The Simple Way to Organize Coupons

I find it very satisfying to save my family money, especially when it’s on things that we buy every single month, like food. Do you?

Let me start by saying that I am NOT an extreme coupon user. I use coupons for things we already buy and occasionally add coupons for items we would like to try. Sometimes I save a lot of money one week but not as much the next. I also work a full time job and don’t have unlimited time, which is why keeping finding a good way to organize coupons is very important.

Today I’ll show you how I do it. I’ve found it to really be the simple way to organize coupons.

Simple really is better sometimes, right? Who needs more complicated expensive organizing systems? Not me!

I use the mini expanding file folder system for organizing my coupons. I have found this system to work the best and require the least amount of time.

What You’ll Need:

Mini expanding file folder
Label maker
Cardstock in bright colors (*if you need more sections than your file folder contains)

Here’s where I do things a little different than most people when it comes to organizing coupons:

Most people organize their coupons in categories and subcategories, but I was wasting time by doing it this way.

I used the label maker to label each section in the file folder to correspond to the aisles of my grocery store and in the order in which I travel the store. This is also how my grocery list is organized. Having both of these pieces organized in this fashion, prevents me from missing something down one aisle and having to backtrack later. Hence, saving me time.

As I mentioned earlier, I use coupons for things that we already buy, so I peruse a few different websites and circulars for my coupon hunting. I first look in the paper circulars that come with the Sunday paper and cut out the coupons of things that we usually buy or want to try. Then, I’ll move to coupons.com to clip and print any coupons. Target’s cartwheel app has also saved me a ton of money, not just on food too, so I’ll take a quick look through their coupons. The last place I look is the loyalty program website of our local grocery store. These are digital coupons that I have to save to my account, and then put in my phone number at checkout to redeem.

Once I have cut out and digitally saved any applicable coupons, I then organize them in my expanding file folder according to where I will find them in the store. This makes it so easy for me to check the coupon while I’m shopping to ensure that I am grabbing the correct product and quantity.

After I’ve organized my coupons, I now know what products I will receive at a discount and can choose meals that use these products. Meal planning becomes pretty easy because I am using our typical coupons and choosing meals that we have prepared in the past. I also put a star next to the item on my grocery list to remind me that I have a coupon for that item.

At check out, I simply type in my phone number on their keypad for our store’s coupons, then pull out the coupons I am using this trip. Super easy and super quick! I love watching my total decrease with each scan of a coupon!

I hope my system has helped give you an idea of how easy it can be to organize coupons when you don’t have a whole lot of time.