How I Organize My Coupons

So I’ve mentioned in the past that I use the binder method for organizing my coupons. Just so you can get an idea of what that looks like, I took a few pictures. One day I’ll get around to doing a full fledged video about it so I can go through it step by step.

This is my system:

The binder is a Case-it S915 3 Inch Round Ring Binder with 6 Tab File Folder, 1unit, Purple Size – 13 X 13.6 X 3 inches . The small accordion file I bought at Walgreens a few years ago.

The binder holds all of my coupons in Ultra Pro 9 Pocket Pages “Silver Series” (100ct) (baseball card holders) that I have divided into catagories. I have all food and food items first followed by toiletries, household and beauty coupons. Some of the catagories I have are:

1. Dairy
2. Refridgerated
3. Boxed Items
4. Condiments
5. Baby
6. Toiletries
7. Paper products
8. Batteries
9. Household
10. Medicine

I have well over 20 categories in my binder. The food is in alphabetical order A-Z and the non food is in alphabetical order. Every week when I put my new coupons in I look through each section to make sure nothing is expired or about to expire. I can fit 3 coupons in each holder and since I buy 3 newspapers it works perfectly for me (I’m sure you could fit more, but I rarely have more than 3 coupons for an item).

On the left of the binder is an accordian file that I use to put store ads, uncut coupons and anything else specific pertaining to each store I shop at.
The little blue accordion file is my going to store organizational tool. After I make my list (in an excel spreadsheet) I print it out and pull the coupons for each store I need to go to. I put the coupons in the file I need to use the coupon at.I also keep CVS ECB’s in here, Catalinas I need to use, rainchecks, etc. In the back there is also a small calculator so I can do quick calculations on the go. This has proven very very valuable many times.
Behind the binder you see a small plastic container filled with receipts. I save all my receipts just in case a mail in rebate comes up and I know I’ve bought the product already. Also, they make me happy 🙂 .
So that’s my system in a nutshell. Yes I typically bring my whole binder with me when I shop. I’ve gotten a few looks, but honestly not as many as I thought I would. Turns out people are pretty focused when they shop and they rarely pay attention to the crazy coupon binder lady.

My son decided taking pictures of a binder was pretty boring though and insisted on cheesing it up for me. He is cuter than the binder, that’s for sure!
Happy Shopping!