Organizing coupons and rebates

I talk about coupons and rebates, but I don't think I have mentioned how I organize them. Organization is key! Here's what I do in case you were wondering!

Organizing my coupons

I keep my coupons as organized as I can by clipping them as I go. I hate having to go through an entire stack of inserts only to find half of them expired. I have been known to clip and file them while waiting the required time after my allergy shots. Clip them while watching TV or whenever you have to wait for anything (or even your lunch break if you work!) But you can't save money unless you clip these little savings gems.

After I clip them, I sort them based on categories. I bought a relatively inexpensive check/receipt keeper at Walmart. I spent the extra money to get one that is fabric and zips shut. It is bigger than normal coupon wallets (I confess, I buy my purses based on whether or not this thing fits inside!), but it has the room that I need to sort these coupons. Here are my major categories:

Store/Free - I keep a separate folder for these types of coupons since store coupons expire quickly in general and also because I hate to find an expired coupon later that I could have used. I go through these more frequently than the others because of their short life span.

Snacks/breads
Dairy
Freezer
Baby
Cleaners/paper products - this is where I put anything that has to do with any aspect of cleaning, be it paper towels, toilet bowl cleaner or dryer sheets.
Pets
Drinks - anything liquid that is consumed goes here
Toiletries
Misc - Miscellaneous is the catch all for anything that doesn't quite fit into these categories. I put battery coupons, panty hose coupons, etc in here.

I try to go through my coupon wallet at least once a month to pull out any expired coupons. It is helpful to clean out the expired when you are filing your coupons that you just clipped. I sort the newly clipped coupons by my own categories above, and then pull all of the coupons out and weed out the expired ones all at the same time to save time.

Organizing my rebates

I use a so-called brag book for this purpose. What I do is slide one rebate in per empty pocket and if I have a coordinating coupon, I put it with the form. By keeping the two together, I maximize my savings because I immediately know that I have a coupon for the rebate item. If a rebate item is one of those graduated rebates where you have to buy say $75 worth of meat and I bought a portion of it, I keep the receipt with the rebate. Another thing that I will do is I will address the envelope and write HOLD up in the corner so that I know it is not ready to send yet. I will then keep a running tally in the corner where the stamp goes and then I know at a glance how close I am to having the full amount to be able to redeem the rebate.

If the item does not have a rebate form per se, tucking the receipts in there will help keep everything straight. Caregiver's Marketplace requires at least 5 items before you can send in for the rebate and keeping the receipts all in one place is key to not losing receipts that you intend to use for a rebate item.

One thing I do try to do is send my rebates out as soon as possible after purchase. Life is hectic and things get lost in my house with kids and pets. Trust me when I say that there's nothing worse than losing a receipt for a rebate. To me, losing that receipt is akin to losing actual cold, hard cash.

If anyone else has organization tips to share, please do! I am always looking tips on how to organize these things. I came by my method by trial and error and if someone has a better idea, I am all ears!