A friend recently asked “What should I do with the menus, coupons and special offers cluttering up my kitchen?”  We can all relate.  We keep these menus and coupons because we want to use them, how do we actually find what we need when it comes time to order / buy dinner or go shopping?

Here are some ideas to face this challenge!

1. The Low-tech Answer: Use a binder with clear pockets or page protectors to corral your menus and restaurant special offers.
   1. Why? Having just one location to stash such items helps cut clutter, and makes it easier to purge the old outdated menus and coupons.
   2. In addition, keeping these items in just one place makes it more likely you will find what you need when you need it.  Imagine, a random Thursday evening and you’re jonesing for pizza or Chinese food.  Having the menu and coupons to your favorite restaurants in the same location makes dinner that much easier!
   3. Keep your store coupons portable, too.  I’ve used coupon holders, but I’ve realized I rarely use food coupons, so now I carry the useful ones in my handbag in a small clear envelope with my retail coupons (like office max/ depot, bed bath and beyond, etc.)
2. The Mid-tech Answer:  I am moving toward non-paper coupons and offers, cutting paper clutter big time!  Try these techy but not too techy suggestions:
   1. Bookmark websites for your favorite restaurants and retail destinations.
   2. Also, subscribe to their emails, to receive special offers in your inbox. Create a folder in your in-box just for special offers, so they don’t clutter your inbox and so you can find them again when you’re looking for them (on your smart phone, in line at the store!).  And purge the oldest and expired offers periodically.
   3. I also have the Key Ring App, to scan my loyalty cards into my phone, so I always have the codes with me.
3. High tech answer:  Make your Smartphone even smarter.
   1. Download the apps for your favorite restaurants and retail destinations. Start with the stores you know and love; for example, I primarily shop at Jewel (MyMixx), Target (Cartwheel) and Costco, so I have apps for those on my phone.  I have a new Meijer and Mariano’s near me, so if I was looking for new places to shop, I could download their apps.
   2. Honorable mentions from my Facebook Friends include Meijer, Target Cartwheel, Ibotta, checkout 51, CVS, My Mixx (Jewel), Snap, Saving Star and Fooducate.
   3. Sign up for push notifications for coupons and special offers on your smart phone (so long as you don’t get charged for texts) from your favorite restaurants and retail destinations.  For example, I receive multiple texts a week with special discount offers from Macy’s and Lakeshore Learning.
   4. Sign up for shopping apps like Coupon Sherpa and RetailMeNot, to receive coupons via your smartphone based on where you are.  And finally,
4. Know yourself, and how you choose to shop.  I choose to go to certain restaurants or shop at certain stores based on needs and wants, not on whether or not I have a coupon.  However, if I’m going to a certain place anyway, receiving special offers while I’m there sounds like a great idea!

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions, and to LR for asking the question.  As is often the case, writing this blog article inspired me, too! I’ve added apps to my phone, specifically Target Cartwheel, Panda Express, Panera, Starbucks and RetailMeNot as I’ve typed this up!  Give one of these solutions a try!