Is there such a thing as too many coupons?! ACK!
This week my coupon organizer bit the dust. I overfilled it and abused it one too many times, and now several of the pockets have split. I could use a little duct tape, but I know it would only be a temporary fix.
I bought another coupon organizer at Walmart for $5.88 to replace it. It is wider, and a little fancier than my older model. I spent some time making nice labels for all my categories. I felt pretty proud of my organization. I cleared out all the expired coupons and purged a few I knew I'd never use.
Well, guess what? STILL too many coupons... the stupid thing doesn't lie flat or stay closed. UGH.
So, now I'm having a coupon organization crisis. I do not want to give up carrying any coupons with me. I only travel to town once or twice a week, and I can't stand finding a great price on something and not having the right coupons with me to make it an even better deal.
So, I've started to research options. So far all of the coupon organizers you can purchase seem flimsy, too small, and overpriced to me.
Some people suggest using a file box or a even recycling a baby wipes tub... but I have this vision of me tipping over the whole box in the store (something that nearly happened to me with my old organizer) and creating a coupon catastrophe.
Others have suggested binder systems. Basically, you get a three-ring binder and use photo pages and baseball card holders to use for holding coupons. The concept really appeals to my sense of organization... it would be so nice to SEE all of my coupons at a glance. But I can't stand the thought of dragging a GIANT binder with me everywhere.
Today I saw a smaller binder that was designed for DVDs and CDs... but I'm not sure how well the pockets would work for my coupons.
So, I'm in a quandary. What's a super savings girl to do? I desperately need a good coupon organizing system, but I don't want it to be too bulky, too small or too expensive.
What do all of you super savvy shoppers do to organize your coupons?
Friday, June 6, 2008
Coupon Organization Crisis
9 comments:
I modeled my coupon box after one I saw on www.moneysavingmom.com
Mine is similar to hers, but it's like a huge index card box. It was made for craft supplies, so it has a locking lid with a handle. So far, it has worked great for me.
This is what I do:
I use large size envelopes that I have cut the sticky flappy part off of. I labeled each one by the category and I put it on the inside part of the envelope so I can see it quickly. I carry a rather large purse, that I bought with this in mind. The envelopes fit nicely in my purse and I can see at a glance if I have a coupon for a great deal!! :0)
~~ I'm not sure I explained it well, so I will try to post pics on my blog some time next week. :0)
I probably spend too much time on this, but I type my coupons into a spreadsheet so I can see what products I have coupons for without having to search through piles of tiny papers. I have them organized into categories and the actual coupons are in a small expandable file that fits in my purse. This works really well for matching my manufacturers coupons with store coupons and sale prices.
My girl Carlie at whyaskwhy told me about this and it works wonderfully.
I got a Mead five star zip up note book holder from my daughter. She wasn't using it for school and they can be a little pricey. Yay!
Then I got some baseball card holders and the picture holders that you get to fill a photo album. They are both really cheap at Wal Mart. Only $1.00 for a pack of like nine I think, each
The photo ones work best with the bigger coupons. The baseball card holder works well too. There are pockets on the inside that allow for pencils and pens and even my scissors.
I take it with me every where I go so I am NEVER without them. There is a lot of room for the inserts until you get time to clip the Q's.
Best of all, every one that sees it thinks I am the most organized person they have ever seen. Tee Hee!
The Q's are all in the open. You just flip through them like you would be looking at pictures.
It works wonderfully. Worth every penny.
I mean, I DID pay for the notebook holder, just not recently. The mead ones hold up forever. My daughter had been using it for two or three years and it's still like new.
Hope this helps.
Terri Lea
I am taking a break from changing mine right now! It was a big c.d. case but now I'm going a planner with baseball card sheets in it. I had to cut off the top row of pockets so it's the right size. It's also one row too long widthwise but I want as many pockets as I can get so at this point I'm just folding them back and using a paperclip to help keep them bent that way. I figure if I do that, they wont all unfold if I tip it over!
I use a clear, plastic shoebox from the Container Store. It has a nice lid that comes off, but also snaps on tightly.
Inside, I have the smaller sized envelopes marked A-Z. I seem to be able to find my coupons more quickly when they are in alphabetical order and I don't have to think about category.
There is also an envelope for rebates, restaurant coupons, free items, and one for each store in which I frequently shop. That way, if I'm clipping coupons and come across one that I know I will spend in CVS, I just stick it right in the CVS envelope.
That box is for all my grocery and cleaning coupons.
I have a smaller expandable file for all my soap,toothpaste,makeup, and other toiletries that I ALWAYS "buy" at CVS or Walgreens. I don't like going into CVS or Walgreens with my big coupon box, and I feel so much more discreet (LOL) with just my smaller organizer. If I look at the drugstore ad and happen to have a grocery coupon that will work, I just stick it right in my envelope. For the most part, it has worked great just having the smaller organizer.
Again, I alphabetize the drugstore organizer because it saves me a thinking step, and it saves time finding the right coupon in the right category.
HTH
Hi. I had the same problem as you a few days ago so I decided to split my coupons into two coupons files. One is A to M the other N to Z. It works out nicely and I don't have to worry so much about breakage. They are still small enough to take with me to the store too!
Wow! You guys have given me a lot of great ideas. Now I have more thinking to do!
I resisted the binder for a while, but then I started following The Grocery Gathering at becentsable.blogspot.com, and I began sticking the Sunday newspaper inserts in sheet protectors in a three-ring binder, with the date written on the front. (I just put them in there whole, no displaying separate pages, almost no cutting.) Since they do the matching of coupon dates to store sales for me, it has saved me a *ton* of time.
I do also use a coupon organizer, one of those fabric expandable envelope things, for additional coupons (printables, etc.). I did a search on eBates a few months ago for "coupon organizer" to find a good deal after mine, too, bit the big one. (I had been using it for over a decade and, like you, had been cramming everything in there.)
I also found an expandable plastic file folder in the clearance section at Target around New Year's time, and I use that to keep "non-grocery/household" coupons in: restaurants (that's what I trim out of the Sunday inserts); clothing (The Children's Place); toys; and miscellaneous (hair cuts, dry cleaning, etc.) I would really like to find another one of these file folders, but they haven't been around for a while.
All of this goes in a fabric tote bag that I keep in my car, so I have my "shopping bag" with me and am never without my coupons.
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