How do you keep those things organized, anyways?

If you're just beginning couponing, you may be wondering: How on earth do I keep track of all of these little pieces of paper?  I thought the same thing when I began! The best method I have discovered is a coupon notebook, with baseball card holders as inserts (my first card pages were ones that my husband and I found while going through his childhood things).

I organize each page by category (food, cleaning, bathroom, razors, etc).  As you begin to collect more and more coupons, the categories can become more specific.  I've found it's also nice to try to group pages by shopping aisle; it saves you so much time when flipping through your pages!

I do indeed bring my coupon notebook with me to shop, and I wear it proudly-couponing is something to be very proud of, especially when you appear organized.  My first couponing trips I was too scared to bring in my notebook-I thought people would laugh-so I stuffed my coupons into my wallet and hoped for the best. 

My first couponing trip was to CVS in Starkville, MS.  Not only was it a successful trip in that I walked away with two bottles of free All Small and Mighty detergent (I started out small, and worked my way up!), but I also learned an invaluable lesson.  By not bringing my full notebook with me, I wasn't able to price check items that weren't on my shopping list at the time (and therefore, the coupons were not in my wallet).  You should always check clearance prices and have your coupons ready to go-you never know what stellar deals you'll find.  As I was leaving CVS that day I saw another woman with a bulging coupon binder taking her time walking up and down the aisles, comparing prices.  I was so excited to see a fellow couponer-and she proudly displayed her coupons!  And THAT is when I decided that there was no reason not to always have my notebook in tote.