The following is a guest post about organizing mailer coupons from regular contributor, Rachel.
Today I’m sharing an oldie but a goodie. I originally wrote about my mailer coupon system a few years ago and it’s still going strong today! That’s when you know you’ve got a good system in place. I haven’t had to tweak anything from it’s original state. However, I tailored it specifically to my holiday gift shopping this year.
It all started back when I was looking for a way to keep those large Bed Bath and Beyond mailer coupons at my fingertips. I seemed to always find myself near a BB&B without my notorious 20% discount. Since those primarily come by mail, I often had a stack of them at home, which wasn’t helpful while I was IN the store. They say you can bring your purchase receipt back with the coupon and they’ll honor the discount, but who really wants to run back and forth to a store multiple times? And forget about keeping them in my purse, that never worked out good for me.
Tired of my disconnect between coupon and store, I grabbed a small three-ring binder (I actually like THIS one better – affiliate link), two packages of plastic pocket dividers (affiliate link) and got to work. I loaded any large mailer coupons I hoped to use in the binder, organizing them by store. The binder goes into the side pocket of my car door. The binder stays in the car at all times, so I have my mailer coupons when needed. As the coupons come in by mail, I immediately load them into the binder, which goes back into the car. There’s no waiting or keeping a coupon pile stashed on my desk. I found the easiest way is to immediately transfer the mailers to car, so I have everything I need when making impromptu shopping trips.
All that said, this holiday season, my mailbox has had a major influx of coupons. Tis the season, I suppose and just like “there’s an app for everything”, I now have a “coupon for everything”. 🙂 A few months ago, as the mailers began pouring in, I started arranging them in my binder in anticipation of making gift purchases. During this time of year, I carry around a few extra mailer coupons I wouldn’t normally keep in the binder. Oh, and maybe a coupon or two for *ahem* myself. You know, in case I stumble into The Container Store to rejuvenate my organizing muscles. 😉
I still did the majority of my shopping online this year as mentioned previously. Having a baby and her naps to contend with made online purchasing very appealing. However, I still loaded up my mailers in the binder, even if they had a code for online discounts. Keeping a well-oiled machine going was my best bet. Grabbing coupons from the car is easier than returning to the store again later or forgoing the discount altogether while kicking myself on the drive home. 🙂
A little hint of advice… cut your coupons down to fit easier in the pocket sleeve. I cut most of the coupons down as much as possible and recycle the rest of the magazine or flyer that accompanies it. My recycle bin tells no lie (2nd pic below), there’s a lot of wasted space with those advertisements.
Now you can see why I call this one an oldie but a goodie. It has years of working experience for me personally and I find it’s been pulling double duty this time of year with the yearly coupon bonanza. Happy shopping wishes to you! 🙂
In the professional world, I’m a nurse by trade. But, around our house, I’m known as Mommy to our young daughters. My two worlds collided and began shaping into a blog. Useful Beautiful Home represents the hours I’ve dedicated to managing my household as efficiently as possible. I offer you motivation to keep your home healthy, organized, and welcoming. My goal is to share what I’ve implemented in my home to inspire you with fresh ideas and to encourage you to keep up the good work in yours!
**Get more Organized for Christmas tips.**
- Please note that affiliate links are included in this post to make it easier for you to find what is being referenced. A small commission is made should you purchase product using these links, but this is at no extra cost to you. As always, any and all opinions are genuinely my own – or the author, in the case of posts by my guest contributors. Thank you!*
MelanieL says
I love this idea! My mailer coupons clutter up one of my kitchen drawers and are never with me when I need them either.
Rachel says
That was the same problem I had before making a binder for the car! 🙂
Margot says
I’ve used this method for years and it’s great. I keep my coupons and loyalty cards clipped together in a half page size clear plastic envelope which I grab when I go into a store or shopping center. It’s easy to pass off to husband or kids (mine are young adults now and need to save money wherever they can) when they go shopping too. My complaint about email and online coupons is that access to them is questionable in a lot stores (where my service is also spotty even if they have wifi).
Rachel says
Margot, I’ve had that same trouble many times trying to access online coupons while in the store. We must have the same service carrier. 😉
monica says
Yes! I do something similar – when I get those BB&B coupons I take them directly from the mailbox, walk over to the car and and put into the side pocket of my drivers side (don’t use the book, just slip them in next to the plastic coated maps I keep there. I don’t even bring them in the house!
mommy says
That is a great idea. I was wondering how I would remember to get the binder book into the van once I had the coupon in that.
Rachel says
Love your method too and I bet it takes less than a minute. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Diana Faust says
Great idea! How often do you go thru and clean out expired coupons? (I’m thinking my Macy’s ones are always short/term.)
Rachel says
Great question, Diana! I usually clean out expired coupons as I’m adding the new ones. Those Macy’s coupons arrive on a regular basis. As the new ones come in the mailbox, I weed out the old expired group. Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons can be used beyond expiration, so I don’t clean those out often. I usually give them away to people in line around me who forgot their discount. 😉
M. Murphy says
I love your way better! I keep all of mine in a decorative pocket folder in my car.