How to Organize Your Coupons

There are several different ways to organize your coupons, and I have tried most of them. The most important thing about coupon organization is that you know how they are organized. I like to make sure that I have coupons with me at all times, because I have lost out on lots of amazing unadvertised and clearance deals as a result of not having my coupons with me. Whether you want to carry every single coupon that you have ever laid eyes on with you, or you would like to carry the ones that you have specifically decided that you will use, one of the techniques (or a combination) should work for you.

1. Accordion File
I really like accordion files. They are a perfect way to organize coupons that are very convenient to grab and go, or to keep stashed away in your purse (or man purse/satchel :) ). When I first started couponing, I would carry two small ones with me, with all of the coupons that I thought that I would use, organized by category. One file was for all food items, and one file was for all non food items, and the front section of the files was for the coupons that I would use at a specific store. These were a combined 1" thick, and served me very well for a couple of months. If there was a specific coupon that I was looking for, I would go to the insert itself, that was filed by date, as I will describe below. I still use an accordion file, but in a different capacity now.

My two original couponing files, one for food products, one for non-food products.

2. File Cabinet/File Box
Once I had too large a stack to leave on the kitchen counter 24/7, I decided to file my coupons into my file cabinet. Any coupon matchups that you look at online will have the information on where to find a specific coupon (date and insert name), so filing by this method is very fast and easy, and you will only cut whichever coupons you will actually use. I had one folder for every month, and as each insert came in, I would place it in the appropriate file. Whenever I needed a specific coupon, I would go to that file, and grab the inserts that I needed. I know that many couponers will actually matchup every "like page" of an insert if they get multiple copies, but that always seemed like too much work for me, as I was using this method specifically to save time on the front end. I would recommend at least putting "like" inserts together, so that if you want to get a coupon, you will immediately know how many copies of that coupon you have available. This is especially important for me, because I will have inserts come in for weeks after the paper originally came out, because I get them from many different people over several weeks, and if I do not at least put them together, then they become a jumbled mess.

File cabinet method.

3. Coupon Binder
I LOVE my coupon binder. I have every single coupon that I have ever seen inside of my binder, and it is very easy to take it with me on any shopping trips, and I am always able to take advantage of sudden sales that I find out about while I am already out of the house. There are two main ways to set up a binder. The first is a non-clip method. I have personally never tried it, but you basically use plastic sleeves, and put each of your inserts into these sleeves without clipping. Then, you have all of your coupons with you, and if you need one, you go to the appropriate insert sleeve, remove the insert, and clip away.

The second way to set up a binder, the way that I have mine set up, is by clipping all coupons, and organizing them by type. Sometimes it is difficult to decide exactly where to put the coupon (does refrigerated pasta go in the pasta category, or the refrigerated category?), but I have found that organizing it by where I would actually find the product in the store (refrigerated section in this case), I am able to find a home for every coupon. I clip every coupon for three reasons. First, I am able to set up any transaction for a store very quickly, and I do not have to get individual inserts out, several times, to get the coupons that I need. Secondly, I can immediately see what coupons I have while I am in-store, staring at the clearance rack, or some great unadvertised deal. The final reason that I like to cut any coupons that I have and stash them in my binder, even if I know that it is a product that I will not use (i.e. dentures, diapers, dog food, anything that starts with a D, etc), is that you never know when there will be a great sale that makes products free, or even money makers. Last month, I bought 25 cans of dog food. I do not have a dog, but I made .75 for each can that I purchased. Those cans could go to a friend or family member with dogs, or to a nearby shelter, and I made money off of each of these products that I will not personally use.

My original coupon binder, a whopping 5" size (here it is almost 7"!).

My Method
After trying all of these methods, I have finally come up with a system that works for me. I noticed that when I was cutting all of my inserts, because I get so many of the same type, over such a long period of time, it would take me a long time to cut all of the inserts. I tried waiting a month to start cutting the inserts, and since I was already three months behind on cutting my inserts, seemed like a good idea at the time. The problem was that I was always staring at this overwhelming pile on my desk, half of my coupons were expired by the time that I got to them, and my binder was all but worthless, as it was outdated and full of expired coupons. I feel like this is probably where people throw in the towel with couponing, but it has changed our family so much, that I had to find a way to stick with it.

My current coupon binder.

What I decided is that I would cut four copies of every insert on Sunday, when my four copies come in. Any coupon that was a great deal, or a product that I would definitely purchase, I would also clip, as the additional copies of inserts came trickling in, and any additional inserts would just get filed into my file cabinet. If I need a coupon that I have not clipped, I can always go to my file cabinet. If I see a great deal for free denture cream that I can donate, I can get up to four with the coupons that I have already clipped in my binder, and if it is a great coupon for a product that my family uses, I will have it clipped and ready to go as well. The main reason that I decided that I had to make a change was that I finally purchased a zippered binder (above), which is smaller than my original binder. I could no longer fit 20+ copies of every coupon, so I had to figure out a way to have all of the coupons, not get overwhelmed, and not lose all of my additional copies of inserts that I accumulate throughout the month.

My store accordion file.

I also use an accordion file, which as I mentioned above, I now use a bit differently. I have a small accordion file in my purse everywhere that I go that is divided by store. Every coupon that I will use at a store goes in to the appropriate file, and when I am ready to checkout, I just need to go to the store location in my file, and pull out that stack of coupons (see How To Get Ready For Checkout With Coupons). This method allows me to have quick trips to the store, without my binder if necessary, helps keep me organized when I am preparing for a shopping trip, and also works very well hand in hand with my binder.

Katie's Method of Coupon Organization

Hopefully one of these methods, or a combination therein, is one that works for your family. I like using the accordion file, along with my binder, along with my file cabinet to keep all of my coupons organized, and myself less stressed about coupon organization. Make sure that whichever method you choose, it keeps your coupons organized, and you do not worry about falling behind on cutting coupons. The worst part for a couponer is getting overwhelmed by your coupons, and I feel that it is the number one reason why people decide to stop couponing. If you find a method that I have not mentioned here, feel free to share it in the comments, as it may help others who are trying to figure out a way that their family can get a handle on their coupons. The most important part of organization is knowing you can find the coupon, and when it comes down to it, that is all that matters.