Jul

29

Coupon Binder for easy coupon storage

Posted by littlemissknowitall

July 29, 2008 |

I get a LOT of questions about how I store my coupons.  So I thought I’d show everyone some photos and describe the system I use.

I find coupon boxes to be infinitely frustrating.  I’d buy one thinking I’d finally gotten one large enough to hold all my coupons, only to have it filled within the month.  Trying to find the q you want when you want it is a hassle as well.  No matter how many categories I had, there was always 10 q’s that I had to sort through to get to the one I wanted.  And anyone with kids knows the agony that comes when one of them accidentally knocks the box over–coupons everywhere and Mommy in tears over the hours of work gone in a pile on the floor.  No, not the most efficient method.

I had a brainstorm one day–why not in a binder?  And why not use some sort of card organizer to hold them?  I had an old Mead Five Start zipper binder laying around, and I ran to the store to see what kind of divider I could find for it.  Photo holders, business card holders….no, no….wait!  Baseball card holders!  I can get 9 coupons to a page and see them all at the flip of the page!  The coupons stay in place…and I can see them all in a matter of seconds!

Here’s how my binder is laid out and why:

First, I have a zipper pouch to hold all of my recent store receipts, store coupons, catalinas, ECB’s, etc.  Second I have five dividers with 4-6 baseball card holder pages per section.  The dividers have pockets too, so if I have loose q’s but not time to file them, I can stuff them in there until I get around to them.  Behind all the q’s I have 3 page protectors, in which I file any emails or store coupon policy printouts I may need.   The front of the binder has several spots for holding small scissors, a few pens and a note pad, along with a small calculator.  The back has a large pocket for a notebook or for loose inserts that I may be in the process of clipping.

I do NOT clip every coupon that comes along.  My goodness, that would take hours!  Instead, I only clip the ones each week that I KNOW I will use.  From there I put the inserts into a hanging file for that month, whole, spine out. That way if a deal comes up and I need to find my insert, I can locate it quickly.  I keep 2-3 months, and toss them after that.

I also buy coupons on Ebay and other online coupon sellers.  (See the blog below for more information on reliable sellers.)  My baseball card holders are invaluable for holding those 10-20-30 coupons at a time!  I do fold some coupons–if they need it I will fold them so the face amount is visible from the front, and the expiration date is visible from the back.

I can’t  tell you how wonderful it is to have every coupon at your fingertips…If I’m in the store and see a deal, I can flip through my binder in only seconds and get right to the coupon I need!  I also know that if I drop it, the coupons are going to stay put!  Last, I can prop it open in my cart to the section of the store I’m shopping in.  Health/Beauty, canned goods, dairy/frozen, etc.  I can see all my coupons with a glance!

One last coupon storage/shopping tip.  As you’re shopping, when you pull an item off the shelf, go ahead and grab its coupon too–put it in a separate area (either the front of the box, the front of the envelope or in a pocket in the front of the binder) so that when you get  to the checkout ,your coupons are ready to hand to the cashier!


Comments

4 Comments so far

  1. Susan on July 29, 2008 1:36 pm

    Hi!

    That looks like My notebook! Works great. I have been using mine ofr years.

    I have been asked many times over the years in Krogers & Meijers how I made it.

    ~ Susan

  2. Noelle on July 31, 2008 10:46 pm

    Love the binder method, Laura showed it to many of us a momsonline years ago and it was then put in an article about her in a womens magazine. It is just so worth it to have the multiple coupons to use on the deals!
    http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2007/07/lauras-couponing-and-refunding-hints.html

  3. Katie on August 1, 2008 9:04 am

    One idea for those just starting out with the coupons: a pencil box. They sell them at CVS for 99 cents that snap shut (no spills) but if you have one at home already it works until you pick up a big collection. I used to use envelopes from bills in the mail, too. You can sort them by baby, pet, etc… The one problem here is I used to spill my coffee… oopsie!

  4. Tara on August 3, 2008 4:41 pm

    I can’t thank you enough for sharing your coupon storage idea. I was literally trying to find a better way then those little 13 pocket check files you get for a buck. I did go several times to the photo albums thinking i’d find something, but it never came across my mind baseball holders. (not I don’t have any sons). If anyone is looking for some. I found them for only .25 cents a sheet (plastic too) at Coins+. I don’t know how many are from the Cincinnati OH area, but if you are Coins+ is located at 10196 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati OH 45251. The store is just up from I-275 in the shopping circle of OfficeMax and Walmart. It’s a small baseball and sport collector shop. Thanks again for the idea oh and I appreciate this blog!

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