Starting A Coupon Binder

Coupon Kitchen is set up for people who already know how to coupon or I suggest checking out Southern Savers for a detailed tutorial on how to get started. However, Coupon Kitchen is useful even without using coupons! If you really want to dive right into the coupon world, the first thing to know are the two methods: accordion file and binder. While I stick to the accordion file method, the binder route is preferred by many and may be the best solution for you.  Luckily, we have Ashlee from Coupon Community to give a few easy tips on starting a coupon binder.


An Easy Way to Start a Coupon Binder

Making a Coupon Binder is really an easy thing to do. It will help you to organize your shopping trips and increase the amounts that you save. Plus, it is also a great place to save a few reference lists and tips.

Step one: Breathe. This can be done by almost anyone, so don’t panic.

Step two: Get a three ring binder that will hold 30 or more pages. You can either use baseball card holders or full sheet holders depending on how organized you want to be.

Tip: If you clip them first and then add them to the baseball card holders, you won’t have to clip them at the market from the sleeve style. You can find binders and sleeves at places like Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby or E bay. I used a 40% off one item coupon at Hobby Lobby to get my binder.

Step three: Organization. This is a two part step to make life easier. When I clip my coupons, I add the newest ones to the back and have the oldest (or soonest to expire) at the front of the sleeve.

For me, this makes it easier to purge the coupons that I didn’t use and have expired. I also have each of my pages split up into categories such as canned goods, dairy products, etc. This way I can flip through faster in case I see an in store sale that isn’t listed on their ad.

Of course I also have a section at the front that I call “This trip” for the items that I want to get on this trip so I won’t miss something I came to the store for. I sometimes miss things on my lists because I didn’t write them down in the same order I found them in the store. When this happens, I see the missed items in my “This trip” coupons so I don't miss a deal.

Step four: Create what will be your seasonal food and retail sales cycle lists and place it at the end of your book as a reference. You can always watch your local papers and work out when the best deals are in your area to make your own customized list.

So who wants to go shopping?

Thanks for your help, Ashlee! Interested in starting your own coupon binder? Check out Delly's Deals for binders and complete start-up kits!