Organizing Coupons

Organization is key! If I'm organized, I'm able to match my coupons to weekly sales easily. Better yet, I feel much more confident going into the store to purchase items using coupons. Here's what I do to organize.

• Sort coupons by category: How many times have you been in a store that has the shampoo shelved right beside the milk? What about cat food beside the toothpaste? Probably not very often because those items are totally unrelated. That's why it doesn't make sense to just throw all your coupons together. You'll have much better luck if they're sorted! 
  
  I don't have a big coupon binder like so many of those extreme couponers. It's just not practical for me. I don't think I'd feel comfortable walking into a store with a big notebook. However, if that's the way you want to go, The Krazy Coupon Lady website has a great video to get you started. The website also has a downloadable table of contents and categories list for your binder. This might be worthwhile if you have thousands and thousands of coupons, but as someone who doesn't take it to that level, it's just not worth it to me.
  
  Here's what I do. I have a small accordion file and regular white envelopes. I keep them in my purse when I go shopping. My accordion file has 12 different compartments. I use it for non-food items only. The tabs are labeled cosmetics, bath and body, cleaning, pet, paper, health, dental, laundry, clothing, miscellaneous, restaurants, and Hardees. (I have the Hardees one because my aunt works for their home office and often gives us free coupons.)
  
  
  
  
  I really need a larger accordion file, but I don't want to get one that's too big for my purse. This has caused me to add a few more envelopes for other categories. The additional envelopes are labeled dish washing liquid, men's, feminine products, razors and shaving cream, and shampoo and styling products.
  
  I organize my food coupons a little differently. I thought about the layout of the grocery stores I visit. I pictured the various aisles and how the items were grouped together, then labeled the envelopes based on that. The categories I use are: 1) peanut butter, canned fruits, salad items, rice, canned veggies and soups, 2) sandwich meats, hot dogs, buns, and refrigerated items, 3) dairy, 4) frozen food, 5) frozen desserts, 6) beverages and coffee, 7) cereal and breakfast items, 8) snacks, chips, and popcorn, and 9) candy and baking items.
  
  I keep my envelopes in a little zippered pouch that fits inside my purse. I try to keep them in order by the layout of the store. That makes it easy to pull out the envelope for that section and search for coupons as I push my cart around the store. I also have an envelope labeled Using Today. I put the coupons I plan to use in there so I don't lose them before I'm ready for checkout.
  
  
  
  
  
• Sort coupons by store: Sometimes I'll get coupons that can only be redeemed at certain stores. They might say manufacturer coupons at the top, but have "Redeem only at Store XYZ" in the fine print. They might be catalinas, or coupons that print out at the register. Or they might be rewards for buying certain items, such as Register Rewards, ExtraBucks, or UP Rewards. Whichever type they are, I want to keep those separate from my regular manufacturer coupons.
  
  I have an envelope for each store I visit often. Those stores are CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Ingles, Kroger, Walmart, Food Lion, and Target. I also use the envelopes for specific stores when planning my shopping trips for the week. When I get to the store, I just pull out the marked envelope, and all the coupons I need are there. I don't have to spend time sorting through them at the cash register. (By the way, sorting through coupons at the cash register is a big NO-NO. You'll aggravate the cashier and people waiting in line behind you.)
  
  I keep my specific store envelopes in the front of the zippered pouch inside my purse. The little compartments on the front hold paper clips and receipts. I often paper clip my coupons together by transaction, so I end up having a lot of paper clips leftover at the end of the day. (Overlook the random ink-mark on the front. That little mishap occurred when marking off a shopping list in the store.)
  
  
  
  
  
• Pull coupons that are about to expire: I take about 15 minutes each week to go through my coupons and pull out the ones that will expire in the next week or so. I put them in two different envelopes--Expiring Soon: Food Coupons and Expiring Soon: Other Coupons. I make a priority of using those coupons before any other like coupons with later expiration dates. I also check to see if stores have any great advertised deals on those items.
  
  I always have several coupons that I can't use before the expiration date. Instead of throwing them out, I put them in a large envelope at my house. About once a month, I'll send them to my cousin. She's stationed overseas because her husband is in the military. Military commissaries overseas will take expired coupons up to 6 months after the expiration date. Living Rich with Coupons has a list of guidelines and links to three websites that give addresses and more information.

Am I a pro at organization? Nah. But as someone who doesn't have thousands of coupons or who doesn't want to buy items in bulk, my simple system works perfectly in me.