How to Make a Coupon Binder

So, you want to enter the crazy world of couponing? Save tons of money? Then read on. If thats not you then just go ahead and skip this post because you might think we are slightly crazy with our binder.

My precious coupon binder! ;)

I have been a pretty serious couponer for years but occasionally forgot them or had a hard time keeping them together while shopping. It just wasn't the best system. Then I heard about making a coupon binder and how I could save even more money.  I knew it was for me! :)
Here I am going to instruct you on how to make a coupon binder of your own. It won't cost you more than a few bucks and will save you time and money in the long run.

• Start clipping! Even if you don't have your binder all together yet you still need coupons to start saving. Clip, clip, clip and gather your coupons. Check out our coupon sites for printable coupons as well!
• Get a binder approximately 2 in width, (if you have kids you probably already have one), dividers, a zippered pencil pouch and baseball card sheets. You can find baseball card sheets at Target near the checkout or you can order them on Ebay.
• Now it is time to organize your binder. This can get a bit hairy....I used my dining table and laid them all out to organize them by item ie.; yogurt, cereal, crackers, bread, juice, ect.
• Once you have done all that it is time to create your categories for your binder. Here is how we have divided ours.

I bought these cool printable dividers at Walmart for about $2.

 

•  After you have your dividers labeled you can start putting in your coupons. We find it best to follow the order you have labeled on your dividers. So, cheese on one page, followed by yogurt all on the next page ect...

This page on the right is all yogurt

• Now you will want to add a section in the back. The  zipper zip-loc bags work great for this. You need to punch holes in them and use permanent marker to label them Restaurant and Retail.

• Almost done! :) Now that you have all your coupons in place flip back to the front and put your zippered pencil pouch in. Fill it with the things you will need while couponing; calculater, pens, scissors (never know when you'll need to clip a coupon) and small notepad.

•  Lastly, get a copy and read some of your favorite stores coupon policies. You can get a few of my favorite stores such as Walmart's HERE.  Target's HERE. Whole Foods is one store that does not have a specific coupon policy in writing. So you will need to check with your store manager before shopping. Any other store you can simply go to their customer service to request a copy. Keep those policies with you while shopping!
• Tada, you're done! Little bit of work to save you a ton of money!

I will be honest, when you make the coupon book it is going to take some time to put it together. But, once you have the book together it will be a breeze organizing your coupons every week. I usually take an hour on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to clip new coupons and and get rid of expired coupons. The key is to keep your binder in your car! Take it with you everywhere! I like to throw mine on the bottom rack of the cart and pull it out when I see a deal. Trust me, once you start seeing savings you will love it! Good luck and Happy Couponing!