Psst — today is our travel day leaving Portland, so after 1pm EST we’ll likely be slow to respond to comments. We’re sad to go but so glad we had the chance to explore the city. We’ll share a full recap soon about the art we bought, the amazing house we stayed in, the bacon-on-a-donut adventure, and John’s two new food-themed t-shirts.

I get asked a lot how I organize the non-grocery coupons—things like Michael’s, JoAnn, Old Navy, Bed Bath & Beyond, and restaurant vouchers. Grocery coupons live in a clear envelope that comes with us only when we’re grocery shopping, but the rest used to be a disaster. I kept them in the passenger-side door of the car, which meant I always had them with me, but it also meant they were easy to forget, often expired, and impossible to find in a hurry. I’d regularly find myself running back to the car while shopping because I forgot a coupon, and sometimes it was already expired by the time I retrieved it.

I needed a better system, and I found one in the notebook aisle at Target.

It looked like a small notebook, but when I opened it I realized it had a thin notepad on one side and an accordion-style fold-out pocket on the other. That’s when the idea clicked. I could place all my non-grocery coupons in the accordion pockets and use the notepad to keep a running list of what was inside, crossing off coupons as they were used or expired. Keeping the whole thing in my purse means the coupons are always with me, so no more mid-shopping sprints back to the car.

I labeled each accordion section and started writing down the coupons on the pad. After using the system for about a month, it’s become a tiny organizational miracle for me. I can see at a glance which coupons are current, which are nearing expiration, and which I can ignore. I circle the ones that are about to expire so I remember to use them before they’re gone.

The notebook cost around six bucks, and the notepad is still barely used. Coupons circulate in and out so the notepad hasn’t filled up quickly; when it does I’ll tear off the used page and start a fresh one. The kit is recyclable and made by a company called Greenroom, which helped me find it at the store.

To make the system work for me, I created categories that match my shopping habits: craft, food, clothes, Bed Bath & Beyond, and misc. By “food” I mean restaurant coupons—printed Groupon deals, dining fliers, and neighborhood restaurant mailers—not grocery-store coupons. Grocery coupons still live in the clear envelope that stays at home unless we plan a grocery run; they only come along when we know we’re headed to the store.

This approach has made coupon use so much easier. Giving those loose papers a permanent, portable home has reduced waste, prevented expired surprises, and actually helped me save more money because I remember to use what I have. It’s a simple fix, but it keeps my bag from turning into a paper graveyard and turns coupon chaos into a manageable system.

If you’re wrestling with the same problem, try a slim organizer with an accordion pocket and a notepad. Label the pockets to match your typical coupon types, keep the pad updated, and store it where you always carry it. It’s far more effective than a random pile shoved into a car door.

And of course, I’d love to hear other people’s tricks. If you’ve found a better method for keeping coupons organized and easy to use, tell me so I can try it. A scatterbrained momma always appreciates a smart new system.