Thanks so much to Coupon Christine for writing this great guide especially for us here at SBLB!!
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if I was a ‘crazy couponer’ each time I pulled out my zippered binder from my fancy homemade bag sporting "Coupon Christine" embroidered
on the side, I wouldn’t need to coupon because I would be rich!
When I first started to coupon, I did not think I needed a coupon binder, but I soon realized it was more of an asset then an annoyance to carry it around with me. It is typical of new couponers to feel embarrassed to carry around anything bigger than their purse or wallet, but I think we all quickly learn owning a binder that has coupons visible and easy to find makes saving money so much easier! Not to mention a big binder is a visible ‘badge’ indicating to customers and cashiers – “I Coupon Proudly”.
Organizing your binder is one of the most important things you will do to get yourself in full coupon/saving money mode. Here are some helpful tips I learned along the way:
Binder: Invest in a zippered binder. They can be found in a variety of price ranges at dollar stores, Walmart and Staples or even your basement storage bins. The best time to buy zippered binders is during back to school sales in the fall, but you will also find great deal in clearance isles nearing the end of the school semesters as well.
Coupon Keepers/Inserts: Purchase 3-hole punched baseball/business card plastic inserts (sold at dollar stores, Walmart and Staples). Purchase some larger pocket inserts meant for holding pictures as well, these are fantastic for large coupons like GoCoupons or free product coupons you want to keep visible.
Tab Dividers: Organization is essential when couponing in order to not risk losing your mind in front of a clearance isle searching for a coupon you KNOW you have! Purchase some tab dividers to categorize your coupons into sections, for example free product coupons, baby, hygiene, food, paper, animal, household, restaurants, clothing, etc.
Another "Trick of the Trade": Cut coloured paper found in the children’s arts and crafts area of dollar stores and tuck them in behind your coupons. This is such a beautiful organization technique and so easy to keep track of what coupons belong to what categories. Having a colour legend at the front of your binder to remind you of your colour scheme is recommended. Such a ‘colourful idea’ (thank you Nicole).
Plastic Sheet Protectors: Purchase a 10-pack of 8x11 sheet protectors for the front of your binder (also sold at dollar stores and staples). These are great for storing loose coupons you still need to sort, store and SCOP policies, larger coupons, and shopping list!
Keeping Track of Expiring Coupons: A helpful tip I learned from someone who attended one of my workshops was upon receiving a coupon, she would place a colour coded dot on the front of the coupon that represented the month it expired before she filed it. At the front of her binder, she kept a legend of the month and colour associated with the dot. When she looked through the sections of her binder she knew what coupons would be expiring that month without having to remove them from their individual sleeves and she was able to keep an eye on deals that month for specific coupons she really wanted to use. Fantastic idea (thank you Tracey!).
Couponing Tools: My old binder did not have a lot of compartments or pockets, so I hot glued a calculator to the inside of the binder, and always have a pen and mini pair of scissors inside a plastic sheet protector. I also utilized the one pocket I had in my binder to tuck flyers inside, but if your binder does not come with a pocket, a helpful tip is to fold the flyers neatly in half and hole punch them to fit nicely into their binder.
I carry my binder in this great tote bag (thanks Nicole!) which also allows for lots of room for those little extras I cant get into my binder:)
Thanks so much Coupon Christine for sharing these great tips! These are some excellent guidelines with some fun and creative ideas to add to your coupon organization! Be sure to LIKE
CouponChristine on Facebook for more great info like this!
CouponChristine on Facebook for more great info like this!
HAPPY SAVING:)