Okay, the pink, purple, and green ones were on sale for $5 less than the traditional black, blue, and gray. I was a little frugal with this project. I can guarantee you that I will not lose track it!
It has some expandable pockets in the front. I’m thinking about filing my rebate information here. Would that be too much to carry around? The top of my desk would appreciate it! And see that spiffy notebook — complete with wild-colored stripes — in the front? It’s for my lists. I splurged a whole dollar to add this beauty to my binder.
Did I ever mention that I’m a reformed office supply store junkie? I used to buy a new pen — just because I liked how it felt in my hand — every time I entered Staples. The good news is that I had these great pocket dividers left over from my more obsessive days. (I have new things to obsess about these days!) They have tabs down the side and a pocket in the front. I labeled one for each of my favorite bargain-hunting haunts (Kroger, CVS, Rite Aid, Kmart, and Wal-Mart — I would add Target, but I’m only there about once a month). Each week I can create my shopping list, gather my coupons, and store them together in the appropriate pocket. Makes me feel organized in at least one area of my life.
I thought for sure that this would be the hardest part. I didn’t like the idea of using baseball card sleeves AT ALL! I couldn’t bear thinking about having to fold all of those coupons. But I ended up trying them after all…. more for cost-efficiency than anything else. I looked at a few other options, but it came down to the fact that these were cheap. So I went for it.
Surprisingly enough, they aren’t bad! I just have to remember to put the smaller coupons for each category in the top row. Then they don’t stick out and get caught by the zipper. The longer coupons do stick up, and I did fold a few, but overall they weren’t in the way. I can still see at a glance which coupons I have.
And that’s the best part of the whole thing. With my old system, coupons were just thrown into one common category’s pocket. If I wanted a Cheerios coupon, I had to sort through all of my cereal coupons to find it. I even did this while standing in the grocery store aisles. What a pain! Now I can just flip through the pages, and I can see each coupon that I have. I’ve already used my binder, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how easy it made finding coupons.
It may be pink….. but it works for me! For more great tips and ideas, head over to Works for Me Wednesday sponsored by We Are THAT Family.
Hi,
I totally relate to you. I too have the binder for my coupons, and I must have at least 100 pens/pencils. I’m a school supply junkie. I love organized things, so the binder for me is the best method. I rather do more work at home with my coupons, than in the store. I hated going through my coupons when they weren’t in the baseball card holders.
You’re so right! It was really time-consuming to thumb through them in the store. Now I flip a couple of pages, find what I want, and move on. Love it! (But not as much as I love school supplies!)
I am SO new to all this coupon stuff, but think I should give it a try. However, I have NO idea where to even start. I don’t get any coupons in the mail, or any for that matter. How does a beginner start couponing? Thanks so much!
Welcome to the world of couponing, Chris. 🙂 I recommend that you start by buying two copies of the biggest city paper that you can get in your area. Then read my Start Here section. (http://www.savingandgiving.net/start-here/) It walks you through a lot of the basics of couponing. Don’t let those crazy tv shows intimidate you. Just start small and do what works for you. You’ll be amazed at how fast it all clicks!