Cheap Coupon Organization

So one thing that I have tried lately (tried with no success I should add) is coupoining. It is difficult to do living in CA because stores don't double coupons here but I figured if I could get thigs for a little cheaper here and there it will eventually start to add up. So I go and get two different newspapers every Sunday and I cut the coupons out and then they dissappear into this

Never to be seen again. I realized a while ago that my method for organizing the coupons was lacking. I originally wanted something that would be small and compact that I could fit in my purse all the time, I have since realized that this system has failed me. The problem was that my coupons were not separated into enough categories so I would be too lazy when planning my shopping trips to go through so many coupons. The original categories I had in this organizer were:

• grocery
• beauty
• health
• home
• restaurants
• entertainment
• misc.

I had actually just given up on the whole couponing situation (even though I continued to buy the paper and cut coupons) until this past week. I was in the dollar section of target and saw these

Organizers with tabs just like the one I originally bought there but bigger. Each have thirteen compartments, and the great thing was they were longer so I also wouldn't have to worry about folding coupons that were very long (something else that bothered me about my old system).

So I got to work cutting today's coupons and putting them into categories. I quickly realized I should get two more organizers and make 4 seperate coupon categories: grocery, health/beauty, household and dining/entertainment.

By the time I was done sorting to take the changes into account this was what I ended up with. Before going to the grocery store (which I usually do most every Sunday) I made a pit stop at target for the other 2 organizers (lucky for me they come in 4 different colors).Then came the part I was dreading...

These are all the coupons that were expired that I recycled :( soooo awful! All those savings gone! Here's hoping my new system will help me avoid this in the future! :)

So this is the end result, 4 different coupon organizers. I am currently looking into buying a new label maker (I would love to have a silhouette but am still working on convinving my hubby) so I just grabbed some Martha Stweart labels I had on hand and the sharpie I used for the categories. So all together this project only cost me $4 (plus tax)!!

(sorry for that glare!)

I have decided that since I mainly go shopping 1-2 times a week I will just leave them at home and take out the coupons I need as I go. This may change, who knows, I may start leaving them in my car or something. So for now they live in this little china cabinet in my dining room.

It works for me beacuse I usually cut my coupons out on the dining room table so it seems to make sense to just leave them in the cabinet. (And in case you are wondering that picutre frame does not have my own pictures in it, we bought the cabinet at an estate sale and the previous owners cut a hole in the back so I grabbed the frame in an effort to cover it as much as possible and still haven't put pictures in it)

Here are all the categories I used for the organizers:
Grocery:

• dairy
• drinks
• breads
• cereal/chips
• snacks
• produce
• cooking
• frozen foods
• cans/jars
• condiments
• baking
• meats
• misc. 

Health/Beauty:

• teeth
• hair
• body
• shaving
• medicine
• first aid
• "lady stuff" ;)
• deoderant
• face
• makeup
• misc.

Household:

• pet
• laundry
• kitchen
• bath
• cleaners
• candles
• air fresheners
• batteries
• paper goods
• misc.

Dining/Entertainment:

• restauraunts
• ice cream
• bowling
• movies
• shopping
• misc.

On another note, my digital camera charger is missing so I used my phone so the pictures are not as good as they could be, sorry :) hopefully I find it soon otherwise I will be forced to buy a new one.