Coupon Binder

A binder will organize and display your coupons for you. No more searching through envelopes stuffed with coupons that are falling out. No more forgetting what coupons you have because they are in an accordian-style holder that doesn't allow you enough room anyway! Organizing your coupons into a binder will help you to see what you have and to know when the coupons are getting close to their expiration dates. I began with a regular 2 inch binder but my coupons quickly outgrew it! I now use a zip up binder with 3 rings that I found on sale at Office Max. It zips up and has a small pocket that holds a pair of scissors. Shop around your stores to find a binder that will suit your needs and let's get started. Check out the materials list to help you know what to include in your binder.

The first thing you need of course is a binder. Make sure you check out my pictures below to see exactly what mine looks like. I use a Mead Pro Platinum zip up binder.

Baseball card holder sleeves. These are the 9 slot sleeves that you can find at many stores. I found mine in the baseball card sections of Target and Wal Mart. These will hold your coupons. You may need to buy more of these over time as your coupon stash grows.

Stick on labels. I use the labels that come 30 to a sheet which I found at Office Max. You can choose any size label that will work for you. If you don't want to spend money on labels just buy a roll of masking tape and write directly onto the tape.

Binder Pockets- I have 7 of these in my binder. These are like sheet protectors but with openings. I use these for the specific stores that I shop at. I'll explain more on that later.

Adhesive business card holders. These I stick onto my binder pockets and they hold the specific store cards that I use (Kroger card, CVS, Food Lion, etc.) That way I always have one with me.

Okay I actually have not one but TWO binders. One binder I use for Food items and the other binder I use for Non food items. All of the coupons in my first binder are for food. The second binder contains cleaning products coupons, paper products, health and beauty, etc.

In my main binder (food binder) I have my 7 binder pockets with front and back sleeves. In the front half of the binder there are 4 and in the back of the binder I keep the other 3. The very first binder holds the shopping list and coupons I am using for my trip. The other pockets in the front hold information for specific stores I shop at all of the time. There is a pocket for Kroger, Food Lion, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Rite Aid/Walmart(they share one).

In my first binder I have about 27 baseball sleeves and they are organized by the layout of the store I shop at the most which is Kroger. I have my coupons broken down into specific categories just like the store is broken down into specific categories. The first section is produce since that is the first section I come to in the store. The second section is meat, then condiments and so on. Be sure to view my category list for the entire breakdown. How do I know how many baseball sleeves to devote to each category? Trial and error. It is still a work in progress. For instance, produce gets only one sleeve since there aren't that many produce coupons out there. A category like frozen food however, gets many sleeves because of all the subcategories(bread, pizza, meat, veggies, etc.) and because of all the coupons out there for frozen food.

I label the pockets on my sleeve based on items I use and coupons I collect. The "condiments" section for instance has individual pockets for items like hot sauce, jelly, peanut butter, salad dressing, pickles, etc. When I get coupons for these items, I fold them up and place them in the appropriate pocket. Hopefully this will all make sense when you see the pictures.

The last 3 binder pockets in the back are used for rebates, recipes, and menus. The first pocket holds information and forms that I will send in to get rebates for certain products. The second pocket holds certain recipes that I might be shopping for that week. The third binder holds take out menus for several of our favorite restaurants just in case I am running behind from soccer or t ball and just need to order a meal!

I also have an accordian pocket in the front of my main binder that holds extra pages of coupons I have printed off and it also holds my price book.

In the second Non food binder I just have the baseball sleeves and all of the coupons associated with those categories.

Whew! That is a LOT of information I know. I hope this helps!

The above information is just to help you get started and to give you ideas on how to create a binder. I hope that you take it and make it your own. Find a system that works best for you. Will this take some time to set up? Absolutely. It took me about 4-5 hours one weekend afternoon to organize and file all of my coupons. Now it just takes me about an hour every Sunday evening to sit down and plan my shopping and pull my coupons.

THIS WILL HELP YOU SAVE MONEY! I have cut my grocery bill by 50-70% just by clipping coupons and organizing them this way. I have saved time and money to use towards other things I love like scrapbooking and spending time with my family. Whatever your reason, use this and allow it to help you save money.

Once you get your binder set up, USE IT! I take mine everywhere I go all of the time. It goes into Target, Walmart, CVS, EVERYWHERE I go! You never know when you will come across a great deal and possibly have a coupon to pair with that deal.

Lastly, somewhere in the front of your binder write your name and address and either your email or cell number. This is just in case your binder is lost or stolen and finds its way into honest hands, the person will know who to contact.

Here is a list of how my binder is organized. This is how I categorize based on my family's needs. Yours may be similar but you can play around with it and find the best categories that work for you!
You will find that once you start clipping certain coupons you may need to reorganize or break these categories down even further. For instance, I had to give Pillsbury its own section because I started getting so many different coupons for their products! You may not have children and therefore may not need a "baby" category. I don't have pets but still have a pet category so that I can share coupons with people who do have pets. This system is totally workable and should suit your needs!

