Hopefully, those of you that read my first post have been busy gathering, printing, and clipping coupons. Now is the time to find an organizational method that works for you before you're eyeball deep in coupons. Trust me, it won't take long! This has been the hardest part of couponing for me since I'm organizationally challenged! My sister asked me the other day why my coupons are so neat and easy to find while the rest of my house looks like a tornado hit it. For me, my coupon binder is my wallet and bank account all rolled into one allowing me to carry hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars around with me at all times. I need to know where my coupons are for the same reason I need to know where my debit card is.
My organizational needs have changed over time, as will yours after you've been couponing for awhile. When I first started out, I was using a small coupon organizer I bought at Walmart. It only cost about $3 and served me well until my coupon collection began to take over my living room! I was overwhelmed and had no clue what to do with the coupons that wouldn't fit into my organizer. That's when I moved on to my second method.
I used a couple of shoe boxes and some index cards to sort all of my coupons into categories. This was a great way to keep my rapidly growing collection of coupons under control and in one spot. Before I headed off to the store, I would pull out what I needed and put them in an envelope with my shopping list. The only problem with this method is that I would get to the store and remember that I needed something that I had forgotten to put on my list, but not have the coupon I needed. This is what prompted me to start using a binder and some clear plastic sheet protectors to organize my coupons.
Carrying the binder has saved me a lot of time and lost deals. I still pull out the coupons I plan to use before I go to the store, but I always have my backups when I need them. My best advice would be to experiment with a few different organizational methods until you find the one that suits your needs. There is no right or wrong way to organize your coupons! If you need some extra help, YouTube is a great resource for new couponers.
Are you feeling overwhelmed yet? Couponing can seem like hard work before you even get started, but it pays off the first time you leave the store with more groceries in your cart and more money in your wallet. Go get your coupons organized and get ready to start saving!
sometimes you can catch the wallet-sized accordian organizers for $1 at Target's $1 spot...the racks right next to the entrance where everything is for $1.
ReplyDeletewill you do a post about using store reward cards like kroger, cvs and other retail stores? we get AWESOME kroger coupons mailed to us...all for what we shop for the most.
LOVE these first two posts! for sure i'm checking out the online coupons!
do receive a lot of 'junk mail' and spam for signing up for the online coupons?
PS I have a stash of Kroger coupons to get off my hands...
similac formula, Johnson's baby products, Kroger comforts formula, Beechnut babyfood, Enfamil formula, Kroger comforts wipes, Gerber babyfood, and Playtex items.
Thanks for the heads up on the cheap organizers! I'm planning on doing separate posts about every store in the Lexington area
ReplyDeleteand how to work the deals at each one. I've been a little lazy today, so now it's time to get to work!
Even before I started couponing, I always had tons of spam emails. I haven't really noticed a different, but for most offers, they usually give you the option to sign up for mailing lists, etc. If you're worried about spam, you can always set up a separate email account just for couponing!