Fourth Rule of Couponing

Get and STAY organized! 

This is probably the hardest for me to date, as I STILL am not completely organized!  After moving in August, having a premature baby in October, then all the holidays after that, I am finally at a point where I can organize my coupons in a better way than the "pile method" I currently use, that takes up practically my whole bedroom!  But, I do have a plan.  There are 2 ways that I have found that work to best organize coupons:
1. File method: 
What to purchase: Plastic file box and file folders
How to organize:  People that use this method take the coupon inserts from the newspaper and file them by date.  They also write the date of the paper on the top of the front page of the coupon insert.  The most recent inserts are in the front, followed by the inserts from the week before, and so on... Coupons are not cut until the shopping trip they are to be used for.
Pro: When looking online at sites that help you plan your shopping trip, you may see something like this:
-$1/1 Colgate Toothpaste SS 1/14
This means the Colgate coupon is located in the Smart Source coupon insert from 1/14.  If using this method, you will open your file box, pick out the folder from 1/14, take out the Smart Source insert, find your coupon and cut it out as you plan the shopping trip in which you will use this coupon.
This method is easy if you don't mind searching and cutting before each trip.  It allows you to easily find the coupons listed on the planning sites such as southernsavers.com.
Con: People who use this method print the online printables before they shop as well, the drawback is that most printables have a print limit set by the manufacturers.  If the manufacturer only allows 20,000 coupons to be printed, if it is a highly sought after coupon, it can go quickly.  If you wait to print it, it could already be gone!  Also, coupons that print at the store for you (Catalina coupons that print at Kroger and Target), coupons located on items at the store, and store coupon booklets don't have a place to be filed in this method.  You could make a file folder for it, but you still may not know what you have!
You can't take your file to the store with you in case you find an unadvertised deal or something on clearance you may have a coupon for.
2. Coupon Notebook Method:
What to purchase: Binder or notebook; clear, plastic, baseball card pages; pencil pouch (optional)
How to organize: This is up to you, but I will give you a few ideas!
Take your baseball card pages and load them into your notebook.  Categorize your pages in whatever way suits you best: by type of product, alphabetically (bread, candy, cereal, etc...), by aisle in your grocery store, by date and coupon insert from the paper.
When you get your paper on Sunday, cut all coupons and file them in the correct category, putting each coupon in a pocket of the baseball card page.  Put coupons for the same product, together, the one with the earliest expiration date first.
The pencil pouch can store paper, pens and scissors for you to cut your coupons and make your list.  So, you have everything you need to coupon!
Pro: All cutting is done at one time. When a new online printable comes available, you can print it immediately, cut it and file it away until you use it.  There is also an easier accessible place to keep the coupon you get and find from other sources.  When a coupon is listed as one to be used for the week, instead of looking by date (unless you categorize your coupons by date), you look in the appropriate category to find your coupon.  The pencil pouch can serve as a place to store your coupons that you will use on your next shopping trip.  I use an envelope per store since I plan to go to 2-3 stores a week.  So, when I go to Publix, I grab the envelope with all the coupons I pulled to use at Publix.
You can also take your notebook to the store with you.  You never know what is unadvertised or on clearance that you have a coupon for!
Con: How ever you file, it may still be confusing as to where you put a coupon you're looking for.  If you file by product and you're looking for a coupon for Toaster Strudel, you need to remember where you filed it.  Is it under breakfast foods or frozen foods?  If you file by aisle in the grocery store, what happens when you file for Publix and go to Kroger? Confusion! Also, it takes more time to file them this way because you cut everything (or at least everything you might use, i.e. I don't cut out anything pet related because I don't have one!  Some of you may not have babies, so you don't need to cut those coupons, unless you cut them out for someone else!)  Since you are also printing every printable coupon out there (twice, I hope), you may not use all of them and end up wasting paper, but the money you're saving, you can easily buy yourself another pack, or even box of paper!
So, decide for yourself which way of organizing your coupons is best for you!  I am going to be putting my notebook together on Friday.  I will take pictures to show you how I am organizing it as I go.  Don't forget to check for coupons on the ads of office supply stores before you shop!  You might as well save some money on the things you will use to save money!!  Have fun organizing and let me know what system you decide to use!