How to save your coupons.

Here are some pictures...

  I have a bag that I keep everything I need in.

 I also have a pen, scissors and an accordian file folder. Buy one that has many pockets in it tho. I started off with one that only had 5 slots and it didn't work out very well.

 This is personal preference, but here's what works for me. My first slot is my receipts. I keep them for a few months...just in case I need them for something.

2nd slot is for mail in rebate forms currently going on.

A few empty slots

Then I have one for MFG (manufacture) coupons. These can be ones I've printed off of a website, or maybe clipped and ended up not using them because the store was out of the item or the price wasn't the same, or whatever.

I have a slot of "Misc Coupons". This would be for any other stores, JoAnn, Michaels, Subway, A&W...you get the idea.

Next is Target's coupons.
There's one for Walgreens (I keep the monthly walgreens book in this slot)

Then one for my Smart Source inserts.

Followed by RedPlum

Then P&G

and finally General Mills.

I keep all these coupons together in this file thing. Then about every 3 months I'll go through and weed out what has expired. There is a great website that tells you what inserts still have coupons that are "active". (more on that another time). Any inserts that are expired, I'll take out and put in a separate file to hold onto because Cub accepts expired Q's (coupons) up to 3 months past the expiration date. Once that has past then I recycle the insert.

Because I'm a list person, I also have a slot that holds a single piece of paper. I keep track every week on that sheet of the stores I went to that week, how much I spent at the store and what my savings were. Then at the end of the week, I like to find the "winner" store and circle it. (I know, I'm weird) Also I do a final total end of the week as well. I started it because in the beginning I wanted to track and see if the amount I spent each week decreased and if my savings increased. I still remember the very first time my savings was more than my spending. I had to call my mom just about that. PS...once both sides of the sheet are full, the winners go into a notebook along with the spending/savings amount. It is also helpful for me because then I can keep track of when certain good deals are....like say when winter or summer clothes will be on clearance-so then I can prepare for that the next year. This may sound like a lot (the list/record keeping thing) but honestly it takes me less than 5 minutes, and I do it when I'm cleaning out my wallet or purse.

 Side note: I have been buying most of my kids clothes in sizes bigger when they are on clearance for the next year. Then the next year, we get to pull out a bin full of "brand new" clothes that were really inexpensive. Another weird thing I do that I think is fun...I keep the tags on it, but write the price I paid for it...then when I pull out a clothing item, I can remember "oh, I only paid .49 cents for this?! wow, awesome deal, way to go shannon!" haha (or maybe I'll be like "what? i paid .49cents too much for this? what was i thinking?") more haha's.