Coupon Organizer?

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

Does anyone have one they just love? I hate trying to find which grocery coupons I actually have (they are separated by letter, but each section fills up pretty quickly!) I really want to be more organized with them!

[icunurse]

I just bought one today at Walmart for $3.xx that has 13 pockets that you can label. I try to only clip coupons for things we use, so that should be enough. It was by the filing stuff. It's small enough to take with you. Another inexpensive option would be to buy an index card box and cards and get the tabs for the tops of the cards to separate them however works best for you (almost did that until I saw the coupon organizer).

Off the top of my head, I divide - baby, frozen, dairy case, bread/pasta/rices, sauces and condiments, paper goods, pets, health/beauty, canned goods, cleaning products, breakfast...and a couple others.

[american_mama]

I asked a question here ages about where to find one. I wanted a nylon cloth one, maybe because I thought it would open up wider than a stiff paper/carboard one, and found some on ebay for cheap. They come with the index tabs pre-cut and stickers for various categories. You can also make your own tabs by cutting a 5x7 index card.

[missym]

I have a 3-ring binder filled with clear sheet protectors, some made for baseball cards and some for photos. Coupons I want with me while shopping go in there. I also save my inserts for a few months, so that I can go back and clip if there's a coupon matchup for a sale on an item/brand I don't normally buy.

For shopping, I make a list on an envelope and fill it with the coupons for that trip. I take my binder with me in case I see a non-advertised sale. It's also a handy place to put any coupons I gather on the trip.

[kep]

I have a 3-ring binder filled with clear sheet protectors, some made for baseball cards and some for photos. Coupons I want with me while shopping go in there. I also save my inserts for a few months, so that I can go back and clip if there's a coupon matchup for a sale on an item/brand I don't normally buy.

For shopping, I make a list on an envelope and fill it with the coupons for that trip. I take my binder with me in case I see a non-advertised sale. It's also a handy place to put any coupons I gather on the trip.

Great idea, Missy! I have been actually thinking about coupon organization all week long. How silly is that? I'm new to couponing, and always trying to pick up tips. :cheerleader1:

[caleymama]

I use a letter size expandable poly file along the same lines as this one:
http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?&langId=-1&storeId=10001&splCatType=0&catalogId=10051&productId=51011&cmArea=SC1:CG15:CL141235

Coupon geek alert! I used my labeler to print out labels for each section:
Dairy, Meat/Frozen, Baking, Snacks, Cereal, Pasta/Rice, Sauces/Spreads, Canned/Baby Food, Beverages, Produce/Breads, Personal Care, Household

The very first section (not a real section) is labeled Rebates/Misc Coupons. In there I keep any little rebate forms that I found with coupons I might use and also an envelope for CVS coupons and an envelope for BJs coupons. Grocery store coupons that print out at the register get filed in their regular section since there are only a few of them at any given time.

I clip coupons each weekend and file them then. I will pull out whatever I need for a particular trip into a separate envelope or paper clipped to my list but I usually bring the coupon file with me also. I often re-use a junk mail enevlope for my list/coupons.

[supercalifragilous]

I have mine in a photo organizer by Creative Memories (got it free) that has an elastic loop to keep it closed. I've seen similar items at Big Lots and even the Dollar Store that would work just as well.

I keep mine in the order I go at the store, ending in the produce and frozen sections, right before checkout. That said, I usually go through my coupons to make out a list of what I need before I go. Sometimes I put all the coupons I intend to use immediately in the front pocket (the others are when I can combine them with an in-store sale) but I hate refiling them if the store was out and the coupon went unused. I waffle back & forth from doing that.

I think I recall a coupon organizer out there called the Couponizer? It looks like the basis is the same - it's a filing system.

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

Thanks everyone! There are some great ideas there. I might have to combined a few to make a super coupon organizer! ;)