Strange as it may seem, I don’t use a traditional type of coupon organizer. I actually use a mini-file folder that is designed to separate checks by month. It’s about 4” x 8” in size with an elastic band as a closer. Inside are dividers that I label and use to separate my coupons into categories.

I love the category method because it matches up with the store flyer and with the aisles in the supermarket. It’s a very efficient and time saving method. In each category I may have 5 or 6 of the same type of coupon. For example when it comes to tissues, I’m not fussy. I think all the brands are basically good. So in my paper good category I keep Scotties, Kleenex and Puffs. Depending on which tissue brand is on sale, I can use a corresponding coupon.

Other organizers may look prettier, but my mini-file folder is sturdy and large enough to hold my cache of coupons. I also put my name, address and phone number on the outside in case, as I have in the past, left my coupons at the store.

Coupons began in 1893 when C.W. Post put a $.01 coupon on his box of Post Grape Nut Flakes, in the hopes that the consumer would cut out that coupon and buy another box of his cereal. From that modest beginning, coupons have grown into a big business with almost 250 billion coupons being offered this year. For the coupon savvy consumer those coupons can turn into big savings, 89% of us use them. Coupon use is fun and easy and just requires a bit of a routine to get started. Here’s what I do.

Organize your coupons. I like the category method because it matches the aisles in the supermarket as well as the supermarket sales flyers. I have about 20 categories starting with: Baking, Beverages, Cereals, Condiments, Dairy and so on. As I check the flyer for sales, which is also by category, I can easily match up a coupon to the sale. And the same goes for the supermarket. Each aisle is devoted to different categories. So shopping is made easier and more time effective.