Saving Money with Coupons: Maximize Savings with a Coupon Binder
May 24 '01
The Bottom Line This system has enabled me to save both time and money.
When I first started couponing, I just cut out coupons and stuffed them into a #10 white envelop. That method was great for using 10 - 20 coupons. However, as my coupon supply increased, I discovered that I had to become more organized. Then, I bought a plastic expandable envelop that had about 10 sections to it. Again, this worked for awhile. But, I quickly outgrew this method. Then I used a rubbermaid check file to lug around my coupons. I made my own dividers for this. I used this method for about a year. However, none of these methods were meeting my needs totally because I still could not find the coupons I needed quickly, it took a long time each month to remove expired coupons, and I tended to forget about many of the good coupons I had. Also, I was getting tons of paper cuts digging through that box full of coupons. Then I learned about the coupon binder method for organizing coupons through the Tips of the Trade forum at mycoupons.com. Through this epinion, I am not meaning to take credit for the creation of this wonderful organizational tool; I just want to spread the word so that others can benefit from it. However, I have adapted the original idea to meet my personal needs.
WHAT IS A COUPON BINDER
Basically, a coupon binder is any binder in which one organizes their coupons so that they just have to flip through the pages to find the coupons they need. For my coupon binder, I bought a real nifty zippered fabric binder (black) at Wal-Mart for about $10. The zipper keeps the coupons from falling out of the binder. Additionally, I was able to slip an old purse strap through the opposite side of the binder enabling me to carry the whole contraption over my shoulder.
What made this binder so nifty is that there is a compartment in front of the binder section where I can store pens, a calculator, and cash register receipts (needed for returns or rebates). Also, inside the binder compartment, there are three pockets on the left inner portion of the cover that can hold my store ads, valupage.com printouts, and other helpful things. My binder has 2" clasps. I filled this binder with about 150 baseball card protector sheets. I also included about 7 or 8 sheets that hold 4" X 6" photos. I was lucky because I "inherited" the baseball card protector sheets from my son who no longer needed them for his trading cards.
I decided to divide my coupons into sections. Each section is identified by a colorful tab that sticks out from the right edge of the first sheet of that section. I made tabs for each section out of bright colored file folder labels. Basically, I placed the narrow edge of the label close to the right edge of the page, let it stick off of the page a little, and folded the remaining portion toward the back of the page. Then I wrote the title for the section on that label. Below is the list of the sections and subsections, I have used:
THE FIRST PAGE
I use one of the 4" X 6" photo holders for this page. Mine has three pockets. In the top pocket is a card that has my name, address, and phone number. The second pocket is where I keep the coupon I plan to use that day. The bottom pocket is where I place coupon I will redeem for the items I have placed in my cart.
THE NEXT FEW PAGES
This is where I keep rebate forms that I plan to use. This enables me to quickly check what items I need for rebates I may use.
BREAKFAST
Cereals
Other breakfast foods
DAIRY
Cheese
Margarine
Other Dairy
MEATS
VEGETABLES
FRUITS
GRAINS
Breads
Noodles
Rice
Misc. Grain Products
SNACKS
Candy
Crackers
Cookies
Ice Cream
Misc.
BEVERAGES
Juices
Teas
Pop
Misc.
BAKING
Mixes
Oils, sprays
Flour & sugar
Misc.
CANNED GOODS
Soups
Stews
Chili
Misc.
INTERNATIONAL
Mexican
Chinese
Other
SAUCES & CONDIMENTS
Pasta sauces
Steak sauces & Marinades
Pickles
Mustard, Catsup, & other Condiments
Sauce mixes
Misc.
FROZEN
PET
MISC. FOODS
DEODORANT
ORAL PRODUCTS
SOAPS (including body wash)
LOTIONS
HAIR
COSMETICS
MEDICINE
HOUSEHOLD CLEANSERS
PAPER PRODUCTS
T-paper
Paper towels
PLASTIC PRODUCTS
Plastic Wrap
Trash Can Liners
Zip-Loc Bags
Aluminum Foil
Misc.
FEMININE
LAUNDRY
Detergents
Fabric Softeners
Dry Cleaning
Stain Removers
DISHES
Detergents
Scouring Pads
MISC. HOUSEHOLD
However, you may wish to divide your coupons up in a different manner. Some people sort their coupons alphabetically. Others sort them by their location in the store. Just do what is most helpful to you.
