How to Organize Coupons Or HELP ME, I’M DROWNING IN PAPER!

Okay…I’m going to admit it. I’m an addict. And like most addicts, I can’t get enough. What is my addiction, you may ask? Coupons! Lots and lots of coupons. I can’t get enough. I MUST have them. Little ones, big ones, long ones, tiny ones, coupons on shiny smooth paper, coupons from my printer. As with any other addiction, I’m running into a bit of a problem; what in the world am I going to do with all these coupons?

You see, it all started out simple. I collected a coupon here and a coupon there. I let some really good ones expire, because I forgot I had them. Then I came home from the grocery store with a few free items. WOW! Maybe I really should start buying a Sunday paper…and thus, the addiction kicked in. Now, 7132 small strips of paper, three pairs of scissors, countless hours of clipping, hand cramps, and enough piles to take over TWO desks in my computer room later, I am FINALLY learning to organize my coupons! Woot!

I’ve read and researched a lot of material about how different people organize their coupons. Some like to clip, others like to file by date. Some like to use expanding file folders, others prefer 3-ring binders. Some people have several major categories in which to group their coupons, others have 25 or more categories (can you see me blushing?) The one thing that holds true for everyone, is that there is a perfect and functional way for each individual to organize their coupons. The trick is to find out which way works best for you.

The big thing to remember is to ALWAYS mark the front of your inserts no matter which method you use. The basis of all coupon matchups is the day the inserts came out – use something like 5/27 or any other method that you choose.

Clip-less Couponing:
First, I decided to file my coupons by the date they came out in the newspapers. Basically, all of the Sunday newspaper coupons are filed, unclipped, into folders marked with the date of the newspaper in which they came. Then, when you are searching for weekly deals and matchups, you can go directly to the file folder with the date the coupon was published, clip the paper money and you’re off to the store. This is a very popular way of organizing coupons and works well for a lot people. Did it work well for me? I didn’t think so at the time, so I was off to do more research.

The Other End of the Spectrum:
My next “bright idea” was to clip everything. Let me repeat that with emphasis; EVERYTHING. I hear that this is also a really popular way to organize your coupons. I may have, possibly, taken it to extremes though. (See paragraph two, above, re: mountains of coupons, wrecked scissors, and carpal tunnel.) The week before last, when we had extra inserts, I literally had a three inch stack of coupons staring me in the face. The coupons were actually laughing at me. I swear they were.

Lots of coupon lovers adore the clipping method. Each Sunday, they grab a cup of coffee and relish the newspaper, all-the-while clipping like crazy. If you’re into this method, here are a few tips to keep you sane:

First, sort your coupons into categories that work for you. These can be as simple as grocery and non-food items or as elaborate as the following lists (recommended for large numbers of coupons)

Grocery Stores:
Bread
Canned Foods
Condiments
Drinks/Juices
Frozen Foods
Meats/Cheeses
Packaged Foods/Dinners
Pasta & Sauces
Plastic Wraps/Storage
Produce

Variety/Drug Store Items:
Air Fresheners
Cleaners
Feminine Products
Hair Products
Make Up
Oral Products
Paper Products
Pet Products
Pharmacy/Vitamins
Plastic Wraps/Storage
Shaving Products
Skin Products
Soap

I alphabetized my lists in my coupon storage systems, and then alphabetized the brand name of each item within each category. Another idea is to arrange each category according to the layout of the stores you most often shop at. Coupon Storage systems can be as simple as a few labeled envelopes or you can go a little nuts like I did and get plastic accordion coupon carriers. A lot of people swear by 3-ring binders with plastic sheets designed to protect baseball cards.

A Happy Medium
I think I may have finally figured out what will work best for me. Trust me…if it doesn’t work, I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it in a future post! My problem when I was using the clip-less method, was that I never really knew what I had. I couldn’t carry all my coupons to the store with me in case I happened upon an awesome deal. And, probably most important, I had no system in place for keeping track of expiration dates. With the clipping method…well, do I really need to go into my problems with that fiasco again? Plus, I still didn’t have a great way to keep up with expiration dates.

Soooo, I am going to try to make the best of both worlds. I now have a method in place where I can file away whole (unclipped) sections of coupons each Sunday. But first, I will go to a coupon database site, like Hot Coupon World and print a list of all the coupons that came out in the inserts. These lists are commonly in the SwagGrabber Forums too. Coupons vary by region, so I may not have all the coupons that will be listed, but that’s okay, because my next task will be to copy and paste the list into a word document. I’ll quickly peruse my inserts, and if I see any differences, I’ll adjust as necessary. A nice perk to those lists, is that the expiration dates are listed as well (YAY!)

So, my finished word document will be printed and placed in the front of the folder holding the inserts for that week. As I use a coupon, I will simply mark that coupon off my master list. If a coupon expires, I will clip that coupon and toss it or send them to military families overseas, and then mark that coupon off my list. As my list starts getting pretty raggedy, I can go back into my original word document for that week, adjust it, and print a fresh copy.

What in the world am I going to do with all my printed coupons, you may ask? (or maybe not!) I still have my trusty plastic accordion coupon organizer, so I will simply file them away in there along with any other coupons that are already clipped. One of these days if I’m feeling really sassy, I may even write out a word document for those coupons as well! So, for now, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

How you organize your coupons is going to be up to you…there are several different methods and it will take a little trial and error to find one that will work for you!

So how do you organize your coupons? Leave a comment and let us all know. And who knows? We might even learn something!

Entire Series….
Part 1 – Couponing Think Big Start Small – click HERE to read Part 1
Part 2 – Price Points & How to Find Coupons – click HERE to read Part 2
Part 3 – The Illusive Foreign Language of Couponing – click HERE to read Part 3
Part 4 – Coupon Organization – click HERE to read Part 4
Part 5 = Your First Shopping Trip – click HERE to read Part 5