WFMW: unconventional coupon storage

For several years now I have used a Deluxe Coupon Box (scroll down here to see it) to sort and organize my coupons. It's huge- it filled the baby seat of a shopping cart. It held all my supplies- coupons, scissors, calculator, refund forms, receipts, etc. It came with preprinted dividers, and over the years, I've added many of my own, so that this filing system is now perfectly suited for me. It worked great for me up until my kids got old enough to open the latch... at which point shopping trips became an exercise in balance and quick rescues. Can you imagine a box of this size being spilled all over the floor at a grocery store?! Oh, the horror!

Next, I started just pulling out the coupons I needed for a particular store, stuffing them in an envelope, and putting it in my purse. That worked ok for a while, but inevitably, I'd see an unexpected sale or clearance item and just know that I had a coupon for that item filed away at home. It wasn't working for me.

This week, I first tried an index card box, but it wasn't long enough to fit my dividers. Then I tried a shoebox with all the coupons.... but it was harder to handle than my giant coupon box. My two year old had a great time "helping" to reorganize mommy's coupons as we went through a store. Ugh.

But then, as I was walking through Target carefully guarding my shoebox, I spotted it.... a clear cosmetic bag that was just the right size. My divided tabs fit perfectly, and it's small enough to carry around without being bulky. (It's exactly the length and height of a Walgreens Easy Saver booklet- see mine in the back?) And- it has a zipper, so no worries about coupons falling out if it gets tipped over.

And the best part? It was on clearance for just a couple of dollars! That definitely works for me!

Head on over to Rocks in my Dryer for more WFMW tips!