Extreme Couponing Made Manageable

I am definitely not one of those Extreme Couponing Momma's that you have watched on TLC's show, however I do enjoy good bargains and I am willing to put work into finding them. 

Like so many other Momma's, part of my ritual of bargain shopping is clipping coupons. What I have found is that clipping the coupons is actually the simple part. It's organizing them for easy access while shopping that is challenging. 

I've tried the side pockets of my purse. I've tried large envelopes. And, I've tried accordion file folders. Although these tools may be effective for some, not a one of them have allowed me to effectively organize my coupons in a fashion that granted me easy access while shopping. 

People have suggested all types of other organizational strategies to me, such as baseball card holders and binders with protective sheets. They all seem so brilliant. However, I have wanted something small, something easy to access, something that is able to fit comfortably in my purse, something that works for ME! 

And, after a little perusing at the Dollar Tree I came up with my $1 Photo Album Coupon Organizer! 

To get started I dumped all my coupons out on my ottoman and placed them in neat piles according to the different aisles and departments in the store.

Then, I grabbed my new $1 Photo Album from the Dollar Tree , carefully organized my coupons into one of the 48 "pockets" (picture windows), and used my colored 3M Labels to make tabs.

Twenty Four Colored Tabs later, I began placing the coupons that I wanted to use on my immediate visit in the front of the pocket & the ones for later use in the back. 

After about an hour of sorting, labeling, and marking all the tabs, my $1 Photo Album Coupon Organizer was complete and ready for my next shopping excursion! And, I am proud to say that the few times I have used my Organizer my shopping experiences have been quicker, more organized, and I have saved far more money then before.