A Beginner’s Guide to Organizing Coupons

Using coupons is a great way to cut down your grocery budget and save money on items you constantly use. Some people are avid couponers, and they know the ins and outs of every coupon policy at every store, and they have the coupon science down to a T. Others are new to couponing, and they’re still struggling to figure out how it all works.
One of the biggest questions that new couponers often ask is how to organize coupons. There is no one correct way to organize coupons. There are numerous ways to organize your coupons, and you have to decide which way is the right and the most convenient for you.

Coupon wallets.

Some people decide to organize their coupons within a convenient coupon wallet. These wallets only contain one pocket, and they close with either a button or a piece of Velcro. Coupon wallets may come with their own dividers. If not, you can always use index cards. Create categories, and name each divider appropriately.

Coupon wallets are great because they are small enough to fit in your purse or bag. This way, you can always be sure that your coupons are on you—even when you make those impromptu trips to the store. The downside to coupon wallets is that since they’re smaller in size, they don’t hold as many coupons as other methods. If you don’t clip that many coupons, this will not be a problem. But if you clip hundreds of coupons, you may need something bigger.

Coupon bins.

Another way to organize your coupons is to use a coupon bin. This is generally made of plastic and has a lockable lid. (If it doesn’t, make sure that you buy one that has a lockable lid. You don’t want to be cleaning up coupons if the bin falls to the floor in the middle of an aisle.) Coupon bins can hold more coupons than a wallet, and they’re more durable, so if it got wet, you won’t have a ton of soggy coupons on your hands.
You should use white index cards to create dividers within your coupon bin. Again, make sure to name each one appropriately.

Coupon binders.

The final way to organize coupons is to use a binder. In order to better organize a coupon binder, you need to purchase plastic photograph dividers, and then place the coupons within the dividers. This way, you can easily view each coupon without needing to pull out a category.

Coupon binders are durable, and the plastic protectors will keep your coupons from being damaged. The only downside to a binder is that it may not easily fit in your purse or bag, so you have to remember to grab it before you run out to the store.

The divider categories.

There are plenty of ways to organize your dividers. The most popular way to organize coupons is to label each divider as a category, such as meat, dairy, pet, etc. This way, you know that a specific item will be placed in a certain category. Another way to organize is to place them alphabetically by brand name. This way, if you’re looking for Heinz, you will know to look under H. Some people also organize their coupons by expiration date so that they know which batch to use up first.

In order to organize your coupons, you need to try out a few different methods to find out which works best for you. As previously mentioned, there is no right or wrong way to organize your coupons. Whichever way works best for you is the way to organize.

Ashley Cole is a stay at home mom who is used to couponing and working with a tight budget. She is a coupon expert and often uses Eco Tools coupons to get what she wants at a reasonable price. She never leaves home without her cosmetic brushes.