Busy Mom's Guide to Couponing, Day 2: Get Organized

Hello again, it is time for Day 2, so by now you should have gathered you some coupons.  Now comes the most important part, getting them organized!!!! Now everybody has their own way to keep their coupons organized, I will start out with the way I organize mine, and then I will give you other alternative methods and let you know why I chose the method that I use.  Okay here we go!!!



Option #1 (My Method) BINDER METHOD
Now for this you need to have a binder ( I purchased my first one at a Goodwill store for 50 cents, but you can buy a nice one at Walmart for around $15) and baseball card inserts (you can purchase these at the Dollar Tree for $1 for a pack), and divider tabs.
I started out by making my divider tabs here are the categories that I used:

• Misc                                           Baby
• canned goods                             Razors
• fruits and veggies                        Skin Care
• bread                                         Feminine
• dairy                                          Hair Care
• breakfast                                    Deoderant
• Baking                                       Oral Care
• sides                                          Make Up
• snacks                                       Soap & Body Wash
• condiments                                First Aide
• beverages                                  Medicine
• Meats                                       Cleaning Supplies
• Air Freshener                            Laundry
• Paper Products                         Batteries
• Pet supplies

You can use whatever categories you chose, these were just easier for me, you can even add more categories to make finding coupons easier, it is up to you.  

Next, you clip your coupons and put one coupon per baseball card slot.

This will make it easier to find your coupons while out shopping.  And now you are ready for Day #3 making your shopping list.

Option #2 (Whole Insert Method) In Binder

For this method you file your inserts in page protectors and use your dividers to label the inserts, for example your tabs may be as follows:

• P&G 9/1/2013
• Smart Source 9/8/2013
• Red Plum 9/8/2013
• Smart Source 9/15/2013
• Red Plum 9/15/2013

Then you pull out the inserts and clip your coupons as you need them.  To me this is more time consuming while at the store and if you find a clearance item you have to really search hard for the coupon and then cut it at the store, just a  little too much work for me.  I would rather have all the work done before I go to the store.

Option #3 (Whole Insert Method) In Files Kept at home

This you would need a file system and file folders and would file the inserts similar to Method #2 only this is not as portable.

So now you are all organized and ready to start preparing for your first couponing trip.  Day 3 will cover preparing for your first shopping trip.  

Hope you are learning lots and this helps you get started on your coupon endeavor.  If you have any additional questions or topics you would like me to cover, please leave me a comment below.  Until then, Happy Couponing!!!