ok..so tami was having some issues with organizing her coupon binder in a quick manner. i looked up some info from our local 'coupon lady' and thought i would share. hopefully they will help everyone out.
The accordian file method:
this is the method i use currently acctually.
~i use the kind with 13 pockets..and i seperate by month..so i have one pocket for each month of the year and then an extra pocket which is where i put the ones i intend to use during a specific.
~in each pocket i seperate by category but they aren't really separate..just filed behind each other..but i sort them the same way as in a big binder..you just have to take them out to look at them.
this is effective bc i can keep all my coupons with me and not take up a ton of space.
i go through them before each trip while making my list and put them in the front pocket that i use for that..but still have all the rest in case i find something else.
it is kind of annoying to go searching for a coupon for something if i spot a sale i didn't know about to begin with...but i still like the small version.
the binder method. my coupon lady just switched from the accordian method to this method.
in the very front she keeps her restaraunt and retail coupons as well as gift cards, extra care bucks and loyalty cards (kroger card, cvs card..ect)
then she has a huge table of contents
1..baking 11,.health&beauty:personal stuff..make up, etc
2..baby 12..healthy&beauty:personal care...oral
3..breakfast 13..health&beauty: soap and hair
4..beverages 14..laundry
5..canned goods 15..Meat
6..cleaning 16..medical / first aid
7..condiments 17..paper products
8..dairy / refrigerated 18..pets
9..dry / pantry items 19..produce
10..frozen 20..snacks
and separates all those accordingly. she uses the 9 pocket (like baseball card holders) for smaller ones and the 6 pocket ones (hobby lobby) for larger ones.
she gets our the ones she plans on using for a trip and puts them in an envelope,but still takes the whole thing, just in case
she gets out ones that will expire that week to use if she is going to, or toss if she won't and adds the ones she will use to the envelope.
she said that it took her a couple of hours to organize it when she first made it, like 1/2 day..but now she spends about an hour each sunday putting in the new coupons and doing any organizing that needs to be done.
oh..i forgot to add...she doesn't necessarily organize further within each category. like she isn't going to move around a bunch of stuff to put all the hair stuff together and all the soap stuff together bc within that tab...that is all there is, so it is pretty simple. i looked at her binder while i was at the coupon class and it looks pretty organized...i really liked it, i just would hate to have to carry something like that every time i went shopping!!
thank you muches :-) I prefer the binder method and I organize the sections by the layout of the store (sad...i know lol) but this has really helped. I am on the right path though! yay!
she said that she used to do the lay out of the store too..but it wasn't efficient for her, plus she would sometimes go to different stores. but it seems like she has lots of dividers...so hopefully that will help you.
trip today....interesting turn of events
- butterfly-jo
on Jun. 27, 2011 at 5:52 PM