I often sort through piles of paper clutter gathering on kitchen counters and other areas of the home. Frequently, some of these papers are coupons. Unfortunately, by the time I find them, they have usually expired. If you use coupons, it is very important to keep them organized and easily accessible so that you can take advantage of the savings. Here are some of my tips on ways to organize coupons.
Schedule a time to clip, print out, collect and organize coupons
If you use coupons regularly, schedule a time once per week to gather, clip or print out coupons. I suggest doing this before you make your grocery list or go shopping.
Use apps to help manage store loyalty cards, digital coupons and gift cards
Apps such as Honey help you to find online coupons.
Key Ring helps you keep store loyalty cards digitally.
Gyft is helpful for gift card organization.
Sort coupons by type and expiration date
Sort coupons by type first. Keep grocery coupons separate from restaurant and retail store coupons. Perhaps use a separate storage product for each type.
Next, sort coupons by expiration date or month of expiration.
Determine a way to contain coupons
Here are some options for storage products to better organize coupons:
A pocket accordion expanding receipt and coupon organizer
A pocket sized coupon organizer portfolio
A 3 ring binder with page inserts for coupons
A file folder and a hanging file for errands and coupons (only if you use a file cabinet or desktop file box regularly).
Decide where to keep coupons
If you don’t have the coupons with you, you will not use them. Once they’ve been clipped, sorted and organized, store your container of coupons in your car, your purse or near your door (so you’ll remember to grab them as you’re heading to the store).
Keep coupons that you’d use for online purchases near where you use your tablet, laptop or computer.
Schedule a time to sort and discard expired coupons
Schedule a few minutes at the end of each month toss the expired coupons.
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Wow, Nancy, this really takes me back to the 1980s when I was a serious couponer! I had a small accordion file with preprinted categories. Within each section, I sorted the coupons by expiry date, with those expiring soonest in the front. Every month I’d go through and pull everything expiring that month to make sure I didn’t miss using them.
Eventually my collection got so big that I had to use a shoebox with dividers and put it in the baby seat of the shopping cart!
Thanks for commenting. I was a serious couponer like that a long time ago, my collection was never big enough for a shoebox though! I like that so many coupons are digital nowadays.
I never heard of the app, Gyft. Years ago, one of my clients had A LOT of gift cards. It was in the days before we regularly used apps. But Gyft would have been perfect for her. I’m going to make a note of this one for future reference.
Thanks for commenting. I hope Gyft can help one of your future clients.
Key Ring is wonderful. It has had reduced my loyalty cards at bay. To this day, I still use it.
Organizing coupons per expiration date. That’s brilliant! Thanks for sharing these tips and helping us save money.
You’re welcome. It is great to know that Key Ring has worked so well for you! Thank you for commenting!
I used to be a coupon devotee, but since it all went into apps and digital, I seem to have lost my mojo. Now I mostly just decide “in store” what to buy that has a sale sign. I sort of miss it too. I have one of those organizers that you can snap onto the grocery cart. I guess I’m old fashioned… I miss paper sometimes.
Those in store sales signs are alerting you to digital savings using your store loyalty card, so you’re still saving money there! Thanks for commenting!