Organizing coupons

Finding a spot to keep your coupons can be quite a challenge in itself. A lot of times coupons can go to waste if they aren't made readily available... sort of an out of site, out of mind type of thing. There are many different methods for storing your coupons. Some of the more common methods include:

• Keeping the whole inserts intact and filing them by date. This method that will save a lot of time initially, but can be a pain when you're getting ready to go shopping. You'll need to clip the coupons you need before your trip and many times, you'll find an item on sale or clearance and won't have the coupon with you.

If you choose to clip all your coupons initially, storing them can be done in a number of ways:

• The binder method - this is where a three-ring binder and baseball card inserts are used to store your coupons. This method makes it very easy to see and find your coupons while you're shopping. 
• An accordion style envelope or recipe box that is divided into different categories. This method is great for beginners that don't have a lot of coupons yet, but as your "stash" begins to grow, you may find this method a pain, as it's hard to find what coupons you're looking for.

It's also a good idea to categorize your coupons. Below is a list of sample categories, but as always, use what works for you.

• Baby Products
• Baking
• Beauty 
• Beverages  
• Bread 
• Candy 
• Canned Goods 
• Cereal 
• Cleaning Aids 
• Cookies/Crackers 
• Dairy/Cheese 
• Feminine Hygiene  
• Frozen Foods  
• Household 
• Laundry/Detergent 
• Meat 
• Medicines  
• Mouth (Toothpaste/Brush/Mouthwash)  
• Paper Products 
• Pasta/Rice  
• Pet 
• Snacks 

I personally prefer the binder method. I started out with the accordion-style coupon holder, but after a few months, it got to the point where I could never find the coupons I needed while I was shopping. I usually clip about 5 whole inserts each week and store the rest intact. This way, I don't waste a lot of time clipping coupons I may never need, but I always have at least a few of them on hand while I'm shopping, just in case there's a sale.