Organizing coupons for trades

[Blessed617]

I clip almost all coupons every week. The ones I will probably use myself go into my binder. The others go in an alphabetically arranged box. The ones that don't get traded end up going to an overseas military base once they expire, and the request is for those coupons to be clipped.

The grocery stores I shop usually don't have matchups done every week and I haven't found a reliable deal blog that covers them either. I can't use the unclipped insert method for my own shopping.
Half the time when I'm clipping I don't even pay attetion to what the coupon is, so I sort them after I've clipped them. And, I'm teaching my 6yo to clip, so I really don't pay attention to the content all the time.

I agree with you Kulis. What works for me is to clip every good coupon from the inserts and then I sort out what I will use and put them in my file and the rest go in an envelope for trades. I have just begun to organize my trades the way organize my keeps. And like you, that clipping doesn't go to waste because once they hit the expiration date I ship them overseas once a month. The only things I don't clip are for things like slim shots and junk like that. Everything i do clip gets used one way or another.

[Blessed617]

Cutting and filing all q would explain why I will receive q with short dates. Q are being pulled from the front and longer dated q would be in the rear of a file system.

Huh? Do you mean some people actually sub sort their coupons by date? I can't even imagine that! But then again I do use an accordion and only get one set of inserts a week. And I usually only get 1 IPs per coupon. If I have multiple coupons for an item that's when I sort by exp date and use those that will expire first. Especially with Campbell's soup I will usually put coupons back in the file for later use. Hey, if it works for you then go for it, but that is just too much work for me. I'm sure the way I do it may seem insane to someone else. that's what makes the world so great. we are all different!

[Blessed617]

I don't set up my wish list according to the database because that doesn't work for me. I'd rather make a general list of items I use and accept what I have. My list is actually kind of disorganized right now because it is just starting. If I limit myself to what is in the database then I might miss a coupon that is not in there, but for a product I want. I have received some non insert coupons that I have never seen in my stores. I'm brand specific on some items, but not price specific on the coupons. Just like we each have our own way of filing coupons, we each have our own way of organizing our wishlist. Thank you for posting this. It helps me to understand another way of filing and why the database wishlist is good for some people. WOW!

I'm not sure where to put this thread. I've noticed there is about 4 different ways traders set up their Wish List. I assume each method is chosen because the trader feels it is the best way to let others know and find coupons for to meet their needs. My method assumes everyone has their inserts in some sort of organized filing method they can easily find and cut. I give you the date and type of insert.

But there are Wlists where an item is listed such as Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls but no location as to where the coupon is located. Sometimes I may remember a specific coupon has been recently released but most of the time, no. I may have to go through 50 lookups in the database before finding a current coupon with the correct amount. Am I missing something? How do these individuals store their coupons that they would think I'd know where and when a coupon could be found. Are they cutting out every single coupon and putting in a binder or filing system which can be easily looked up? Cause the couponbase is Not fast or easy.

[belinda2]

Actually I don't use the database except as a reference. Any changes meant I'd need to contact the trading mod so she could update the WL for the train. I hated doing it. It took awhile before I caught on that any changes made to my database WL changed the location and no one could see the WL unless the mod adjusted the new location.

I started used a WL setup which looked like the database but now edit adding or deleting as needed. This keeps my location the same and I don't need to contact the train mod whenever I make a change. I assumed everyone filed their inserts and could easily look up by date or insert type and find the q I needed. But the various types of WL also made it hard to locate q to meet someone else needs unless their WL was set up like mine. I cannot find a specific q unless someone tells me where it is located. It was making me crazy.

There have been a few times someone needed a q going back months and sometimes needed an expired q and I could easily locate and send it on. I understand why some are price specific and than others don't seem to mind. It depends on which stores are available in their area. The type of store might also need a specific type of WL.

[Jen1]

I've actually tried a couple different methods - I've done the binder, everything all together, an acordian style, etc. I like the acordian style for my hot/most used and the rest I keep in an envie/inside the binder for organization.