My Coupon Binder

Ok, here it is...how my coupon binder is sorted. Now, I have apparently became a little OCD about categorizing my coupons so what works for me may not be necessary for you but this is how I do it.

I am a very visual person so I like to be able to see everything to compare to and run the numbers through my head to see if it is a good deal. Sure, I can search the blogs out there galore and write down deals they scored but that doesn't cover all of my needs.

There are plenty of different ways to organize a binder from an index card file, to accordians, to binders, and so forth. I choose a binder...because I am visual. I used the baseball card holders that I got at Hobby Lobby (or you can get them at Walmart but they're much flimsier) and I actually have a double three ring binder that I got at CVS so it is like I have two 2" binders in one!

Pretty cool but I am already busting at the seams. Why? I subscribe to 8 newspapers and I have in-laws and parents who don't want to take the time to clip but they want to get in on the deals I catch.

How do you know how many papers to buy for your family?  I suggest that you buy one paper for each member of your family in order to stock up on the items your family will need to get you through until the next sale cycle.  If the coupons are really great then I suggest buying a couple of extra but you'll eventually find a number that you're comfortable with.

So, here's the nitty gritty of the binder.
 
FOOD: (on one side of my double binder)
Baking tab
- Sugar, spices, etc-
- Mixes, misc (Bisquik, cake/cookie mix)
- Bread 
Breakfast tab
- Cereal Bars
- Cold Cereal
- Oatmeal
- Pancake Syrup, Other misc
Canned/Boxed tab
- Pasta, Sides, Rice
- Canned Meat, Tuna
- Sauces, Tomatoes
- Soup (could easily be multiple pages General Mills is generous)
- Veggies, Fruit, Other misc
Condiments
- Dressings
- Mayo, Mustard, Ketchup
- Pickles, Sides
- Peanut Butter, Jelly, Other misc
Dairy
- Cheese, Misc other
- Milk, Butter, Eggs
- Yogurt (another easily multiple pages)
- Pillsbury (all by itself because so many coupons)
Drinks
- Coffee (including the coffemate etc)
- Coke, Juice
- Mixes, Tea, Other misc
Ethnic
- Misc (not much here but my mom likes egg rolls)
Frozen
- Breads
- Breakfast
- Entrees
- Ice Cream, Desserts
- Meat
- Pizza, Tv Dinners
- Veggies, Sides, Misc Other
Meat
- Breakfast
- Misc Other
Produce
- Misc Other
Snacks
- Candy
- Chips, Cookies
- Gummies
- Popcorn, Nuts
- Misc Other


So, that's it for Food and I flip to the other side for my Non-Food stuff:
Beauty
- Baby (which I don't have broken down more because my daughter is 2)
Feminine
- Pads, Tampons, etc
Hair
- Color Hair Dye
- Shampoo, Conditioner
- Styling Aids
Makeup
- Almay
- Clairol
- Covergirl
- Max Factor
- Revlon
- Misc Other
Oral
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Misc Other
Soap
- Bars
- Body Wash
- Hand Soap
Personal Other
- Deodorant
- Lotions
- Razors
- Shaving Cream
Household (this is weird but I haven't redid it yet so ... yeah)
- Air Freshener (Glade & Airwick on separate pages with others mixed in at bottom)
- Bathroom
- Cleaners
- Floor
- Kitchen
- Paper Stuff (TP, Kleenex, etc)
- Other Misc
Laundry
- Detergent
- Fabric Softener
- Other Misc
Medicine (You'll need this for great CVS & Walgreens)
- Advil
- Excederin
- Motrin
- Sudafed
- Tylenol
- Vitamins
Other Misc (This will be big unless you split it out more which I haven't yet)
Pets
*Not an area I've done yet but I would do it by brand similar to my medicine)
Yada Yada
All the other stuff I couldn't fit into a category.

I also have a little 3 ring zipper bag that holds my scissors, pen and calculator. I also throw Q's in here that I need to refile or if i pick up Q's in the store.

So, this is what works for me...what works for you so far?