The long-awaited "How-do-you-organize-your-coupons?" post

I was forced to move from a 1" to a 1 1/2" binder today for lack of space. I thought I would share my binder with you and show you how it is organized to get the best outcomes. First I decorated my binder. I chose one (per the advice of Stephanie and Jill) with a clearview finder. I chose to decorate mine with expired coupons and photos of my kids (I like it...maybe you don't...everyone is different). I am also hoping that there is some space left in it to slide each week's grocery list in it so I don't have to be constantly fishing for my list, like I do now. I also did something new and slid a "If found, please call Mandy at..." note into the spine. I should have done this a long time ago. I am even considering offering a reward if found. Sadly, many people are more likely to go to the effort to call you if there is an incentive (as opposed to just leaving the binder where they found it) involved. Plus, I am going to save a lot more time, money, and sanity than the $20 I would pay someone for its safe return. Make sense? Secondly, I chose to organize my coupons in a binder fashion with baseball card holder sheets. They cost more up front but the convenience in my opinion is well worth it. I did fine with an envelope system, I suppose, but a binder makes searching for my coupons much easier. I divided my coupons into categories to simplify things. The list is not exhaustive and you may prefer different categories. My list, if you are interested, is:

1. Baby
2. Bags, Foil, Storage
3. Baking
4. Batteries & Lightbulbs
5. Beverages
6. Boxed
7. Breads
8. Breakfast
9. Canned
10. Cleaning
11. Condiments, Sauces, & Seasonings
12. Dairy/Fridge
13. Entertainment
14. Free
15. Frozen
16. Laundry
17. Meat
18. Medicine
19. Office
20. Paper
21. Peanut Butter/Jelly/Syrups
22. Personal Hygiene
23. Produce/Salad
24. Restaurant
25. Snacks
26. Toiletries

Something else that I included in my new binder is a pencil pouch. It has many uses:

1. Clipped coupons that I have yet to file
2. A spot for my calculator
3. My envelopes (which if you haven't noticed are quite nifty in my opinion)

I threw in a few folders for more storage (for bigger items) and I'm set!

I hope this is helpful for anyone. The binder method sure has simplified couponing for me.