Organizing Your Coupons

Using coupons on a regular basis can certainly save you a lot of money, but only if you can actually find the right coupon when you need it. If you are not organized, clipping coupons can turn into something that is both time-consuming and frustrating. Hopefully the tips below will help you get organized and increase your savings by helping you to never miss an opportunity to use a good coupon.

The first step to take is to figure out the best system to classify your coupons. I guess this all depends on whether you are the type of person that clips every coupon in site or just a select few that you find from your favorite brands. Some popular techniques are to classify the coupons by expiration date, alphabetically or by the store that you plan on using the coupons in. The way that makes the most sense for me personally, is to organize the grocery coupons by grocery store departments such as frozen food, dairy and cosmetics. Store coupons for stores like Target and Walgreens go in their own section. Everyone is different, so be sure to pick the method that makes the most sense to you.

Once you decide how to classify your coupons, you can then think about what tools you need to physically organize and store them for easy use. Some people swear by their coupon organizers, but don't think you absolutely need one in order to stay organized. The worst thing you can do is buy the first coupon organizer you see and then try to cram all your coupons into a method that does not make sense to you. If you are planning on purchasing a coupon organizer, try to find one that has tabs or pockets that you can customize with your own category names.

I never invested in a coupon organizer, but found an easy way to keep my coupons organized. What works best for me is to use simple white envelopes. I write the category names on the front of the envelope with a marker and keep them all in a small box that I keep in the trunk of my car (the box also contains things like band aids, a change of clothes for my daughter, bottled water etc.). This method works best for me because I can easily add in a new categories and I don't need to carry all the coupons with me when I go into a store. For example, I will only grab the "Walgreens" and "Cosmetics" envelope when I head into a Walgreens store instead of lugging a big organizer with all the coupons.

One of the most frustrating things about clipping coupons is keeping track of the expiration dates. A friend of mine recently shared a tip on how she tracks expiration dates with just a quick glance. She created a key for herself and assigned a different color to each month. When she clips coupons on Sunday mornings, she uses a colored marker to put a little dot next to the expiration date in the color she designated for that month. So if green is for August, she knows to throw out all the coupons with a green dot come September. If you find yourself always carrying around expired coupons, it may be worth a try.

Of course, don't forget that the Sunday paper is not the only place to get coupons. Take advantage of other sources such as our printable coupons on CoolSavings.com!

Have you found a method for organizing coupons that works for you?