If you have ever clipped coupons, you know what a hassle it is to organize them. I have tried many different methods. Years ago, I put the few I had into a plastic sandwich baggie and stuck it into my purse. This worked fine when I was not a serious coupon clipper.
Next, I moved on to the more obvious choice: a coupon organizer. You can find them at Wal-Mart and sometimes at the Dollar Tree. They are small expandable file folders to hold coupons. They come already labeled. This was a problem. My organizer had no label for baby items or many of the other things I had a lot of coupons for.
The trouble with this system is ---you have to sift through all of your coupons within a broad category to find THE ONE you are looking for. When you are a serious coupon clipper like me, you have a lot of coupons! I realized I was spending an extra thirty to forty-five minutes in the grocery store sifting through them on a big shopping trip.
While shopping for groceries, the ultimate coupon clipping nightmare occurred: I dropped the organizer! All I could think was NOOOOOOO! There where hundreds of coupons spread almost 10 feet around me. There I was, on hands and knees trying to pick them up one by one.
So I went looking on the internet and found a system that works for me. I use a zip up binder with baseball card inserts. Originally I tried putting the coupons behind index dividers grouped by category:
* Baby
* Baking
* Beverages
* Breakfast
* Canned Goods
* Condiments
* Cleaning
* Dairy
* Freezer
* Meats
* Misc. (for batteries, restaurants, etc.)
* Paper Goods
* Pasta and Rice
* Personal Care
* Produce
* Snacks
However, that did not work for me either as I still had to many coupons to go through to find what I was looking for. My DH (dear husband) told me to try organizing them by manufacturer. To my surprise that works for me. If it is a Kellogg’s product – it goes under the K’s, Gillette – the G’s, etc…
When I have determined what coupons I am going to need for a sale I pull them out of the binder and place them in a pencil pocket zip up envelope. I have them for my favorite stores: Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Albertsons, and Dollar General.
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2 comments:
I got two large boxes --I think they were picture box holders orginally--and labeled everything by frozen, canned, etc. One box has groceries, the other has toiletries, etc.
I still have lots to go through, but it just seems easier.
Then I put the coupons I need in a coupon divider organized by store.
Sometimes I have to run back out to the car if I see a great unadvertised sale and dig through my box.
Yea for CVS! I spent $67 yesterday and paid $1.62. I just wish we had a Super Target in our area.
Sounds like you did a great job in shopping. If that works for you that is great.
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