Sunday, November 21, 2010

How Do You Organize Your Coupons?

When I first started couponing I actually made my own coupon organizer.  I took a standard letter size plastic folder and cut it down and used packaging tape to move relocate the tie.  It wasn't super deep and I made the dividers out of recycled folders, but it worked. 



I only had about a half dozen or so categories set up in it and it was getting to the point where I just needed something that gave me a little more room.  Another issue I was having with it is that I typically keep our grocery cash in the organizer when I'm shopping and I kept losing loose change out the holes on the sides.  So, last week when I was at Hobby Lobby and they didn't have the item I'd gone in there with my 40% off coupon to get and I saw coupon organizers on display I decided to pick one up.  I hate it!

On the surface, it seemed like it would be so much better than the one I had. The accordian style allowed it to expand further.  It has a hard pocket in the front providing a place to store my cash while shopping, as well as a pen and whatever else I might want to put in there.  But, here it is a week later and the thing is already tearing up.  The plastic this organizer is made out of us is a much harder plastic than the one I'd made, because of this it doesn't want to stay open when I open it and it's harder to open, in general, when I want to get into it.  The accordion style makes it want to flip over when it is left open (unless it's sitting up against something to keep it from doing so).

So give me some suggestions.  What do you use to organizer your coupons?  While I do typically pull out the coupons I will be using for a shopping trip so that they are separate,  I do like to have all my coupons with me just in case I find a deal I wasn't expecting when I get to the store.  So, I need something that will hold them all without being a suitcase (I've seen a few organizers that are pretty huge), but I also have enough coupons that I can't get away with the smallest organizers that don't expand either.

3 comments:

  1. I use a zip up 3 ring binder along with the nine-pocket baseball card display and a few of the four and six pocket dividers as well. I'd post pictures if I could figure out how. :) I have copies of all my stores coupon policies and a section for each store.

    I store my coupons alphabetically, too. From A-Z. I have scissors and a calculator and also a pen in the front of the binder. I use the zip up binder so my coupons can't fall out. I'd die if that happened.

    When I shop, I take the whole dang thing in the store with me. I have a list and that is the only thing I buy. My daughter was so embarrassed when she went shopping with me last time, but then quit being embarrassed when she seen another woman had a binder too AND she'd seen I'd saved $114.00 on that order. :) It was a good shopping day. :)

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  2. The best one I have found was a little cheapie one from a dollar tree and I haven't managed to find another one since. It lasted almost 2 years. It was actually a thick paper one with expandable tabs and an elastic bungie type wrap--much like your homemade contraption. I used it to store my discount/rewards cards as well as my coupons freeing up my wallet...and then it fell apart. Lately I organize my coupons by wadding them up in my pocket as I leave to shop...a sad sight.


    B.

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  3. I use my console in my car.

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