Using coupons matched with store sales has literally helped me cut about $500/month out of our monthly grocery budget. However, the key to using coupons for me is to keep them organized!
There are so many different ways you can organize your coupons… accordion files, coupon binders, etc. ~ but here’s what has worked best for me.
I used some old file folders and cut them up into strips. I then dedicated each piece of file folder to one category, and stapled it to the inside back corner of an envelope.
The categories I used include:
Air Fresheners & Candles, Baby, Bags, Baking, Batteries, Beverages, Bread, Candy & Gum, Canned Foods, Cereal – General Mills, Cereal – Kelloggs, Cereal – Kashi, Cleaners, Condiments, Crackers, Dairy, Frozen, Health Food, Hygiene – Dental, Hygiene – Other, Jelly/Peanut Butter, Makeup, Meat, Medicine/Rx, Mexican, Office Supplies, Paper Products, Pasta, Rice, Salad Dressing, Seasonings, Sauce, Snacks, Toys, Vitamins.
Additional categories I made for specific stores and restaurant coupons include:
Albertsons, Bed Bath & Beyond, Craft Stores, CVS, Fry’s (Kroger), K-Mart, Photo Deals, Safeway, Target, Walgreens, Wal-Mart….. and Restaurants – Fast Food, Restaurants – Mexican, Restaurants – Pizza, Restaurants – Subs/Sandwiches/Bagels, Restaurants – Other.
Now where do I get all these fantastic coupons?? The Sunday newspaper is a good start, but I also use a lot of printable coupons! Here are some of my favorite sources for coupons.
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That is an awesome idea.. I love it!
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Thanks for the great ideas for organizing coupons!
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I love this idea. I have tried several methods and this is certainly cute. I might need a lid on mine as I am sure to drop it at some point. Thanks for sharing.
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Great Idea! I use three check folders…One for household stuff (mostly purchased at drug stores) and 2 for foodies – then I have big binder on kitchen desk with store and restaurant coupons in it! But I like the basket, envelopes – might have to make a change this weekend.
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Love this idea–it’s so cute! Have you ever had a problem with the basket tipping over in the car or somewhere?
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Nope ~ I’ve never tipped my basket yet!
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I am so doing this. What a great idea! My “junk” drawer is swimming with coupons…I need help!
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I tried the binder method with a photo album and that was great, for a while.
I am now using a file box the same way! It is about the size of a shoe box but has dividers and a neet little adjustable thing to hold up the items. I don’t know what it’s called! But I can adjust it to the amount of coupons in the box. I have the coupons in envelopes. It is not perfect yet and I may change methods again until I find something I like using.
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I’ve got a file box and dividers, but I didn’t think about the envelopes! That would make it so much easier to pull them out. Great idea. Organized coupons = money saved = a Finer Thing!
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That is super cute!
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I have to ask though, how do you bring them into the store? I’ve found the binder book works great for going inside the store…how about you??
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I typically take only the coupons I need into a store, however the basket does fit nicely into the top part of the shopping cart (assuming there’s no baby sitting there).
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Great post. This is a nice idea. I love baskets!
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Very cute! I use the binder method, but this one seems like it would be quicker to organize.
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What a fantastic idea! I have coupons all over the place. This is a great idea to keep them all in one place! Thanks for sharing. Oh and I am visiting from Blissfully Domestic!
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This basket turned out super cute. Way to go with you coupon clipping too!
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This is great! It may help me actually use the coupons before I discover them expired a year later. And wow, that is an impressive (and inspiring) savings on your grocery bill. Thank you!
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i’m always looking for ways to make my coupons better organized. this is a great tip.
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What a great idea! I used to do coupons many years ago but then I’d forget them at home and it seemed like so much work. I’ll have to start up again – thanks for the great tip!
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Love the cute basket, I tend to like my coupon box.
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Very cute! I have gone through several coupon organizing systems– the one that’s working for me right now is using a large square-ish zippered cosmetic bag with dividers inside. I had a big box, but with two kids, I couldn’t handle the number of times the box got dropped or when they “helped”. Right now, the zippered bag works for me… but someday I hope to move into something cute like your basket!
My WFMW tip this week is about choosing useful freebies instead of clutter.
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CUTE basket. I would be afraid of dumping it out in my car. That’s why I use the old standby…plastic shoe box with lid. Yours is much cuter~!
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This is great! Love the cute little basket. I’ve been using the same little coupon box for about 10 years I think it may be time for a change.
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This is a great idea. I use a different method involving 4X6 photo books I picked up at Dollar General. You can read more about it in this post here:
http://savingourcents.blogspot.com/search/label/coupon%20organization
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It looks great. I too organize in envelopes. I use the long ones so I don’t have to fold coupons. I bring my huge coupon organizer to the store with me. Can’t miss that baby in the front seat of the cart…lol. I’ll have to post about it one day. It’s cute and super organized. Now…to tackle the to be cut coupons on next Tuesday. That pile is huge…lol.
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Oh, I like this!
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Where do you ladies usually collect your coupons? I know the Sunday paper is a great resource but I would really like to build up my collection!!! Thanks for you suggetions!