PREPARING COUPONS FOR USE WITH THE BINDER
Cutting the Coupons
This does take some time. However, I have found a trick that saves me an immense amount of time when cutting coupons. Invest in a rotary cutter and rotary cutter mat. You can find the rotary cutters and mats in the sewing sections of fabric and discount stores. These were originally intended to be used to cut fabric for quilting. But it works GREAT with coupons. Whatever you do, don't avoid purchasing the mat. Without the mat, you WILL cut the surface under the coupons. Even if you don't care about marring that surface, without usage of the mat, your rotary blade will be ruined very quickly. I use a mat that is about 2' X 3'. This gives me plenty of space to manuever without worrying about cutting my table. Now all you need to do is to sort your pages of coupons into stacks of identical pages. You can cut up to about 8 - 10 pages at once. Then cut, using the rotary cutter, you can cut out all of the coupons on that page with a few strokes of the cutter. Just be very careful since the blade is VERY sharp. Try not to have excess paper around the edges of the coupons. With this method, I can cut through 10 sets of coupon inserts in about 30 minutes. If I used a pair of scissors to cut each coupon, it would take me many more hours.
However, you may not need to use a rotary cutter if you don't cut out very many coupons. I cut out all coupons, even those I do not plan to use. I trade the coupons I don't use. If you are only interested in a few of the coupons from several inserts or if you only use one insert, you will probably get the job done just as quickly by using a pair of scissors.
Placing the Coupons into the Binder
You will find that you have to fold many of your coupons to get them to fit into the slots on the page. For this reason, I only place the coupons into one side of the page. That way, I can see the rest of the coupon by flipping the page over. Most of the time, I am able to fold the coupons in such as manner so that the expiration date, value of the coupon, and a picture (or at least written name) of the item is visible without having to flip the page over. If anything has to be on the backside of the page, I will usually try to put the expiration date there. Since I am a very visually oriented person, I find it most helpful if I can readily see a picture of the item.
I put duplicates of a coupon together in the same pocket of the binder. If I have several coupons for the same product but they have different values or different expiration dates, I will place each of these into different pockets. I find that this helps me immensely when I go to remove expired coupons since I don't have to sort through various coupons in each pocket.
BENEFITS OF USING A COUPON BINDER
1. It saves me time in the grocery store. For example, when I ready to select cheese at the store, I just have to flip to the page (or pages) where I have the cheese coupons. Then I am immediately able to see which cheese coupons I have. Since we eat quite a bit of cheese, I tend to have multiples of each cheese coupon. Since all of the identical coupons are secure in one slot on the page, I can readily determine how many of these coupons I have available.
2. I can quickly compare final prices of similar brands. For example, if I am trying to determine whether it would be cheaper for me to buy generic corn flakes, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, or Post Toasties, I can quickly make some comparisons because I have all of my cereal coupons close to each other. I also have a calculator handy.
3. I am less likely to forget about coupons I plan to use. First, since I can more readily see the coupons, I am more likely to find them when needed. Secondly, I can put the coupons I KNOW that I will be using in the pouch on the first page.
4. I won't hold up the grocery line as long. Since I have my store ads (for price matching) in the front part of the binder, I don't have to search for these. (Of course, I have already circled the items in the ad that I am price matching with a marker for readily identification.) Additionally, the coupons I am planning to use are neatly placed in the lower pocket of the first page. I have found that by using this binder, I can get checked out more quickly because everything I need is in one place.
5. Removing expired coupons is a snap. My old ways of removing expired coupons involved me picking up each coupon and inspecting the date. Since I tended to have multiples of each coupon, which always seemed to get separated, this process tended to take more time than when using the binder. With the binder method, I only have to look at the first coupon when I have multiples. The multiples never get separated.
6. You can organize a large number of coupons. My 2" binder allows me to hold about the same number of coupons as would fit into a shoe box. You would never think that it holds that many but it does.
7. Others will admire you in the store and you may get a job offer. You don't know how many times others have complimented me on my coupon binder. Once I was offered a job as a secretary because the boss of some company was amazed at how organized I was. I guess he assumed that I was organized in all other aspects of my life (Boy, was he wrong there. LOL).
8. If you do not use very many coupons, you may wish to try using a smaller binder. I have heard that some people use small photo albums to hold their smaller stash of coupons.
DISADVANTAGES OF USING A COUPON BINDER
1. It takes time to get this system set up. However, I have found it to be worthwhile.
2. It is more expense to set up than some other systems. However, it ended up being cheaper for me in the long run because my grocery savings increased tremendously once I started using this system.
3. Sometimes it is difficult to fold the coupons in such a manner as to allow all important information to be visable.
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luv_sunshine
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Location: Illinois
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