Organize Your Coupons

I recently reorganized my coupons, using an envelope system. I decorated a small cardboard box to keep them in, the envelopes added bulk and would not fit nicely in my old accordion style coupon holder. This has been the best system for me so far. Before my coupons were organized with broad categories such as Bathroom Items. This worked fine for a while until my coupon collection grew large and I spent a long time in the store sorting through piles of coupons. Now I have very specific categories such as shampoo. When I have shampoo on my list of things to buy and I'm on the shampoo aisle, I pull out the shampoo envelope and flip through only shampoo coupons, to find the best deal. This new system works for me. (Hey! maybe this should be a Works for Me Wednesday post). Of course there are several ways to keep your coupons organized, you can read more about coupon organization and using coupons here.

Here are a two more tips for saving money and using coupons:

1. Use a list and stick to it, don't buy anything extra unless it's free or nearly free. It helps to plan ahead and pull out the coupons you plan to use during your shopping trip. Make sure you take all of your coupons with you because you never know when you'll find a great deal or unadvertised special.

2. Don't buy something just because you have a coupon for it, remember that coupons are marketing tools to get you to spend more money and try out new products. Make sure you spend your money on the best deal and something you would have bought anyways coupon or not, sometimes the best deal doesn't come with a coupon.

For more Frugal Friday Tips go to Crystal's site at Biblical Womanhood.