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I forgot to hit the "email follow-up button" I'm sorry.
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Hi Call Me Su… I agree that the Sunday newspaper is a good start when collecting coupons. To build up your stockpile, you'll definitely want to check out all of the fantastic printable coupons available as well! Click on "Coupons" at the top of my site to view my favorite sources for accumulating more coupons, or check out this link…
http://www.thefrugalgirls.com/2009/01/printable-coupons-e-coupons-rebates.html
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great idea thanks alot I am going to start my basket organizer ASAP ;D
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Very cute! After some envelope trial and error, I now use an old metal lunch box that my dad used to take to the mill when I was little. (so yeah, it's a little nostalgic too) But it's also the perfect size for the cart basket, and has a lid. Or I take two envelopes… one w/ the coupons I "need" and one w/ the coupons that are about to expire. : )
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That's awesome. Our coupon organization for restaurants, home goods stores, etc, is AWFUL!! I'm think I'm going to go out tonight and get a basket and get to organizing. My husband is going to be thrilled
Seriously, I'm not being sarcastic. I can't wait to surprise him!!
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Since you said you've cut out $500 a month by using coupons, I have a couple of questions for you.
What was your budget before using coupons?
What is your budget now?
I'm guessing from your categories that your meals include a lot of meals out.
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We were spending close to $800 on groceries per month {including all toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc.}
Thanks to matching coupons with in-store sales and making much more food from scratch, we've been able to cut that down to around $300/month!
We eat out about once per week {a weekend treat}, so I save all of those restaurant coupons we get in the mail, too!
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Thanks for sharing. That is a great organization tool. I use file accordion myself and organize them alphabetically. I linked this post to my own WFMW post.
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That is SUCH a good idea – thank you for sharing it! I've been just using a large envelope and I can't keep up with what I have! Ok – so what size is that basket – I've looked and the ones I've found are either too wide or way too deep – and where did you get yours? Thanks so much! LOVE your site!
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Hi Kathleen!
I purchased the basket at Walgreens {it came in a 3-pack… small, medium, and large – this was the medium-sized basket}.
It's about 8" wide and 12" long, and works wonderfully!
Have fun making your own coupon organizer!
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I do something similiar, except instead of a basket I use a cosmetic type tote bag.
The one I have is canvas, has 2 handles and a snap closure with a small patch pocket on the front which I use to hold the coupons I pull out to use while shopping.
It's more handy to carry than a basket and if I accidently drop it, the snap closure keeps all the coupons from falling out.
I always take all my coupons in the store with me just in case there's an unadvertised special or an item I use on clearance.
Vickie, k9bear@yahoo.com
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I love this idea!The basket is cute too.I'm going to try it with a mini crate that I got for a $1 at Wal-Mart. Thanks so much for sharing:)
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I use a binder with the baseball card holder pages. I can see all the coupons and don't have to pull out a pile and flip through them. This helps me feel more organized and in control while shopping, so I don't get overwhelmed.
I, too, have cut at least $500 a month by using a coupon system. Can you believe I have friends who tell me they 'don't have time for coupons'?!?!?!? Who doesn't have time for $500 extra a month??!!!!
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Stephanie Kirk Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
I use this method and love it! Yeah, who does not have time for free!
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Cute idea…but not incredibly practical since I usually am shopping with 2 or 3 kids. One of those small expandable file folders has worked pretty well for us so far.
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Love your basket, labeling, and envelope ideas! What do you store the "coupons to be cut" in? You know, newspapers, printed, etc.
I once utlized a modern-looking black metal hanging file-folder holder (holds about 12 hanging files) w/plastic tabs for labeling. The envelopes inside were labeled as well. It stayed on top of the desk/kitchen counter. Since I've moved, I've looked for a different system. Thanks again.
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awesome idea, I'd love to try this.
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Awesome! Thanks for the large pictures so I could see exactly how you did it!
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I just did my coupons like your's and I take the whole basket with me to the store. I love it, because it is pretty and I can find my coupons easy.
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I also agree that your basket is nice looking! How do you keep track of the coupons that you are holding on to for later? And expiration dates?
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I love this, and the fact that it's cute is even better! I moved away from coupon cutting a few years ago but I'm back and determined and starting from scratch – so this is super handy.
Thanks for featuring this article on your sidebar too!! I may never have found it otherwise
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I love this idea! I have been using a file method, but sometimes I find a deal at the store and there is no way for me to go through me files. This looks like a great idea.
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I love this idea but dropped it once. After using asmall accordian file, I recently found a 10" X 13" accordian file with a spiral lid. I can flip the lid back and it stands up on the table (floor) when I need to file the coupons. It is made by Pendaflex and has 13 pockets that are closed on the bottom. I believe it was only about $10. It works great for me. I especially like filing the coupons with all categories proped open.
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I like to keep my coupons organized in the same order as the store aisles (I bought an actual accordion-style plastic coupon organizer at CVS or some such, for a couple of bucks) — that way, if I run into a deal at the store, I know exactly where to look in my file.
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