Tutorial: How to Make Your Own Coupon Binder

Let me start this post off by saying that I am, by no means, a coupon maven/diva/afficionado/expert/et al - at all! It's been a long time in the making (I bought the supplies shown below 6+ months ago), but I'm finally starting to see the benefits of couponing and how it can help my little family. Since I'm stay-at-home with Isaiah, it's been a real struggle for me to feel like I'm contributing to the household despite Josh's amazing support and encouragement. Couponing allows me to feel like I'm contributing though, even if it's just by saving 50 cents here and a nickel there.

Like most of my projects, I researched how to make a coupon binder to the extreme before I actually committed to making my own. I'm glad I did, because there are a lot of different things people do out there! Some tips are great, and some oversights are just ridiculous, so with my little bit of knowledge on the subject, I present to you...

How to Make Your Own Coupon Binder

Step 1. You'll need supplies! For me, I got 16 tab dividers, 30 baseball card sleeve sheets, a pen, a pair of scissors, and a 3-ring binder. Oh and coupons. You'll want a few of those to start out, too!

Step 2. Label your tab dividers. This is where I got stuck for the last 6 months, because I couldn't figure out how I wanted to organize my coupons. I finally decided to create tabs for the stores I shop at most frequently (Safeway, Babies R Us, Target, QFC, and Albertson's), that way I could easily find any store-specific coupons that I cut from the paper. You can also think about having tabs for restaurants you frequent, services (like I had a coupon for a hair cut), and miscellaneous items.

Additionally, I created separate tabs for frequently-purchased items where I might have a manufacturer's coupon that could be used at multiple retailers. For these, I created tabs for: baby, household (cleaning), frozen, produce, baking, drinks, and meat.

Step 3. Insert your tabs and the baseball card holders. These work out great for displaying your coupons, but keeping them nice and orderly. I like this method much better than the typical coupon folders you find that are an accordion style. Quick Tip: When placing coupons in these holders, arrange them in order of coupon expiration - sooner first, later last.

Step 4. Stock your binder with a few things you might need, either on-the-fly or when you're sitting down and clippin' those coups! I recommend having at least one pen, a pair of scissors, and maybe some scrap paper or small notepad for writing down any memos or shopping lists. A binder that has pockets on the inside is ideal for staying organized.

One final tip for y'all: Really invest in that 3-ring binder! It's going to go through a lot of wear-and-tear with all the trips to the store and being cracked open so you can score some super savings. Pick one out that is fabric-covered (the plastic ones break along the spine way too easy). You'll also want the binder to have a complete zipper closure, just in case the unfortunate happens and you drop your binder in the parking lot - the zipper will keep all those meticulously curated coupons from flying out of place. And last, but not least, if you can find a binder that has a handle or strap, get it! These things are so big and bulky, and definitely not made for carrying around in a cute clutch, so make it easier on yourself and grab one that's ultra-portable.