I wanted to let y'all in on the new way I've been dealing with coupon inserts from the newspaper. It's actually just a revision of my old way, but it's been working so well, I wanted to tell you about it!
Now, for any new readers, I've been using the coupon binder method since almost the beginning of my couponing experience. If you aren't familiar with it, my son and I made a
silly little video about it that you can find
here. You will also find links to ideas for other methods of coupon organization on that page.
Anyway, the one and only drawback I can think of (but it's a biggie) for the binder method is the amount of time it takes. You're basically cutting out every coupon and filing it, and that takes quite a bit of time! Now, I did make the time to do it that way for months, and there's nothing wrong with that if a person wants to do it. There are benefits to doing that, mostly the fact that you always have every coupon with you in case of running into an unadvertised sale or clearance items--you can sweeten the deal with coupons!
On the other hand, how often does that happen? The answer is probably different for different people. For me, it wasn't happening often enough to make it worth my time, especially right now when I'm not buying much, but using up the free/inexpensive items I stocked up on previously. To me, in the here and now, the time it takes to cut out every coupon can be better spent on other things.
So, by adding one item--something I already owned even--I've cut down considerably on the amount of time I spend organizing coupons! I still use my coupon binder, but now I've added an accordion (or expandable) file.
1. Each week, I look through the coupon inserts and cut out any coupons I'm sure I'll use--at least 90% sure--and file those in my coupon binder like before. This takes very little time, since there are few things I'm 90% sure I'll buy! :)
2. I then write the date of the inserts on their fronts in big, easy-to-see writing.
3. All the inserts from that particular week go in the next empty section of the accordion file.
4. Most accordion files have 12 or 13 sections. Some people label them with the dates, but I don't bother. I just put them in order by date.
5. When there are no more empty spaces, it's time to look through the oldest inserts. Most of the coupons will be expired. Cut out any that are still good, and file them in the binder.
When I plan my shopping trips, I look at sites like Bargain Briana, Money Saving Mom, The Frugal Find, etc. (find links to those sites
here) to find out what deals are going on at my favorite stores, and to find out which inserts have the coupons I need. It's great because someone else has already done that research for us and they love when we visit their sites and see what they have to offer! So, if I find that there is supposed to be a Skippy peanut butter coupon in the May 8 Smart Source insert (SS 5/8/11), I just go to my accordion file, to the May 8 section, and cut out the coupons I need. I still put them in the appropriate store envelopes in my binder, to keep them organized and ready to present to the cashier.
Like I mentioned before, the one "con" to this method is not having all of my coupons with me in case of a surprise deal (remember, we don't use coupons on regularly-priced items--only on sale items--whenever possible!), so each person needs to weigh what is or is not worth his/her time. Someday I may go back to cutting them all out. It's great that there are so many ways to organize coupons, and we can each decide what works best for our household!
I've been using this system for a few months now. I wanted to try it out awhile before sharing it, so I would know whether or not to recommend it. I do!! :)
