DIY: Takeout menu & coupon binder (with free printables)

takeout menu binder, coupon binder, coupon organizer, mother's day

My mother is a huge fan of both takeout. [sidenote: In her defense, she works the graveyard shift, so when she wakes up after a day of sleeping there isn’t much time for her to cook a meal before getting ready for work] She also loves herself some coupons; I guess that’s where I get my frugal nature from.

So for Mother’s Day this year, I thought I would make her a takeout menu/coupon binder to hold all her goodies (especially since her current organization method consists of an old, decrepit paper folder). The materials only cost me around $7.50, and assembly was no more than an hour or two process. I’ve seen these online and in bookstores for around $20, and they are half the size of the one I made, which just isn’t big enough for some coupon flyers.

So if you need a last-minute, budget-friendly, made-with-love Mother’s Day gift idea, (or if you just want to make this for a gift for someone or yourself) here’s a quick how-to and all the files you’ll need to make your own takeout menu/coupon binder.

Takeout Menu & Coupon Binder How-To:

Materials:

1 1/2” binder (I got this adorable one above from Target; it’s a collection they are currently carrying by Green-Inspired, and there were plenty of colors/designs to choose from. This saved me from having to decorate the outside of a regular 3-ring binder and gave me inspiration for the rest of the book – well worth the $4.99 price tag, if you ask me!)
Cardstock (Color: your choice, number of sheets: varies depending on how you wish to customize your binder. I bought a package of 50 colored cardstock sheets from JoAnn’s for $2.50 ($3.99 plus 40% off coupon) and used about half
Aleene’s Tacky Glue
Gluestick
Paper cutter or scissors
Optional: Circle cutter
Sewing machine and thread
Free printables (see links in directions to download)

Directions:

1. Download the free printables file here. This will give you everything you need for the binder, including binder labels, tabs, and takeout menu and coupon holder templates. (note: the printables are designed in a neutral brown and mustard yellow)

2. Takeout menu templates: Print all of these, or just the ones that interest you. I have included a blank one in case you want to make your own labels, or wish to allow your recipient to label their own.

Fold these where the vertical dotted line is (don’t be confused as to why the two edges don’t meet when you fold it; it is designed to have extra space on one left edge for hole punching). Then open it back up and, using scissors, cut down the dotted line and across the curved dotted line all the way to the edge. Now re-fold it.

Using your sewing machine, sew along the bottom edge of the folded cardstock and up the side (seam allowance doesn’t matter, just don’t get too close to the edge). (TIP: Sewing on paper dulls your needles. For this reason, I always keep an old, dull needle hidden away for when I sew on paper.)

Using a 3-hole punch, punch holes in your new takeout menu holder (only 2 holes will be punched due to the height of your holder). Your takeout menu holders are complete! Wasn’t that easy? Ok, moving on…

3. Coupon holder templates: These print 2-to-a-page, so you’ll only need to print half as many pages as you need. If you use all the same food categories as I did, you’ll need to print 4 pages (I included a coupon holder for each food category).

Cut your printed pages in half on the dotted line. Lay your newly cut half-sheet on top of a full sheet of cardstock so that the bottom edges meet. Using your sewing machine, stitch down the right side edges, along the bottom, and up the left edge (*Important: Use a 5/8” seam allowance on the left edge to leave enough room to punch holes; the right and bottom edge can be any allowance).

Using your 3-hole punch, punch holes in your new coupon holders. Done!

4. Making the dividers with tabs: I have chosen tabs for food categories that I know my parents enjoy. If you don’t like these options, you can download this file instead, which will allow you to name your own tabs (Note: You might not want to mix and match these tabs with the ones that I pre-made because the fonts are different). You could also print this file as is (blank), and allow your recipient to label it as they wish.

Once you’ve printed your tabs, use a circle cutter (set to 2”) or scissors to cut them out. Using a glue stick, cover the bottom half of the circle (same side that the text is on) and glue it to the back side of an 8 1/2” x 11” piece of cardstock. For organization, I alphabetized my tabs, and then glued them on at different heights so they could all be seen.

Once you’ve got your tabs glued in place, punch holes in the cardstock. Now match up your newly made dividers with the categories on your takeout menu holders and place in them in the binder, along with one of your coupon holders.

5. Front and side binder label: Cut these out from the printable. I used a circle cutter for the front label, and a paper cutter for the side label so that all my cuts were straight and clean. Glue these on the spine and front of the binder using Aleene’s Tacky Glue. Let dry.