Organizing Your "Carry To Store" Coupons

[miss_shopper]

I have read SOME of your ideas and I merged them with one of my own. I have a friend who is an interior designer and she showed me a picture album-binder. I loved the look of this item. It is very elegent for a binder. It is long enough for 17 in long items (which I do not have). It snaps in front like a briefcase. Inside I have bb inserts and one sheet inserts and dividers and a pouch to place my scissors. I will post a pic later.....It was on clearance for $13 at Walmart, in the craft section. If I posted this as a double, please forgive me (there are WAY to may posts to read).

[small1der]

Very helpful thanks! I actually love my 3 ring binder. I need to upgrade from the page protectors to the baseball card inserts. That would be much easier than trying to sift thru my piles in the middle of the store if I need something! haha! Thanks for the tips yall!

[bubbadoza]

I love couponing but seem to have trouble on knowing what coupons I have when I am walking the aisles of Walmart. I organize by alpha order. How do the rest of you do it so you can easily find what you are looking for. In other words, what routine do you use when walking through walmart to find all these deals. Thanks Amy

[mom2lucas]

I organize by areas of the store: baby area, pet area, canned goods, dairy, etc. In each of those categories, I do alpha order.

[inthelooneybin]

I agree with mom2lucas. I organize by groups also. For me, it's MUCH easier. When you are in the pet food aisle, just look under pet food, etc.

[ayenbe]

After you've been couponing for a month or so, you have a "working knowledge" of what you have. Until then flip through your coupons once every day or so to familiarize yourself with what you have. You'll also find that in time you will know when there are items that generally have coupons out there (Lysol, Dial soap, etc.). It does get easier...

[maeby]

I work off my knowledge of which Q's I have handy. But I've only just started so my collection isn't as big as what others may have so it's a bit easier.

I have just recently changed to a new way of organizing my Q's. I've utilized the Photo Album method and it works like a charm. All organized according to when they expire and whenever I'm going to do a trip, I flick through the album and see which Q's I still have.

As far as my organization once at the store, I have a list of all the items I'm after (and I get all my scenarios from HCW and blogs) and they're all in an envelope. I hardly spend more than half an hour (at the most) at a store because I know exactly what I need/want.

I also have one envelope that has Q's I always want to have a lookout for in case they're on sale at the time but not advertised. I'm always the last to know about the good unadvertised deals and by the time I find out, they're all gone. So I have them all handy just in case. You just never know.

[AStar898]

There are some wonderful ideas here for a coupon newbie! Just today I've started the whole coupon organizing thing to hopefully help cut the food costs, im coverting my 3 inch zippered five star binder into my coupon haven, lol.

[Pitamom]

Thank you for all the wonderful ideas. Can't wait till I have enough coupons to need "a system".

[nicegirl]

I just converted to the baseball card holder/binder method. I was using a check size expandable file. I think it will work out better. :)