ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Extreme Couponing-Organization, how to make an organizer cheaper than buying one

Updated on April 8, 2014

Coupons

Coupons are $$$ from product manufacturers, don't throw this away!
Coupons are $$$ from product manufacturers, don't throw this away!

Coupon organizers

There are many pre-made organizers available for purchase, but for anyone wanting to advance to extreme coupon savings, you'll want to customize your own, there is just no other way to do it.

I researched many great organizers before deciding to just make one. I searched and searched and tried a small accordion style, but it just wasn't good enough. Accordion styles are great when you first start, but if you go crazy like I did, you will quickly run out of room and get frustrated when you're in the check out line and bumbling to find the coupons you need.

A few great organizers are available to purchase online and this can save you some time, but you'll pay more than what it would cost to just create your own. If you decide to buy one, I suggest the couponpro, it has some really great features, and honestly I modeled mine after it.

Coupon organizer

Supplies you need, cheap on Amazon
Supplies you need, cheap on Amazon

Supplies you will need...

  1. A large zip binder with carrying strap. I chose a Case-it 2 inch Ring Binder in black. It has just enough space, a pocket, it zips completely shut, appears waterproof and I can carry it over my shoulder like a purse.
  2. 20 (Twenty Pages) - Pro 4-Pocket Coupon Page (3.5 X 5 inches, top load pocket)
  3. (25 Coupon Sleeves Pages) for Binders 3 pockets CLEAR by BCW
  4. (2) packs of Avery Big Tab Write-On Dividers, 8-Tab Set
  5. A zip insert binder pocked (dollar store) for pens, calculators, scissors and other supplies.

All of these supplies are available on Amazon, or at your local office supply store, and you shouldn't pay over $30.00 USD for all.

Coupons!?

Do you currently use coupons?

See results

Extreme couponing

Extreme couponing is a skill, but anyone can learn it. I am not a product hoarder, but it makes sense to coupon for items you know you will always need. Soap, toilet paper, laundry detergent, paper towels, and cleaning supplies are big on my list, as is toothpaste and deodorant.

Once you get your supplies to make your coupon organizer, you can arrange your coupons however you like. I separated my tabs with certain categories-groceries, dry goods, paper products, soap/beauty supplies, and household cleaners. I then further expanded my categories by stores I frequently shop at such as-Target, Walmart, Marcs, Dollar General and Walgreen's. Finally, I organized duplicates (which are the best) and everything by expiration dates.

Combining MFG coupons with STORE specific coupons is a great way to double up your savings. When you find coupons that are for free products it's really exciting, and honestly, you may find you get a "high" off of saving money for your friends and family, I know I do! I once got 8 kids toothbrushes for free! My son will not need a new toothbrush for about 4 years! And they were 100% FREE!

Having extra pockets to keep store coupon policies in helps too, as does that zipper pocket for pens, spreadsheets, calculators and other supplies.

The most important part...getting coupons!

Here are my favorite places to get coupons;

  • Coupon Closet, this site links you to MANY great deals at various stores, as well as provides the best sites to print coupons without signing up for a million websites.
  • Sunday newspaper inserts. If you don't want to subscribe to a paper, ask your neighbors or friends if they use their coupons, if not, maybe you can have them! Or just buy a paper weekly for a few bucks.
  • Ebay-Ebay sells coupons, this takes a little research, but many great deals to be had!
  • Magazines
  • Store end-caps
  • And my most favorite...find a high end hotel in your area, the kind that gives Sunday papers to guests as a courtesy, and ask to take 50-100 off their hands each week. Most guests don't even read them anyway! And you can help the hotel recycle.
  • Sites like Groupon and Living Social are fantastic for coupon savings for dining out, traveling, or household items like sheets, towels, and electronics.
  • And save samples! I have a small Tupperware box dedicated to sample size products I receive in the mail. These samples are great for travel! Lotions, soaps, perfumes, laundry samples, you name it, I've got it!

© 2013 Rebecca

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)