Hidden Auction Blog

Okay, I tried a new clip-less coupon organization system, it didn’t work (for me.)  The long and short of a clipless system is that you just file the inserts by date and then when you need a coupon, you can find it by insert date– grab said insert, clip the one coupon you need and go on with your life.  Certainly Sunday mornings were easier without the cutting and sorting, but I found that it took too long to get ready for a shopping trip and shopping on the fly was nearly impossible. Sooooo, back to the old way I go. 

Yesterday was a clipfest– I went through all of the inserts that I had, clipped what I needed and sorted– it took about an hour, maybe more, as it was in between corralling kids and cleaning the kitchen, but it’s done and it feels GREAT.  Oh, and I have over 4 pounds of coupons to send overseas to a military friend overseas— I’ve already emailed her to brace herself for the motherload of coupons.

I changed my system up a little (I’ll add photos in a post soon!) but I think I really like it.  For me, it’s all about 80/20– I refuse to get SO specific about my categories that it takes hours to sort but the tradeoff is it does take a touch longer to find exactly what I need. 

When I first started couponing, I used to clip EVERY coupon– now I only clip the ones I need, the rest are either traded or given away.  Now, mind you, I will clip ones for items I use even if they’re not my preferred brand, but not for an item I’ll never use. 

All of my manufacturer’s coupons are in two small coupon sorters, each one has 12 tabs plus a front section that isn’t tabbed where I keep my ‘hot’ coupons– high value ones or ones that are about to expire.  I even have some blank/empty tabs so I can further divide the categories as needed. 

The organizers were each purchased at Office Max for $2.99/each– I’ve seen similar organizers at Kmart.  They are technically check organizers and they’re approximately 8″ wide by 4″ tall and the depth is expandable. 

Here’s how mine are organized:

Grocery Stores:
-Meat
-Bread/Pasta
-Eggs/Dairy/Refrigerated
-Oils/Sauces/Spices
-Frozen Foods
-Dry/Canned Goods
-Pets
-Cleaning Products
-Storage/Household Goods

Drug Stores:
-CVS store coupons
-coupons/ECBs for my card
-coupons/ECBs for DH’s card
-Oral Care
-Hair Care
-Skin Care
-Makeup
-Air Fresheners
-Medicine
-Baby
-Paper Products/Feminine Hygiene

Even though I can get paper products at the grocery store and cleaning products at the drug store, I put them in the area where I get them most.  Also, because the organizers are so small, I can (and do) carry them all the time. 

I also have a third organizer for my store and restaurant coupons, this one is organized like this:

-Albertson’s
-BJs
-Kids’ Clothing: Gap, Gymboree, Old Navy, The Children’s Place
-Kmart
-Office Stores
-Publix
-Restaurants
-Target
-Walgreens
-Walmart
-Winn-Dixie
-Other (includes Joann’s, Michaels, Bed Bath and Beyond)

In addition to coupons, I also keep recent receipts (for price adjustment purposes) and when I create a shopping list I’ll tuck it, along with the manufacturer’s coupons into the corresponding slot.

Sounds crazy and anal, I know– but I promise you it’s a HUGE time saver and really doesn’t take much time, it’s just part of my routine.  And since I routinely save a HUGE amount of money, well worth the investment of time. 

I’d love to hear and see how you organize YOUR coupons.  Please share and share alike

Happy organizing!

Jodi

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jodi@hiddenauction.com
http://neverpayretailagain.blogspot.com/

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