Organizing your coupons

So you've got a lot of coupons now, but how do you organize them? It's honestly up to you. There is no best way to do it, just whatever way is easiest and most convenient for you.

My way is honestly the lazy way. I have a coupon filer where all of my clipped coupons are. Then I have a tote bag filled with all of the newspaper inserts. On those inserts I write the date it came out in black marker on the front so I can easily see which insert I need for a coupon. When it's time to start my list I take a blank envelope and write my shopping list on a separate envelope for each store I am going to. I then put the corresponding coupons in each envelope, with the item listed on the front indicating how many of each item I need.

Others have all of their coupons clipped and filed in some type of storage container for easy access and portability. Some super organized people have binders with their coupons stored in easy to see trading card inserts that they can take a long and easily flip through. I wish I was this organized!

How you organize your coupons is entirely up to you. I've included a few pictures showing my method, but find whatever method is easiest for you. The one thing I do recommend is sorting them by type. My purple coupon organizer has different compartments for paper goods, frozen foods, spices and condiments, meats and cheeses, toiletries, cat stuff, medicine, breads and grains, beverages, packaged foods, sweets and treats, and a miscellaneous category for items that don't fit into the other categories. I try to clip my inserts as often as possible, but as you can see by the picture of my full tote bag, I haven't had much time for it recently.

The main thing to remember is to make your organization system easy for you to use and to make it portable. It's not always easy to stay on top of the clipping as you can see by my example, but by keeping it all organized in a way that's simple for me to find what I need, I can make my lists and match the coupons in a short time.

What are your favorite organization tips? Leave a comment and let me know!