i'm no corey, but i finally got my binder put together, so i took a few pics for you.
just an fyi - the zipper binder can be EXPENSIVE! i found this one at walmart for $11 - cheapest i could find. walmart also had a pack of 35 bbcard dividers for about $5.50. i bought my first pack of 10 at staples for about $3.50 so much cheaper at walmart (thanks chrissie!).
here's the outside. it has a pocket, so i'll probably put a few pens, a pair of scissors, post-it notes and a calculator in there.
inside, there is an accordion file on the left side. idt i'll use that, but it's there. i use the clips to organize Qs by shopping trip by store. so the ones that are clipped there now are for target. one is for shoprite and one is for acme. i also stick the weekly ads that i want print copies of in this section (right now target is in there b/c i want to compare their sales - Qs to the grocery store sales - double Qs. i also got a pocket organizer thing for $1 at walmart. i stick Qs in there if i end up not using them at the store (and to be filed again later) or for Qs that i've clipped and haven't had a chance to file yet.
here are my dividers so far. i printed labels for them - they're small but since i know what they say already, it's nbd. i will probably end up adding more sections at some point, but for now, this is working.
and here are the coupons organized in the dividers. no rhyme or reason within the sections, other than that if i have multiple Qs for the same product, i put the ones with the oldest exp date in the back.
omg...LOVE it! I get it now...I really couldn't visualize it before, but now I see.
another question, I am visiting a blog where they mention where they get the coupons, like RP 11/8, etc. I wonder if it would be best for me to keep the inserts and not cut them out yet so it would be easier to match up or once I get it set up like yours, would it be just as easy to find?
omg...LOVE it! I get it now...I really couldn't visualize it before, but now I see.
another question, I am visiting a blog where they mention where they get the coupons, like RP 11/8, etc. I wonder if it would be best for me to keep the inserts and not cut them out yet so it would be easier to match up or once I get it set up like yours, would it be just as easy to find?
sorry I am a dunce ;)
i'm glad the pictures helped!
i definitely think you have to clip them. seriously, even though i have hundreds of coupons, i pretty much know what's in there. so when i'm looking at an ad, i know "ok, i have coupons for daisy sour cream. lmc how much they're for" and the i go to the binder and look.
i think that if you DON'T clip them, you won't have a good mental inventory of what you have. so while the forum telling you where to go is good and helpful in that particular instance, what if your store is running an in-store special and you don't even know you have a coupon for that?
if you REALLY wanted to be anal, you could type a list of products into word or excel and keep it alphabetized, but i am not even finding that necessary. i say that as i get ready to go buy 2 gallons of milk, 4 boxes of crackers and 4 boxes of pasta for $3 today. gotta love rolling cats.
This is pretty much what mine looks like too. I have to say it is sooooooo much easier to be able to see every coupon. I was using just one of those expandable coupon holders, and boy was that a pain having to look through every coupon to find the one you're looking for!!
Tammy, yes it is a regular size binder. They are baseball card dividers.
Another thing I thought of for us just starting out. I have always been a coupon clipper but I only compare prices on a few things I remember in my head. I think it would be good at the place you shop at most to note what the price is on items you want that way if a sell comes along at another store you can figure out if it is really a good deal. Of course that might only apply to me since the stores around here suck!
well, except i have been doing this for a year so my zipper is broken and the fabric is all ripped from it being too full.
lmao. maybe i need to use my coupon savings and invest in a new binder;)
liz, i definitely think you need to clip them all or atleast the first set of the same insert--for example--if i am really busy and have multiples of the same insert, i will sometimes just clip one and file them, but make a notation on the divider with a mini post-it or whatever that i have X amount of that specific q--make sense?
you really need to have that mental inventory and/or the ability to look quickly. this is especially true if you are shopping somewhere like target that frequently puts things on clearance that aren't advertised...you need to look up your coupons on the fly, versus being able to pre-plan at home with the grocery store. make sense??
Do all store do these cats you speak of? I have Cub, Rainbow, Target and Wal-Mart.
Thanks!!
(I have a binder with dividers and baseball card holders and thought it was a giant PITA to stuff all the coupons in, but alas, I will have to try it again since you are all doing so well.)
