Transformation From Coupon Box to Coupon Binder

I used a coupon box for more than 25 years of couponing, but after the Extreme Couponing show debuted on the TLC channel, I had to admit those coupon binders did look pretty impressive. When I saw a black binder on sale for just $5 at a Goodwill store, I bought it and began the transformation from coupon box to coupon binder. 

It turned into quite a fiasco, involving quite a few dollars invested into plastic sleeves and dividers and several hours transfering coupons.


I wasn't sure it was going to be worth all the work, but I did like the organized look of the binder.  I knew, however, the true test would be with my first shopping trip.


That first trip was to a Walgreen's.  The binder sat nicely on my purse inside the baby seat of the cart and I liked being able to have the ads laying inside, along with my lists. The coupon box always took up the whole seat and ads didn’t fit on the side.
Score one for the binder.

My husband did one order and I did three, two of them just Reach toothbrushes. My husband’s order looked like this: 2 Finesse shampoos on sale for 2/$7, 4 2-packs of Reach Advanced toothbrushes on sale for 2/$5, and a Gillette Fusin razor on sale for $9.89. He used a $4 coupon on the razor, $1 coupons on the Finesse shampoos and $2 coupons on each Reach 2-pack. Out of the register popped a $5 catalina from the shampoo, a $5 coupon from the razor and TWO catalina coupons for Reach, one a month-long offer and one a weekly offer, $3 and $4 respectively. A woman behind him saw the catalinas come out and asked how he got so many. She had a coupon binder and said she was just learning how to use coupons. I came over and explained the Reach offer to her and gave her four $2 coupons so she could do it herself. I did a total of three Reach transactions, one of them combined with other merchandise, including 6 Gillette deodorants that I had Buy One, Get One Free coupons for. With the purchase of 6, I got a $10 catalina. I also bought the Finesse shampoo, one Bic Solei razor, Revlon clippers that were on sale for Buy one, get one half price and I had a $3 and a $1 coupon on, as well as several toothbrushes I found on clearance for 99-cents that I had $1 coupons for.

It was fairly easy to flip through the pages to find my coupons. Score another for the binder, or maybe it was simply because I organized specifically for this trip.
Our total for all our transactions was $67.52, minus the three $10 register rewards= $37.52. And we had $60 in register rewards to use on our next trip.
And all this stuff either to stock in our own cupboard or to fill Christmas baskets for our adult children.

Could I have done as well with my coupon box?
Probably.
But I wouldn’t have looked as cool doing it.