Top 5 Organizational Tips for Coupon Moms

 Whether it's the economy or people simply realizing that not using coupons is the equivalent of throwing away good money, the art of couponing is more popular than ever! Gone are the days when people assumed that it was simply something that grandma did. Now, coupon collecting is so popular that TLC has a show dedicated to it entitled Extreme Couponing.

So, if you're a mom who is thinking about getting serious about collecting coupons or you're not new to the "art, " but you're looking to apply a few organizational tips, we have enclosed five great ones that will make your couponing a lot easier:

Sort by category. One thing that you can do to keep your coupons organized is to sort them by category. So, you could have one pile that is for dairy products and another for meats. You can also have a section that is devoted to beauty products and another that is for household cleaning items.

Sort by expiration date. Is there anything worse than taking your coupons with you to a store and in the midst of checking out, the sales associate alerts you to the fact that three of your five coupons have already expired? One way that you can avoid this mishap is by making a point to sort your coupons by the expiration date that is on them.

Sort alphabetically. Say that you're planning a day where you're going to go to Wal-Mart, Kroger's and then stop by to check out any possible deals at Kohls. It might be quicker for you to pick out the coupons that you have if they are already put in alphabetical order. For some people, this is easier than both of the other suggestions that were previously mentioned.

Use coupon software. If you are someone who has a huge collection of coupons that has you so overwhelmed when it comes to your upcoming shopping trips that you're not sure what to do, you might want to think about investing into some coupon software. They are specifically created to keep your coupons organized and to even notify up of when they are about to expire. There are many kinds that you can buy including MrsAsCouponOrganizer, CouponSavingSoftware or you can go online to promo code websites such as RetailMeNot.com or Coupons.com, create a member account and store them online until you're ready to use them.

Test out a few methods. Through a bit of trial and error, many people have discovered what has worked for them. Some options that you may want to try include the Binder method, which is purchasing either a coupon binder or a scrapbook to place your coupons in. Another one is known as the Hybrid method in which you cut out the coupons that you are certain that you will use and put them in one pile and then place the remaining parts of the inserts into another.