Over the past few years more and more retail stores and restaurants are offering coupons. This is great for the consumer but it can be a daunting task keeping these coupons organized.

First of all, don’t mix grocery store coupons with non-grocery store coupons. Grocery store coupons should have their very own organizer and a totally different type of organization that isn’t being covered here.

Now for your retail store and restaurant coupons (like Bed, Bath, & Beyond and TGI Friday’s), keep them together in an organizer that allows you to have dividers with alphabetical separations. You’ll want to organize your coupons alphabetically by the name of the retail store or restaurant. A coupon for Chico’s would fall behind the letter “C” while a coupon for Macy’s would fall behind the letter “M” and a coupon for TGI’s Friday would fall behind the letter “T.” You can group 2 or 3 alphabetical letters together, i.e., AB, CD, EFG.

If the store begins with the word “The” don’t file it under the letter “T”, instead use the next main word. You will find that some coupons are so large that they need to be trimmed on the sides. Use an organizer similar to the one pictured above. You can find this particular organizer at Office Depot. There are 13 divided compartments and 13 small paper tabs that group alphabetical letters together.

Now that you have taking the time to organize your coupons, you’ll want to make sure that you use them. To increase your chance of using the coupons, I highly recommend keeping your coupon organizer in your car at all times.

Please note, if you use the type of organizer pictured above, place a tiny piece of Scotch™ tape on each side of the clear tab to hold the white paper tab inside. If not, when the organizer is tipped, the paper tabs may fall out.

Happy coupon cutting,

One of the hottest items on the market for this spring and summer is SwitchFlops by Lindsay Phillips. These flip-flops and heels allow you to change the strap on your shoe. You’ll no longer need to spend tons of money stocking your summer wardrobe full of sandals and flip-flops to match your outfits. By purchasing one pair of SwitchFlops and additional straps with varying colors and designs, you’ll have others convinced you have a closet full of shoes.

Just how does it work? The design strap simply adheres to the Velcro strap that is attached to the shoe making for quick and easy style changes. And with a flat and wedge style flip-flop, cork heel, black heel and children’s flip-flops to choose from, not to mention over 60 different strap designs, the fashion possibilities are endless!

So stop in to All Bright Ideas and step into a pair of SwitchFlops (adult and kid sizes available). All Bright Ideas is located on Main Street in Emmaus, Pennsylvania (just three blocks from Allentown).