Create a coupon system

You are diligent about clipping coupons every week and searching for printable coupons online but you're still not saving as much as you could be. Follow these steps to get organized and maximize your coupon savings at the register.

Buy a coupon holder. Carry your coupons to the store in a 5" x 7" photo album. Use sticky tabs on the page edges to organize coupons by food category. Or, if you want to combine your price book and organizer into one, buy clear plastic photo sleeves to fit into your binder.

Clip coupons. But cut out only the ones you'll really use―sorting through too many can be cumbersome, and you may overlook one that's especially valuable. Regularly weed out coupons that have expired.

Use them wisely. It might be tempting to apply a coupon to a full-priced product, but if you wait until it's on sale, your total savings will be much greater, and the resulting cost will be comparable to the price of the generic-brand item.