How much time does it take you

[MizMoneyPenny]

to clean out your coupon stash? I try to keep up with it, but I'm usually pretty sure most will be ending on the 31st, especially P&G. Yesterday and today, it took me about four hours to toss the old ones, and file new ones. I get four papers...

Am I just slow?

[OneHotMomma]

It used to take me a long time. I had to change the way I was keeping them. Now, I only clip the ones I know I'll use for an upcoming sale or things I keep on hand always - those go in my accordian file. I file the rest of the inserts away by date so I can pull them quickly if I need something from them (coupon database search helps me know what I have). I can purge quickly because when you type in the date and insert type, the database will tell you if there's anything left unexpired.

[gctattoo]

I only keep ones I know I'll use or think I might want to use. So clipping and organizing doesn't take long. Plus since I'm not adding to my HBA stockpile (except for a few shampoos for DH recently) and I really don't stockpile food, that makes for not a wide variety of coupons. I just have multiples of what I do have. So cleaning them out takes just a couple minutes every week. I evaluate what needs to be used and when so I can space out my spending before the expiration dates. And occasionally ditch ones I finally decide I don't need to use.

[XUfan]

I have a flip-top box with dividers that I carry to the store. This holds any coupon for any item that we normally use, or that I think we'd like to try. I have another box, which is an old photo file box, that has dividers in it, and I use it as my trade box. I cut all of the inserts, then file the coupons in the boxes. I get 10 papers, pluse my delivered one...and I also pick up stray inserts from the empty houses in our neighborhood. So, sometimes I have as many as 16 inserts each week. Separating, cutting and filing each Sunday takes me a little over an hour.

Twice a month, I go through the coupons that are in my boxes. I'd only have to do it once a month, but some coupons expire earlier than the end of the month. I go through them around 15th, and pull everything that will expire at the end of the month. I keep the things I think I'll need. I don't keep much from the trade box coupons, though. Just the "hot" coupons. I also go through them again around the end of the month, and pull everything that's going to expire before the 15th...keeping the ones I think I'll use, and tossing the rest. I usually do it while I'm watching a game on tv, or when I'm in the car, waiting for my grandkids to get out of school. It usually takes me about an hour to go through both boxes.

[clippyclippy]

My method takes about 30 minutes per week for 3 papers.
Stack the inserts
Staple like coupons
Cut them all out
File by insert into my box.

Once a month (end of month) I purge all expired.

That's it! Like pp said, I keep an insert database on my phone, making it easily to quickly find any coupon.

[$Saving!]

to clean out your coupon stash? I try to keep up with it, but I'm usually pretty sure most will be ending on the 31st, especially P&G. Yesterday and today, it took me about four hours to toss the old ones, and file new ones. I get four papers...

Am I just slow?

Weelllll, I'm sitting here clipping a backlog as I type BIG mistake letting it get away from me, but a lot going on in my personal life the last three weeks and I'm paying for it

Because I've organized some area coupon swaps, I clip ALL the coupons from the 3 papers weekly and sort by keepers vs those going to the swaps.

I then file (I use category slots in check boxes, no binder system) mine.

I purge periodically as I'm pulling coupons when I make my grocery/drug store shopping lists. I don't have a specific time where I do nothing but clean out, it happens along the way as I make my lists.

As to actual time? Hard to say since I don't time it, but once you get in the groove that works for you, time is not really the issue - unless you get behind like I am right now!

[saversavory]

about 5 seconds. i type out all coupons as i get them ( which booklet, etc) and i sort by exp date and i delete the entry. When im going shopping, i keep the list with me and only clip what i intend to buy. so much less time is put in imho.

[CouponQueen23]

Im lazy ...lol or just too busy latley lol!!


I am still sitting on inserts from June/ July I have a computer box and have kept them in that I typically get 2 papers each week sometimes family will pass inserts along to me.

I like to have a full inserts so if I see a deal for something making it almost free I can pull that set of inserts out.

I used to be really good about filing each insert and dating the folder with ss, rp, or pg according to the date.

I have slacked bad, I have been getting ready for baby #4 so my focus has been else where not to mention when I decide to toss all my expired my recycle barrel is going to weight like a ton of bricks... And Dh has been working on garbage day so it will be up to me to take it to the road and it don't have wheels.. :( I should set this as my goal before baby comes in March i have been trying to focus on projects I need and want to get done before the baby arrives because I know it will be a lot of Bf' ing and diaper changing for a while.... :)

[kwhile0599]

You're not slow MizMoneyPenny - you just gotta do what works for you!!

It takes me about 1/2 hour to go through & pitch the dead ones. I don't even try to be neat about it - I make it rain all over the floor & scoop 'em up afterwards.

Cutting - I loathe it!! My New Years Resolution was to have all q's cut & filed on Sunday. Then I changed it to by Monday morning!! That didn't really work out for me so much!!

I get 4 papers too. Rip them apart, stack 'em & cut all likes at the same time. I make this huge mess of cut q's on my kitchen counter so I am FORCED to have 'em filed by time to cook dinner. In fact, they are on the counter right now - mocking me!! But it'll only take about 15 minutes or so to file them into my box. But I do tend to stretch out the "fun" much longer than needed!!

[TeePee]

I have not really couponed in so long, I am ready to start fresh.

I currently have Jan I am attempting to go through and trying to come up with a new smaller system than before so I don't get burnt out.