I LOVE coupons and I manage to find them in almost every store I enter. I save every coupon from the Sunday Paper since I never know when a coupon will be needed for a moneymaker scenario. The problem is I am way behind in my coupon organization (as witnessed in the above picture!).
It is easy to get behind in coupon clipping. If you miss one week, the stacks start growing. Try missing 3 months and you will have a stack like mine! I am admitting defeat and embarking on a new plan of action.
The busy persons coupon cutting guide:
- As the coupon inserts roll in, clip the coupons you absolutely know will be used.
- Keep the rest of the coupons unclipped in the whole insert. Write the date of the insert on the front page with a sharpie.
- If you forget to write the date on the inserts, the date can be found in tiny print on the spine of the insert.
- File the inserts by date in a file box. When you come across a deal that requires a coupon, simply pull out the insert and clip! Most bloggers that do coupon matchups will tell you what insert the coupon came from.
The draw back to this method is that you might come across a clearance or unadvertised deal in the store and not have your coupons with you. That is why I *try* to cut out the coupons for items I know my family likes.
If you have older children, have them clip the coupons for you! My boys can’t wait until they are old enough. They practice cutting out “coupons” now. I just give them and ad and have them practice cutting- they love it!
What are your tips for keeping up with clipping coupons? Does your coupon stash look like my mountain?
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Over this past year I went from using envelopes, to plastic envelopes, to the binder, to filing by date, now I have started using 2 shoe box type plastic containers (one for the market, and the other for drug stores). I bring them in the stores with me and they fit nicely in the seat of the cart. I have been doing this for about a month now. I staple, then clip all coupon, then file in categories. I find that this way I don’t feel like I am missing or forgetting coupons, and all the coupons are together in one spot so if it isn’t there I don’t have it. I sort and staple on Sunday (to get all the extra paper into the recycling) if I have time I clip and file but usually I do that on Mondays or Tuesdays. I enjoy this part because I take my time and really read each coupon, coupons that I find I really want to use I place in the front of each category. I also have a section for I know I will never use but just incase its a mm. I don’t know if I will still be doing this method 3 months from now, I enjoy it now and it keeps me couponing. My thought on this is if it is a dreadful task your likely to stop, so don’t be hesitate to change it up until you find one that works for you.
Ida,
That is a good idea! I haven’t tried the show box system yet. Yes, I have tried different methods. I do like the binder method but can’t keep up with the clipping. Hopefully this new system will allow me to keep up a bit better.
Thanks for the tips!
Renae
Finally someone that files like I do! I have been clipping the coupons I know I will use and saving the others in whole inserts for about a year and it works great for me. A big binder or box system seems daunting to me – I’m a “just keep it simple” kind of girl. If something comes up, I can always order the coupons from http://www.couponsthingsbydede.com. I rarely miss the deals I most need.
shamefully must admit they have been collecting since school started…IN AUGUST! Time to throw them out and start again for the new year. It’s so good to see there are lots of people who lose control of their coupons.
I keep inserts in a file box and loose ones in a binder, but havent figured out how to solve the find on clearence thing except to come home and look on hcw’s database to see where the q is, lol.
Hi Wendy,
Yes that is the problem with the file box. I used to cut all coupons but I simply do not have time for that now. I have a Coupon Database too if that is any help!