Hello,

Does anyone else still use coupons?

How do you sort and organize them so that you make sure you are using coupons regularly and using the ones closest to expiring etc?

I do still use coupons... it is actually a passion of mine!

I do not file my coupons by expiration date (I'm too big of a stockpiler for that!!LOL) but I use a binder with baseball card holder inserts and file them in alphabetical order by brand name.

I did, however, just re-organize my sisters coupons for her into a cute little expanding file by expiration date. She now just clips a coupon and drops it into the month BEFORE it expires so that she knows to use it previous to the expiration date. I.E. If the coupon expires 8/12/12, then the coupon gets filed in the July section so that it is used before it expires.

Unfortunately, very few things I buy have coupons. I buy all household products at Costco so no go on those coupons. I will only clip if it's over 50 cents too, otherwise it's not worth the effort.

I maybe use them for shave gel and a couple of other personal items.

Me and my daughter have been using coupons for a while now about 2 years. I've found some things that works for us and others don't. One thing is we clip all of them as we get them, this saves us time at the store when we spot an unadvertised deal. Next, we put them into our big binder with baseball card inserts. We put them in by category according to type, such as bag or boxed or freezer, etc.

We tried alphabetical, but that turned out to be a mess. Besides, the stores organize by type too. So keep in mind how your store is laid out. Also, we then gather the deals for the week and so we put each store and the coupons for that store as well as the list in separate envelopes and label them according to store. This also saves time, but if you have a lot of coupons and need to organize them too for that particular store, maybe use an accordion file type coupon holder so that you can also arrange it by store category as well. This helps me.

Also I carry extra envelopes like when I use my big binder and I spot an unadvertised deal, then as I select my items, I then select the coupons, then I put the coupons that I am going to use at the register in order and put them into the extra envelope, that way they don't get scattered or wet or wrinkled. Sometimes when the coupons get wet from sweaty hands, then it ruins the ink on the paper and then they won't scan, and also if they are wrinkled too much then they might not scan properly. So that is why I carry extra envelopes.

Also, I've been in a store before and I had my coupons in my hand then I laid them down to pick up something, then what ya know, I somehow bumped the cart and the coupons went flying everywhere, so it's a good idea to put them in something and also use paper clips too. Don't use staples or tape. But do use paper clips and be careful with using them. This helps when you have more than one coupon for a particular item too. And sometimes I paper clip the coupons I am going to use to the store print out list of the deals and matchups as well then I put them in the envelope.

I know it sounds like a lot of organizing, but your time at the store sometimes can be limited. So it all comes in handy when you plan before hand. Some people file their coupons, that's okay, but what if you filed them at home and you happen to see something in the store, can you run back home real quick to get them? That is why I don't file mine. And I'm not going to lug around a big filing cabinet or file box or even a shoe box either.

I think just take what you need and also use your big binder with the clipped coupons as a back up plan with extra envelopes and paper clips works best for me. Some people have their own systems. Just figure out what works best for you.

I like having my coupons with me because we end up with an unplanned stop at a store often enough to be worth always having them at-hand. Therefore I bought a coupon wallet. They are organized by type/department (i.e. canned goods, baking, produce, etc., there is also a slot for restaurant). Within each type, they are organized by expiration date, with the one closest to the expiration date in front.

Organizing by expiration date makes weeding out the expired ones quick and easy, and also makes sure that if I have multiple coupons for the same item, I will use the one that's going to expire soonest first.

One store allows you to use a manufacturer's coupon along with their store coupon for the same item. When I get that store's flyer, I pull matching coupons and clip them all together in pairs and put them in front for the next time I go to that store (usually weekly).

I also clip coupons every week for things we use and recycle the rest of the flyer. I don't spend hours clipping and filing: 15-20 minutes on Sunday while watching a favorite TV program. Once in a while I'll print coupons from online sources for items we are going to need soon. I tried to match sales and stock up to a certain extent for a couple of months but found I was not saving enough money to be worth my time going to multiple stores and matching flyers (even with the help of a couponer site, they don't have data for some of the stores in our area so I still had to match sales manually). The stores around here have decent coupon policies, but nothing that will allow you to shop like on those extreme couponing shows, so I quickly reverted to the simple wallet system.