How to Organize Newspaper Inserts

Organizing your coupons is half the battle when you are trying to be an “extreme” couponer. Time and money is wasted if you are spending hours searching for coupons. There is NO right or wrong way to organize your coupons. My favorite way to file coupon inserts is to file them by date so you can find them easily when you need them.

The first thing to do is to take a marker and mark the date of the coupon insert on the front cover. This saves time trying to figure out what the date of the insert is. If you are a local reader, I also mark if it’s an insert from the Pantagraph or the Chicago Tribune. The inserts ARE different!

*photo courtesy of Queen Bee Coupons

A lot of you may have done what I have done several times and forgot the date of the insert. Well, you’re in luck. I was amazed when I started couponing and discovered this trick! On the binding of the insert is the date and even lists the newspaper the insert came from. For instance, if I post a deal that says the coupon came from 7/11/10 RP then you just go to your file and grab that insert-so easy!

*photo courtesy of Queen Bee Coupons

The next step is to properly file your coupons. There are many different filing methods, so you have to do what works best for you. Make sure you file by date so they are easier to find!


*photo courtesy of Queen Bee Coupons

I obviously do not carry all of my Sunday newspaper inserts around. They are about as heavy as my 3 year old son. When I am preparing to go to a particular store, I print and highlight my shopping list, then put the shopping list in an envelope with the corresponding coupons that I clipped for that shopping trip marked with the stores name on the front. It’s nothing fancy, but it works for me!

There is also the binder method of filing coupons. That method is where you clip the coupons you’re going to use and you file them by category. This is another method that works well for people. Just choose the method that works best for you!