I absolutely hate it when I let a "really good" coupon expire. I recently found a $3.00 coupon for Nexus hair products (luckily not expired yet) buried in an envelope that I try to keep all my coupons and gift cards in. It made me realize that I probably never would use this coupon, and it, just like so many others, would just sit in my envelope serving no purpose but to exist. Because of this realization, I decide to come up with an efficiant way to share my coupons with the rest of my family.
My house seems to be more like a station for refueling and maintenance (sleep, showering, etc.). When we do get a change to talk, talking about coupons is the last topic on the agenda (ok, it's not even on the list). So I need an easily accesable way to share my discount gifts. Because the refrigerator is the main hub for refueling, I decided to make "pocket envelopes" to hang on the refrigerator; that way, while my 17 year old brother drinks milk straight from the gallon, he can look to see if there are any food coupons (surprisingly, he loves a good deal just as much as I do).
Okay, so here one idea I came up with: pocket enevopes you can make with cardstock, construction paper, or whatever else you want to try.
Pocket Envelope Directions
Materials
Paper (patterns given are for 8.5x11" and 12x12")
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Glue
Decorative elements of you choice
8.5 x 11 Template
You can make these pockets on 8.5 x 11 printer paper, scrapbook paper, or card stock. Make sure your printer can take card stock, also make sure you put the correct side of the paper facing up in the printer. Or, you can draw your own pattern using these steps (see pictures below):
12 x 12 Template
Most standard home printers do not printers do not print on 12 x 12 papers. Follow the directions to draw your own template.
Additional Ideas
My house seems to be more like a station for refueling and maintenance (sleep, showering, etc.). When we do get a change to talk, talking about coupons is the last topic on the agenda (ok, it's not even on the list). So I need an easily accesable way to share my discount gifts. Because the refrigerator is the main hub for refueling, I decided to make "pocket envelopes" to hang on the refrigerator; that way, while my 17 year old brother drinks milk straight from the gallon, he can look to see if there are any food coupons (surprisingly, he loves a good deal just as much as I do).
Okay, so here one idea I came up with: pocket enevopes you can make with cardstock, construction paper, or whatever else you want to try.
Pocket Envelope Directions
Materials
Paper (patterns given are for 8.5x11" and 12x12")
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Glue
Decorative elements of you choice
8.5 x 11 Template
You can make these pockets on 8.5 x 11 printer paper, scrapbook paper, or card stock. Make sure your printer can take card stock, also make sure you put the correct side of the paper facing up in the printer. Or, you can draw your own pattern using these steps (see pictures below):
- Lay the paper in portrait orientation flat on a hard, even working station.
- Fold the paper in "half" with one side being 1/4 inch longer. Unfold the paper.
- On the shorter side of the fold, draw a line on either side of the paper from the center fold down to the end of the paper. The line should be about 1.5 inches from the edge of the paper.
- Using the lines you just drew as a guide, cut off the paper inside the lines. You should now have one side with "flaps."
- Fold in half and lay the paper back on your work station; the side with the flaps is flat on the table.
- Fold the flaps back flat on to the top part of you paper.
- Make sure this is the size of pocket you want. Cut to your preference
- Glue the flaps down on to the back of the pocket. Tip: Do not pull the flaps tight when you glue them down. You want the front to have a small "pouch" so you can stick a lot of coupons in it!
- Add embellishments
12 x 12 Template
Most standard home printers do not printers do not print on 12 x 12 papers. Follow the directions to draw your own template.
- Draw a straight line from top of paper to bottom 3" from the edge. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Using a ruler draw a straight line from the corner of the paper to line A. Repeat on all corners.
- Cut out the triangular shaped area you have created at the corners.
- Lay the paper flat and straight in front of you on a hard surface. This will help ensure even folding. Fold the bottom square all the way up so that the bottom of the paper is now even with the cut outs.
- Fold in each flap
- Grab the top point, fold down and to the side (away from the center). Repeat on opposite side.
- Fold back the two bottom flaps so that they lay flat on the back side of the pocket.
- Ensure you like the size and folds of your pocket. Glue down the flaps on the back and tuxedo flap at the top
- Add embellishments to taste
Additional Ideas
- You can make the pockets with any size paper depending on the size of pocket you desire. You can also cut flaps and folds to adjust size and design.
- Add magnets to the back of the pockets for easy hanging on your refrigerator or use ribbon to hang elsewhere
- Add "titles" to your pockets for easier organization. Click here for ideas
- Embellishment ideas: ribbon, beads, buttons, stickers, two colored paper, scrap paper, glitter
- If you have card pockets from wedding invitations (see Exclusively Weddings) you can take out the invitation card and just use the pocket. This is an easy way to get a decorative coupon pocket. Use your favorite refrigerator magnet to hang quickly.
If you have any tips or ideas about pocket coupon organizers, share in a comment.
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