Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Organizing your coupons

There are a few schools of thought on this :)
1. Clip all coupons and organize them in some sort of box. This is what I do. Here is a picture of my "coupon caddie"

If you don't have a fancy box, like me, you can use a tackle box, or even baby wipes boxes (this is what I use to do). Coupons are organized by category with the coupons that expire soonest placed at the first of each category.

I like this system because I have all coupons readily available when I'm at the store. I don't miss out on hidden deals or clearance deals because I don't have my coupons cut and with me. At the end of the week I go through each category and throw out the expired coupons.

2. Clip and organize the coupons in a binder. The Daily Herald Savvy Shopper promotes this. Check out her site if you're interested in this: savvyshopperdeals.com

3. File your coupons and wait for the sale before clipping them. This is by far the easiest system and is what the lame grocery guru teaches and also Coupon Smart. When you get your Sunday paper you find your coupon inserts, write the date on the front, and save 'em in a binder or file box. If you do this, don't throw 'em away every 4 weeks like the guru teaches...most coupons have a long expiration and you will be throwing away precious savings.

I actually do a bit of this. Even though I carry around a coupon caddie, I really don't cut out EVERY coupon. I keep the ones I am very unlikely to use in a file box.

So find a system and try it out, then tweak it to fit your needs. Be a little organized and you really can save a lot.

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