.69/each
The price of the milk is $.94, plus there is a $.50 off two coupon in the Nov. 14, 2010 Red Plum insert. With the coupon, the final price is $.69.
Bloggers use abbreviations for the name of the insert. SS stands for SmartSource. RP stands for RedPlum. GM stands for General Mills. P&G or PG stands for Proctor & Gamble. In the picture above, you can see that I only receive Red Plum and Smart Source coupons. Bargain Briana has a full list of coupon lingo.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
I do it for even cheaper than that- I just take a big black sharpie and write the date on the front at the top and keep them in date order.
@Robin What keeps the coupons together? I find them slippery and hard to keep neat, especially after flipping through once. Is that a problem for you?
I just write the date on the front of the first coupons that I get with a sharpie marker and then clip all of that month’s coupons with a big binder clip in order by date. It works for me!
The only time they are a little unmanageable is if that first page gets cut up a lot. Otherwise, I don’t have any trouble flipping through them. I keep them in a shoebox where there isn’t too much space for them to flop around.
I also go the sharpie route and if I have cut up the front or back page a lot then I put a single staple in the upper left hand corner as close to the top as possible. You can easily pull out the pages you need. I also take out the junk pages so my inserts are smaller. I label which paper the inserts come from since we have two main papers in the area and the coupons vary greatly btwn the two.
I staple my inserts together. Open them up and staple the middle fold at the top and bottom. Seems to hold them fairly neat. And I also use the sharpie to write the date on the front and keep them in an expandable folder by months.
@Lacy I like your stapling idea. I bet that keeps the inserts together nicely.
I do the sharpie, but use a clothespin. Yes a bit bulkier at the top, but faster for me than a paperclip. I file each month’s worth together in a folder just labeled ie, RED PLUM.
I use so few coupons that I don’t have much difficulty keeping them together.
I bought a box of hanging folders (the kind you put in a filing cabinet) and put the month on each one. Since i buy more than 1 copy of each paper, when the coupons are worth it anyway, I put them together by like pages and then take each insert and put the date on the front wth a black sharpie and file it in that month’s folder. I keep them in a cheap $5 file box I got at Walmart. When the top insert gets cut up, I just put another one on top. If I’ve cut up each one of that particular insert and it’s coming apart I just staple it. I’m behind on my organization because of my amputations but with this method I can just open teh box and flip to the month and it’s helped save so much money! I also keep one small binder that holds sales fliers, single coupons, coupon policies and whatever else is needed. It’s about 3-4 organization methods in one, I guess, which is completely anal but works! Once you get whatever works for you set up, it souldn’t take long to maintain. If it does, and I’ve gone through lots of different ways, try something else.
I use a three-hole punch to make holes in each week’s inserts then store them in a three-ring binder, writing the date on the first page of each week and inserting tabs to separate each week’s coupons. Very easy to flip back and forth between inserts when using coupon matching lists.
okay i need a lesson here. I’ve been doing it the old fashion way where as I clip the coupons I need and file them in my coupon holder. Then I go through the weekly market ad and pick the coupons for things that are on sale. Im liking your ideas but where can I find the ‘bloggers’ that you all mention.
The bloggers I like are
http://www.dealseekingmom.com
http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com
I do what Kristin does, I keep my inserts in a file folder box, with hanging folders for each week, and since I use the tabs that you can re-use, I can just do a new slip for each new week and put it in the tabs.
Kinda like this woman does:
http://images.iheartcvs.com/uploaded_images/organize-%2810%29-758116.jpg
But I run my tabs through my printer at home b/c I feel like it keeps things looking neater. I have tried a lot of different methods for organizing my coupons and this is by far the best for me.
WOW. I’m new to your site and I was wondering do you have something like coupons-101?
@Nanette I’m re-organizing the site in the next week or so to include a “how to” section under the Coupons tab. Please stay tuned! Or, you can use the search box on the upper right sidebar to search for coupon strategies.
I’m really interested in Coupon 101. I get so frustrated trying to make this work with a very busy lifestyle. I always feel as though I’m throwing money away by not using coupons but it has to be a fast set up and go.
@Jenny Thanks for letting me know you’re interested in the basics of couponing. Is there something in particular you’d like to know? It would help me decide what to focus on. Thanks!
I made a coupon binder using the idea from http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
I love it but my friends think I am crazy bringing a huge binder to the grocery store but I love saving $$$
Well, I’ve read the suggestions and it appears the sale flyers are kept. I generally just cut out the coupons for items I use, I have tried card index by item type but find it difficult to remember which coupon I have or don’t have when I’m making a quick store run. This means I have to quickly go through all the little clipped pieces. I realize the organization probably needs to begin with a list before I leave with the coupons checked then but often I work 8 to 9 hrs and make that run after work. I’d like to carry something with the coupons in it that can quickly identify them.
Any suggestions other than preplanning?
Thank you!
I’m pretty disorganized with the coupons…I saw a lady at walmart the other day with her coupons in an old fashioned rolodex! I so wanted to run after her to ask how she does it but was too shy..mine are only separated by foods/non foods. Help!
I’m with Doreen A, I do the clipping whatever I am going to use and putting it in a coupon holder too…I just take a half hour on Sunday to go through the flyers and only clip ones I know I will use at some point. My coupon holder has sections in it for the different aisles/food/non-food items.