artofthecoupon.com

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Couponing, as well as the related tasks of shopping and organizing your stockpiles, can become a tremendous burden on your time if you aren’t careful.  One reader commented and asked if I could offer suggestions for how to organize everything, especially when you do have limited time.  My best answer is to let others do the work for you.  I don’t mean turn your children into slave labor and have them cut coupons all day.  Instead, I mean that there are a ton of resources out there that do the hard work so you can just reap the rewards.  So, I’ve decided to do a Mini-Series that explains how to easily and quickly organize your coupons.  Here is step one, check back tomorrow for step 2.  

• Don’t “cut” coupons.

It is a very time consuming project to cut every single coupon every weekend and to file them in a system that makes sense. I do it, because I have a lot of time on my hands and I like to cut coupons because I find it relaxing.  I’m wierd like that.   And you don’t want to only cut certain coupons, especially if you play The Drug Store Game, because you never know when a coupon will make an item free or a money-maker.  So, how can you keep every single coupon from the paper every single week organized??? Don’t cut them!

• FILE Them

For those with a minimal amount of time (or those who don’t like cutting), the best thing to do is to file the whole inserts in an efficient and organized way.  Get one of those Sterilite file folder things and put a whole bunch of folders into it (I recommend 50, one for almost every week of the year, since you don’t get coupon inserts every single week).  Label the folders by date each week that you get the paper (Ex: OCTOBER 12 for last Sunday).  You can do it in pencil so that you can erase, or just print a label and when you want to change the name of the folder, change the label.

When you get a coupon insert, write the date in front in BIG bold letters in marker (SMARTSOURCE 10/12). Paperclip like inserts together (ex: if you get 4 papers during P&G week, paperclip the 4 inserts together). Put all the inserts from the given week into the folder labeled with that weeks date.

• List Them

Now, head on over to Taylor Town Preview and look at the right sidebar.  It says “Preview Pages” and below it, it has the dates listed.  If you click on one of those date, it will show you a list of every insert that was available that week, along with a complete list of the coupons in each and the expiration dates.  If you have a printer, I would print this page out & place it in the front of the folder that contains that weeks inserts. Before you place this sheet in the folder, write at the top how many copies of the paper you got that week, and also the expiration date belonging to the coupon with the latest date (ex: if all the coupons expire 12/31/08, and you bought 4 copies of the paper, then write 12/31/08; 4 in big bold letters at the top of this printout).  This step is optional, because we will be creating a Master List of coupons, but some people like to have it so they can check out their folders at a glance.

• Create a Master Database

Here is the important part— you are going to be creating a master database of all the coupons you have at your disposal.  Open up excel, and create a spreadsheet called MASTER COUPON LIST.  Copy this Taylortown information into this master excel spreadsheet every Sunday that you buy a paper.

Each week when you copy the list into your master Excel file, delete those annoying numbers in the front (which represent the coupon bar code which is meaningless to most non-advanced couponers).  Once you have done this, the first column in your spreadsheet will be a list of coupons by brand.  Note the insert in the 2nd column next to the name of the coupon (i.e. Smartsource 10/12) next to every coupon that came from that insert (copy and paste is your friend).  You can also note how many copies of the paper you bought that week. Then, after you finish importing the data each week, sort the whole entire file, of all the weeks, by name so you have an alphabetical list of the coupons and their expiration dates that you can carry with you into a store and use to plan your shopping list.

Using this list, you can see at a glance which coupons you have, and how many of each (based upon how many papers you bought).  You can also check the clearance bins/clearance merchandise in store against your list to see if you have a coupon to match it up with (and to see how good a deal it is if you do because you will have the exact value of the coupon on your list!).

It only takes about 5-10 minutes a week to make and update your master list by copying/pasting and sorting.  Set your excel settings to show the little grids, and keep an extra column that is empty but “gridded”.  Then, you will be opening up the list when you plan your shopping trips, and also printing it each week and bringing it to stores in case you run across a clearance bin.

When you use a coupon, make a note of this on your master list in the empty “grid” box next to the coupon.  A simple tally will do.  So, if you have FUSION COUPON; P&G INSERT 9/12; 4 (because you got 4 copies of the paper that week) then when you use a fusion coupon, make a little I tally in that grid-box.  This way, you will know that now you only have 3 fusion coupons left, when you refer to your master list.  An example is below. The # of coupons used is a tally that I would create right in the store as I use the coupon.  When I get home, I would transfer this information into my Excel Spreadsheet, so next week when I print out my updated list, I will still have the information available to me regarding the coupons I used in the past.

Update the list once a month by deleting expired or used up coupons from the list, and you’ll be good to go.

So that is the big step, step one.  Now you have a coupon organization system that takes you about 10-15 minutes a week to maintain, as opposed to 25-30 minutes with clipping and sorting.  Plus, you have a simple list of all the coupons available to you and you know right where they are, which can save you time in store.  Keep this file box in your car at all times, so if you have to stop at a store or you get time to shop on your lunch hour, then you will never be without the coupons you need.