Produce
Fruit
Salad blends
Veggies
Salad starters
Refrigerated dressing
Other

Meat
Bacon
Hot dogs
Beef
Pork
Chicken
Fish
Seafood-other
Lunch meat
Bbq

Condiments
Dressing kraft
Dressing wish bone
Dressing kens
Dressing other
Hot sauce
Bbq sauce
Steak/Worcestershire
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayo
Salsa
Jelly
Peanut butter
Olives/pickles
Jarred peppers
Other

Seasoning/baking
Flour
Sugar
Spices
Jello
Pudding
Oils
Cooking spray
Pancake mix
Bisquick
Syrups
Baking chips(Hershey,nestle,etc)
Nuts
Other

Dessert
Brownie mix
Cake mix
Cookie mix
Frosting
Candy
Pies
Cookies
Chocolate bagged
Gum
Other

Dairy
Milk
Sliced cheese
Shredded cheese
Block cheese
Velveeta
Cream cheese
Yogurt
Kids yogurt
Cottage cheese/sour cream
Parmesan
Butter
Eggs
Dips
Other

Pasta aisle
Soup-campbells
Soup-progresso
Soup-chunky
Soup-other
Chef Boyardee
Ramen
Mac and cheese
Pasta dinners
Pasta
Rice
Rice dinners
Pasta sauce-prego
Pasta sauce-ragu
Pasta sauce-other
Potatoes
Hamburger helper

Dinner starters
Refrigerated meals
Refrigerated sides
Mexican-taco shells
Tortilla shells
Refried beans
Other
Asian meals
Sauces
Asian boxed
Italian meals

Grains
Bread
Muffins/rolls
Oatmeal
Oatmeal instant
Oatmeal bars
Cereal-kellogs
Cereal-post
Cereal general mills
Cereal-other
other

Canned
Meat
Veggies
Fruit
Chili
Sauces
Beans
Tuna
Seafood
Other

Beverages
Coffee
Creamer
Tea
Juice
Juiceboxes
Koolaid/crystal light/mixes
Orange juice
Frozen juice
Soda
Water
Gatorade
Other

Snacks
Gummy/fruit snacks
Chips
Peanuts
Popcorn
Crackers
Bars
Pretzels
Snack mix
Other

Pillsbury
Cookie dough
Biscuits
Pizza dough
Bread dough
Rolls
Crescents
Other

Frozen
Bread
Appetizers
Dinners
Meat
Breakfast
Pizza
Veggies
Ice cream
Cool whip
Popsicles
Vegetarian
Sandwiches
Seafood
Other

Baby
Diapers
Wipes
Baby food
Juice
Formula
Washes/lotions
Accessories
Other

Non food
Batteries
Household (lightbulbs, etc)
Other
Air freshener-air wick
Glade
Lysol
Febreeze
Oust
Other
Candles

Laundry
Detergent-tide
All/purex
Arm/hammer
Gain
Other
Fabric softener-downy
Snuggle
Other
Dryer sheets-snuggle
Other
Stain fighters

Cleaning
Bathroom counter
Shower/tub
Toilet
Floors
Disinfectant spray
Wipes
Kitchen sprays
Swiffer
Hand soap
Dish soap-palmolive
Joy/dawn
Other
Dishwasher-electrosol
Cascade
Other
Glass/surface
Pest control

Storage
Ziploc
Glad
other
Trash bags
Reynolds wrap
Other wraps
Containers
Other

Paper products
Paper towesl-brawny
Bounty
Other
Napkins
Paper bowls/plate
Cups
Utensils
Toilet paper-charmin
Cottonelle
Angel soft
Other
Tissues-kleenex
Puffs
Other

Animals
Cat food
Cat treats
Dog food
Dog treats
Other

Shaving
Razor-gillette
Schick
Bic
Other
Shave cream Gillette
Skintimate
Other
Razor cartridge
Other

Feminine
Pads
Tampons
Pantiliners
Deodorant
Hair color
Makeup-almay
Loreal
Covergirl
Maybelline
Revlon
Rimmel
Max factor
Other
Lotion

Skincare
Qtips
Face wash
Moisturizer-olay
Neutrogena
Loreal
Revlon
Anti age
Acne
Other

Hair products
Shampoo/cond/styling-dove
Loreal
Garnier
Aussie
Suave
Herbal essence
Pantene
Pert
Kids
Other

Soaps
Dial
Dove
Irish spring
Ivory
Suave
Olay
Other

Masculine
Condoms
Deodorant
Shampoo
Conditioner
Hair styling
Body wash
Other

Medicine
Band aids
First aid
Vitamins-women
Vitamins-men
Vitamins-kids
Cream/ointments
Aspirin
Upset stomach
Fever
Allergy
Headache
Cramps
Fiber
Itch relief
Cold prevention
Heat wraps
Kids colds
Zyrtec/Claritin
Hand sanitizer
Other
Eye care-visine
Eye care-contacts
Eye care-other

Oral care
Toothpaste-Colgate
Crest
Other
Toothbrush-colgate
Crest
Oral b
Other
Mouthwash
Whitening
Other