Today is the first day of the July session of my Organize Your Paper Clutter online class. (Update: Organize Your Paper Clutter is now available as a self-paced online class.) So I thought it would be fun to share a little paper organizing project — a simple coupon organizer.

simple coupon organizer

You might remember that earlier this year, I went to the Get Organized St. Louis Organizing Expo. One idea I flipped over was this simple coupon organizer that professional organizer Julie Hough shared with the group. I was inspired to go home and make one myself. Before I get into the details, I have to share that I’m the opposite of an extreme couponer. I love to use coupons for clothing purchases, eating out, craft purchases (Michael’s, Archivers, etc.) and I’ll use some of Target’s coupons. But that’s about it. I have tried quite a few coupon solutions in the past, such as a 3-ring binder. This was overkill for me. I was excited about it when I put it together, thinking that a fun, coupon organizing binder would inspire me to change my coupon habits. But it didn’t. Not at all. Before that, I used a small accordion file for my coupons. And…I didn’t like it. It shouldn’t have surprised me, really, because I don’t like bigger accordion files either. It’s just find it too hard to get stuff in and out…and papers kind of disappear when I put them in an accordion file. My favorite solution for coupons, to date, was a single file folder that I kept in the file basket on my kitchen counter. The biggest downside to that system was that it was almost too easy to file coupons…so coupons would get pretty out of date rather quickly. And this system wasn’t portable for me because my purse isn’t large enough to hold an entire file folder.

This is why I loved the simple, coupon organizer so much. It seemed ideal for a casual couponer like me. Plus, it keeps coupons visible and it’s nice and portable. Here’s how to make one:

Step 1. Collect your supplies.

how to make a coupon organizer using a brag book and office supplies

To make this little coupon organizer, all you need is:

  • One 4 x 6 photo brag book. (I got mine at Target.)
  • Post-it tabs. (I got mine from Office Max)
  • A label maker. (I actually ended up using my P-touch label maker.)
  • Coupons and gift cards.

Step 2: Organize your coupons and decide on categories for your organizer.

Here are the categories I used:

  • Target
  • Restaurants
  • Mall
  • Office supplies
  • Groceries (I must have had high hopes the day I made the organizer. That one is empty.)
  • Local biz (This is for things like skating at the Y, local cooking classes, etc.)
  • St. Louis
  • Gift cards (I love having a place for gift cards!)

Organize gift cards using a small photo album

Step 3: Print labels and adhere to tabs.

I also printed a label for the front cover.

Step 4: Attach tabs to photo album and put away your coupons.

coupon organizer made from a brag book

Step 5: Remember to tuck your coupon organizer into your purse when you shop!

Or, if you have a big enough purse, you could store your coupon organizer right in your purse and always have your coupons when you need them.

Photo album coupon organizer

So that’s all there is to it! Thanks again to Julie Hough for inspiring this simple and fun organizing project! And now…I’d love to hear from you. Are you a big-time couponer or a moderate coupon user like me? What works for your when it comes to organizing coupons? Thanks so much for sharing your ideas!

Aby