GREAT Coupon Organizer Idea!

A BIG thanks to Catherine, an Eastern Shore Mom reader who has really gone above and beyond with her coupon organization system. I am thrilled to share this will all of you because it is a very simple and easy way to organize your coupon stash. I understand that it can get incredibly overwhelming when you have coupons coming out of your ears & trying to plan your trips. However, I think Catherine’s way of organizing a lot of you will find that this is the route you need to go.

Her system combines a binder WITH the filing system- however, her method requires very little work and the supplies are very inexpensive.

Here she is explaining the above picture:

“I have a messenger bag that I keep these 3 organizers in

The small blue & white file is for clipped coupons – they are alphabetized

The big pink is for my extra of RedPlum, SmartSource, Publix Booklets & any other store booklets. By extra, I mean that I only clip one insert and file the ones from the extra papers that I get.

The binder/notebook contains:

A map of the store

My “current” Publix trip list (or grocery list) printed from Publix.com

6 colored pencil holders

The 6 colored holders are for:

Green – My Current Publix trip – coupons that are pulled to match my trip list

Blue – Holds all my $5 off/$20/$25/$50 coupons

Purple – All coupons for free items (for filler items)

Pink – Current Drug Store trips (the trips are paperclipped together per store)

Yellow – Supplies (scissors, paperclips, pens/pencils, sticky notes)

Orange – Store/restaurant gift cards, gift certificates”

Here is what the final binder looks like with all of the colored pockets:

Thanks Catherine!

About clipping 1 insert & filing the rest:
This is what I do as well. I get multiple papers each week so if I clipped every insert and filed the coupons my small organizer would be HUGE and it would take a lot of time. Instead, I clip one and file the rest. Here are a couple tips for filing inserts:

• Staple the inserts like a binder. To keep the pages from falling out and making a huge mess, staple the folded edge so the insert stays together.
• File them in an accordion file and use manila folders to hold the inserts. That way you can write the date on the manila folder’s tab and it will stick up out of your accordion file to get to them easier.
• Use a coupon database to know which coupons are in which insert. I always put the date and insert name that a coupon comes out of but if you have one coupon clipped and you need another out of your stash of inserts, I use the A Full Cup coupon database to look up which insert the coupon is in. A Full Cup is FREE and easy to become a part of.
• Write the date and city the insert came from on the front of the insert with marker. That way, if it gets misplaced or you need to know which area paper it came from (I get Pensacola, Atlanta, Mobile, etc. sometimes) you will know by the front of the insert in BOLD.
• Forgot to write on the front of the insert the date and where you got it? Don’t worry! Look at the spine of the insert (along the folded edge) and it is written right there. You might need a magnifying glass to see it, but it’s there!

Have a coupon organization tip? Comment below!