First things first...

Well, before you start furiously printing out coupons off the internet (and believe me, I have really downed a few trees doing this) and buying 20 copies of the local paper, you must decide how you plan to organize and store your coupons! There are a number of effective methods of coupon organization, all with pros and cons. You must decide which method or combination of methods will work best for you and your family.

First, there are two basic ways to maintain your coupons...clipped or unclipped. I know that seems like an obvious statement, but many people don't consider that fact. They assume that all coupons must be clipped. I use a hybrid method of clipped and unclipped. Obviously, you must clip coupons before using them, but they don't all have to be stored that way. I'd like to first discuss the clipped methods since they are so familiar and, I believe, more common.

The classic method of coupon organization is a coupon accordion file. While I believe that the dollar store versions of the accordion file lack the categories and space I need, the method is a sound one. Utilizing a file box with your clipped coupons sorted according to category is portable and efficient. And a small dollar store accordion file used with a whole insert filing box method is certainly a viable option.

The pros to the clipped coupon file box method:
     1.  Your coupons are  clipped and categorized.
     2.  Your coupons are portable, so you can take advantage of an unexpected clearance item deal for which  you have a coupon because you have all your coupons with you every time you shop.

The cons to the file box method:
     1. It is a bit harder when shopping to view your coupons (as opposed to the binder method).
     2. Using any method that required clipping all your coupons is more time intensive.
 
Another increasingly  popular method for coupon organization today is the coupon binder. The coupon binder can be used to store either whole inserts or cut coupons To use the cut coupon method, you need a 3 to 4 inch binder, category dividers (either of your own creation or downloaded off the internet), page protectors and baseball card protectors. The binder does take a bit of time to set up. However, it is a very efficient way of keeping your coupons. And for those of you who really want to see a glance every coupon you have while cruising the aisles of Target or Walmart,  this method is for you.

The pros to the clipped coupon binder:
     1.  Your coupons are clipped and categorized.
     2.   Your coupons are portable, so you can take advantage of the above mentioned unexpected deals while shopping since you have all your coupons with you.
     3. Your coupons are more easily viewed while shopping than the accordion file method. If you are visual, this will appeal to you. If you have a good feel for your coupons in your collection, this might not be as big an advantage. Also, if you enjoy flipping through your coupons in a file box to see if you have a coupon for that deal, this might not be as big a pro for you.
     4.  It is easy to combine price book pages with a coupon binder. Simply insert a blank price book page in your categories so you can keep track of the best deals you see on your basic items. This is good way to keep track of your "stock up" price.

The cons to the clipped coupon binder:
     1. This method is perhaps the most labor intensive. A coupon binder will not do you a bit of good if you don't have the time or the will (or the child labor) to keep it updated! I use a clipped coupon binder method in combination with a whole coupon insert filing method. However, there have been times when I knew that I had coupons at home that I had not added to my binder yet when I was out shopping...very frustrating! I guess you can't get every deal! In order to get the most out of this method (or any method, for that matter) you must commit to keep up with it. Schedule some time on Sunday evening, perhaps, to clip, sort, store your new coupons as well as clean out the ones that have expired.(I confess that I don't always do this...I guess that is the classic example of do as I say, not as I do!)
     2. The initial expense of the binder, page protectors and baseball cards can be a bit higher.

Now, on to the unclipped coupon organization methods. The first method is to maintain a file box with your whole inserts kept in chronological order. When you plan your shopping trip (using a website with a coupon match up shopping list, simply chose your items from the store you choose, pull your appropriate inserts and clip the appropriate coupons, print out any to which  the website directs you and clip, put them in an envelope with your  shopping list and head off to the grocery store.

The pros to the unclipped coupon/whole insert file box method:
     1.  This is certainly the most time efficient method! No clipping unless you plan to purchase the   item! No stress at the end of the month when all those coupons that you clipped and didn't use expire! 
     2.  While a file box and file folders  can cost $20 or so at your local office supply store (usually much less if you look for a deal), it is less expensive than the binder method. The folders can be reused...label in pencil...and the file box will last indefinitely. If you use a smaller, portable file box, it might cost more, but can somewhat overcome the one of the cons of this method.
    
The cons of the unclipped coupon/whole insert file box method:
     1.  You don't have any of your coupons with you that don't pertain to your list, so you can't take advantage of those unexpected deals. However, using a portable file box to tote with you can help alleviate this drawback if you are fairly familiar with your inserts and bring a pair of scissors with you...something I always have with me, I might add! Your file box will only be portable if you keep your inserts limited to 4 or less a week. That might even get to be a bit cumbersome. You would be surprised how much less space and weight clipping your coupons eliminates.

Another method of organizing your whole inserts is to keep them in a coupon binder in page protectors. You do have to separate the pages of the inserts so that each page can be viewed, but this is certainly less time consuming than clipping.

The pros to this method:
     1. As with the file box method, it is less labor intensive.
     2. Your coupons are portable so it is easier to take advantage of the unforeseen deal as you shop.

The cons to this method:
     1. As with the file box method, your coupons are not sorted by category so it might be more difficult to locate the appropriate coupon. However, I believe it would be easier than with the portable file box method.

Have I confused you yet? As I mentioned when discussing each method, hybrid methods of clipped/whole inserts are also options. For instance, if you get more than 10 inserts a week (which I do) You might want to store half your inserts in file folders in a file box and clip the other half...because you can staple and clip up to 10 inserts at a time, this might not save you as much time as you think, but it will save some time. It also will reduce the weight of your binder. Why do this at all? You will have a a portion of all your coupons with you at all times and can clip ALL the coupons form your inserts when you plan your shopping trip,. The weight of your binder is toned down a bit, as well. You can also simply clip the coupons that you know that you will use...and store the others until they show up in your Southern Savers grocery list! This "half & half" method can be used with your accordion file or file box method as well.

It's all up to you! Consider your time, your preferences and your space and make your choice!

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