Organizing Coupons

Since I've started doing the Drugstore Game, I've acquired many coupons. Thus far, I've kept them in their inserts, intact, rather than clipping them all out. This is because the deal sites where the truly compulsive Drugstore Gamers post all note which insert and which date has the right coupon for the deal they mention. By keeping my inserts intact, I only had to flip to the right page in it.

However, the stack had gotten too high. I decided to try a nice easy low-tech solution. No fancy binders or coupon holders for me. I had a box of clear sheet protectors around and I often have scratch paper (the back side of printing I no longer need, usually). I made these simple holders. Food coupons are on one side, non-food on the other.


They're easy to re-use, I can put them in a binder if I want to, and they used stuff I already had on hand.

I don't like to take a lot of time to clip coupons, since I don't actually use that many. I think of my coupon clipping time as relaxation time, and either put on a movie or some music. It's a nice little break, really.

On a side note, I send my expired coupons to overseas military families. They can use them at the PX or the Commissary for a few months past the expiration date. It's an easy way to help out our military families. Here are a few sites to check for more information.

• Happy Housewife's Support Our Troops
  
• Overseas Coupon Program
  
• Coupon Mom's Military Coupon Program