Coupons are a great way to cut down the family expenses. Although most of us collect coupons enthusiastically, when it comes to produce them at the store, it is a different story altogether. Sometimes, we do not carry the right coupon, and even if we carry all of them, we would not find the right one at the right time. What would be even worse is that while you are looking for a particular one, the others might tumble out of your purse. A coupon organizer would be very helpful for you to manage your coupons. There are a large variety of coupon organizers available in the market. However, depending on one's shopping pattern and the types of coupons, it might be difficult to find the right kind of organizer. On the other hand, if one knew making a coupon organizer, he/she could make one at home to suit his/her convenience. Tips to Make a Coupon Organizer There are various ways and materials that one can use for making a coupon organizer. The most important thing to consider is that it should serve the purpose it is being made for. It should be based on your shopping pattern and should help you while shopping. The following are some of the most common ways and materials used to make coupon organizers at home. Using Envelopes

• Go through all your coupons, and list down the various categories of coupons that you have.
• Take as many number of envelopes as the categories. Ensure that all the envelopes are of the same size.
• Write the name of the categories on each envelope. Clip all the coupons according to the category, and insert them in the respective envelopes.
• Now that all the coupons are sorted according to their category, it's time to organize them in a box. You can use shoe boxes, file folders, or plastic containers for this.

Using an Index File Box

• A cardboard shoe box or a plastic box with a lid can be used to make a coupon organizer.
• You could either buy index dividers according to the size of the box or make them on your own.
• Ensure that each index divider is tabbed so that the sections can be marked.
• In case you don't have a large coupon collection, you could make do with a recipe box or an index card box.
• Use dividers to separate the categories of coupons that you have. Then, cut, clip, and sort all the coupons within each category.

Using an Accordion File

• A large accordion file or one as small as a wallet could be modified to work as a coupon organizer.
• Use each pocket to store a different category of coupons. Leave the first pocket empty so that you could store all the coupons that you plan to use during your next shopping spree.
• Whether it is an accordion style folder or wallet, ensure that it has tabs on top of each pocket so that you can mark each pocket according to the category of the coupons that you plan to put in. This method can be used to make a useful coupon organizer wallet or a purse size coupon organizer.

Using a Binder

• For those who use a lot of coupons, making a grocery coupon organizer out of a regular binder is a great option. One can use a flexible or a hard binder.
• Though one can buy a regular binder, a zippered one with inside pockets would be a better option, as it could be used to carry a calculator, pens, and even a paper pad to take notes while shopping.
• Besides the binder, one would need CD holder sheets for larger coupons and diskette holder sheets for smaller coupons.
• Sheet protectors can be used for rebate forms. Put these sheets in the binder.
• Organize the coupons according to the category, and start filing them into the slot in the pages.
• Now, use a stick-on divider on the first page of each coupon category, and write down the name of each category on the tabs. Binders can be modified to form a very efficient grocery coupon organizer.

Organizing Coupons A coupon organizer can really reduce the hassles of managing coupons. This process can be made more orderly by further arranging the coupons according to any one of the following methods:

• Sorting the coupons according to the product category is the most commonly followed practice. This is where categorizing the coupons helps. One could categorize them according to specific products or into broader groups like 'dairy products', beauty products', etc.
• Sort the coupons month wise according to the date of expiry. Keep all the coupons with the closest expiry date in the first few pages, and those with later dates of expiry in the succeeding pages.
• One could also sort the coupons in alphabetical order according to the names of the products.

With the fierce competition these days, many manufacturers offer discount coupons. Learning how to make a coupon organizer will enable to make the most of these coupons. From a coupon organizer wallets to purses, there are a wide variety of coupon organizers available in the market. However, a tailor made coupon organizer to suit your convenience is the best option to enjoy your shopping experience and save some money as well.