How do you keep all those coupons organized?

There are many methods you can use to organize all those coupons you'll acquire. I will highlight three: envelope/box system, binder system, and accordian system.  What method do you use? Leave a comment!

1. Binder System:
Because I have little kids that like to "help" mommy coupon, I choose to use the binder system making it almost impossible to dump them all over the floor. Though this takes a little more time, it's what works best for me. I purchased a binder, 3 packages of baseball card holders, and 18 dividers. This is great to keep little hands from tipping over a box or rummaging through envelopes. It also allows me to easily flip through all my coupons when I see a sale on an item in the store that wasn't mentioned in the ad.

I use the following dividers (though I am going to add a few more)
~Drinks
~Snacks
~Cereal/Bread
~Baby
~Cleaning
~Dairy
~Feminine Products
~Health/Beauty (I want to break this one out)
~Dessert
~Paper Products
~Soups/Sides (again, I want to break this out)
~Condiments
~Meats
~Dinners
~Produce
~Other


When I'm clipping coupons I make sure to clip as close to the edges as I can so they will fit easily in to the binder. However, sometimes I do have to fold them (where it can take a little more time). One tip that I JUST learned (I've been clipping for a few months now and only just realized this) is to sort out your coupons before putting them in the binder. That way you have all your same types together and can just slip them in instead of hunting for each section for every coupon.


2. Envelope/Box System:
Make an envelope for each category I mentioned above (or create your own categories applicable to your family). Store each coupon in the envelopes, then store the envelopes in some sort of a box, like a shoe box. You can't see your coupons very easily but it doesn't take as long to file them.

3. Accordion File System:
Choose between a large file or a small, wallet sized file. Label each divider. Clip and store. There are pros to both the large size (you can store whole coupon inserts without clipping them unless you need them) and the small size (really easy to take with you in to the store). This is the fastest way to clip and organize your coupons, though it can take more time in the store to sort through your files if you find a great deal and aren't sure if you have a coupon to match.


Regardless of the method you chose, you should begin collecting copies of store coupon policies. This is especially handy when you get a cashier that doesn't know what they are doing. You can whip out the policy and show them.

Also, I go through all my coupons 2x a month to pull out any that have expired. Usually they'll expire around the middle of the month and the end of the month. I weed them out on the 30th and the 15th.

Another thing I would suggest carrying with you is scissors...and a calculator!