How I Spend $200 or Less per Month on Groceries, Part 4

As promised in Part 3, today I will share with you how I keep all of my coupons and circulars organized. There are many different organizational systems available to you, but I will share what has worked well for me. 

Pictured below are the two main organizational items I use: an expandable file folder and a zipper binder, both purchased inexpensively at Walmart. I recommend getting a binder that zips because it keeps your coupons from slipping out during a shopping trip. In the front zipper of my binder I keep a pair of scissors, some paper clips, a pen and a pencil. This binder comes with me every time I go into a store. It may seem a bit cumbersome, but it is more than worth it for all the money it has saved me over the years!

Your Sunday circulars file away very neatly in the expandable file folder. Just label all of the tabs in pencil with Sunday dates.  Every two or three months the dates need to be updated.

 

Inside the binder I have a set of tabs to create sections.  I recommend writing your tabs in pencil, because you may want to change them over time.  I have a tab for my grocery stores, for Walmart and Target, and for drug stores. When I prepare a trip to one of the stores, I put my shopping list and the coupons I have clipped in a page protector behind the appropriate store tab. My other categories are cereal, snacks and beverages, refridgerator/freezer, canned/boxed goods, baking, health/beauty, baby/misc. Do whatever works for you!

I use a combination of page protectors and baseball card holders (located by the checkout counters at Walmart) to file away my coupons. I can see them at a glance and it helps me save even more when I'm in a hurry in the store and need to quickly see if I have a coupon for a certain item.

There are lots of options when it comes to organizing your coupons.  I suggest that you don't spend a lot of money on it.  Figure out what will work for you and what you will be sure to use.  I am a geek when it comes to organizational systems, so it's a lot of fun for me.  Let me know if I can be of help to you as you figure out a system that will work for you!