Alphabetically – Set up divider tabs or your envelopes from A-Z and file your coupons away. If you have a very good idea of all the coupons you currently have, this may be a good system for you.

By Expiry Date – Check the expiry dates on all of your coupons. Write down the dates on your divider tabs or envelopes and sort your coupons this way.

By Category – In my opinion, sorting by category is the easiest, especially if you have alot of coupons and can’t always remember each and every one that you have. The most common categories are: health, beauty, pets, baby/kids, food, household, and misc. but you could always go more in depth and do something like this: food – cereal, food – meat, food – fruits & vegetables, beauty – makeup, beauty – hair care, etc. Once you’ve created your categories, just put your coupons in the categories that they belong.

Note: Make sure that you go through your coupons and weed out the expired ones at least once a month! This prevents the task from becoming overwhelming, and also prevents embarrassment at the store if you try to use an expired coupon.

Do I really have to carry my coupons with me EVERYWHERE I go?

I wouldn’t suggest bringing them out to dinner with you. Or to family get-togethers. Or the movies. I do, however, suggest bringing them with you anywhere you go IF you think it’s possible you may end up in a store that accepts coupons. A good tip for this is to make sure to keep your coupons in your purse or car with you so that if you do make that unexpected trip, your coupons are right there and you don’t miss out on a good deal!

Some people suggest only carrying the coupons you plan on using when you go shopping. This idea is fine and dandy, but I suggest carrying ALL of your coupons in case of unexpected deals. Many stores have items on sale that are not advertised in their flyers. You can also almost always find clearance racks at stores and you would miss out on those deals if you don’t have all of your coupons with you! What if you see Secret Deodorant on the clearance shelf for .99 and that item wasn’t in the flyer so you didn’t bring your .75 coupon for it? That means you miss out on this deal or pay the .99 for it instead of the possible .24 (because odds are, if you leave the store to go get your coupon, by the time you get back, someone will have already bought this clearance item).