In my previous post, “Couponing for 30 Days” I wrote about having a coupon binder.
I thought I would share my coupon binder and show you how it is put together. My binder is a 3 ring, 2-inch wide binder. Inside, is where all the coupon magic happens. It has several different functional parts to it. Here we go:.
Binder Pencil Cases
I have 3 binder pencil cases, each of them serves a specific purpose:
- The first pencil case is located at the very front of the binder. It holds grouped coupons that I put together for prepared shopping trips.
- The second pencil case is for my writing utensils, scissors, and calculator, which is located in the front, aligned with the first pencil case.
- The third pencil case hangs out all the way in the back, holding scrap paper for note taking, paper clips, and one pen. I use this pencil case less often, but it still comes in handy, because I always need paper clips to bind coupons, keep notes together, or to make simple reminders for myself for later.
Plastic Dividers
I have 7 plastic dividers (with pockets) that make up the following categories:
- Toothpaste/mouthwash
- Hair products
- Paper products
- Personal hygiene
- Cleaning products
- Laundry
- Food
These dividers make finding coupons so much easier to organize and find. Definitely easier than a shoe box or stuffing my wallet.
Clear Baseball Card Holders
My coupons are placed in clear baseball card holders divided in specific categories, and then organized in chronological order – current to future months. As of present, I have coupons that are expiring 2/15/2020 to 4/2020.
Reviewing my coupons prior to expiring, I noticed I have 2 coupons, expiring on 2/15/2020 for any Colgate Total SF, Colgate Optic White, Colgate Enamel Health, or Colgate Sensitive Toothpaste (3 oz or larger).
I did a price check for Colgate Total SF, 3 oz, in my local area, Walmart is offering the lowest price for this particular toothpaste. Regular price for this toothpaste, is $2.96, and a $1.00 off coupon. At check out, I am paying $1.96 for toothpaste! This is not a bad deal.
It is just my luck, I could not find a coupon matchup (store coupon + manufacture coupon) for this item, however, I do consider myself pretty lucky for having a $1.00 off coupon for the brand of toothpaste we like and use on a regular basis. Although, I know as well as other couponers know, I could do better. However, in this situation, this is the best that I could do for now, and definitely don’t want to go without toothpaste. Yikes!
Weekly Binder Maintenance
On a weekly basis, usually on a Sunday or Monday, I go through my binder, purging out old coupons, making room for new ones. Adding or removing baseball card holders, as I need them.
As weekly store ads are published, l am taking notes on deals, matching up store coupons with manufacture coupons, scouting out for rebate product matchups, comparing product prices, and making preparations for weekly coupon shopping trips.
Saving Money
I created this binder a month ago, and saved a significant amount of money just by using coupons for items we need. My coupon binder keeps me organized to do my best couponing work, $aving LOT$ of $$$$!
If you would like to get started on a coupon binder, give it a try, and share with us!
