How to Make an Easy Tear-Out Coupon Book (DIY Gift)

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A DIY Coupon Book is the perfect last-minute gift. It’s easy, affordable, and fun to make. With my free printable coupons, paper, scissors, and a few embellishments, you can make your own coupon book in about 15 minutes. Just follow this easy tutorial.

overhead shot of multiple coupon books over a bed of gift coupons with stickers and scissors.

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Okay, yeah. You forgot somebody. Or the shipping company lost your order. Or you just don’t have the cash today to do things up big. Whatever it is, you’ve come up empty-handed for this special occasion. No worries.

Some people thrive on gift shopping. Some of us, decidedly do not. That’s okay. You can make a special gift with just paper, scissors, and a little creative thinking.

Give gift coupons to your favorite people this year and take the pressure off yourself. No shopping necessary and you can give them awesome gifts perfectly suited to their preferences and interests. 

Why Give a Coupon Book for a Gift

It’s perfect for every special event. There’s never a wrong time to give your own coupons as a personal gift. This is a perfect project for celebrating Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Graduations, Father’s Day, Birthdays, and other special occasions like baby showers or weddings. New parents will love gift coupons that give them a helping hand!

Homemade coupons will save you money. Not only do you save money making a coupon book gift, but the things that the recipient can redeem the coupons for can be very affordable, like acts of service or quality time spent together. You can even spread out the cost of the gifts by extending the “delivery times” throughout the month or year. In some ways the coupons are a promise to redeem later so you don’t have to lay-out the cash today, thereby spreading things out for the benefit of your budget.

You can tailor the coupons to suit each person. Mother’s Day Coupon Books will include thoughtful gestures like a back rub or a free car wash, while a kids’ coupon book might feature a donut run or a special movie night. This is a great way to really appeal to the preferences of your family members and friends.

​It’s clutter-free! Gift coupons focus on experiences and time spent together more than stuff. This means that there’s less clutter to manage. The moms in your life will definitely thank you.

toy elf holding an open coupon book, with the front coupon good for one donut run.
A DIY Coupon book makes a great Elf on the Shelf or Secret Santa gift!

Coupon Book Gift Ideas

DIY coupons can list whatever “freebies” you want. They are basically FREE coupons for your gift recipient to redeem at a later date. Brainstorm your own coupon ideas or grab some from lists below. There are so many different options to choose from!

Gift coupon ideas for small children:

  • an afternoon at the park
  • a trip to the library
  • dinner at [insert favorite restaurant here]
  • a new toy that you get to pick out
  • a trip to the zoo
  • a day at the beach/lake
  • an afternoon of playing with no work
  • a late bedtime
  • an afternoon of fort-building
  • a trip to the movies
  • five extra stories at bedtime
  • dinner of your choice
  • a movie night
  • a trip for ice cream/donuts/smoothies

Gift coupon ideas for older children:

  • a day off from chores
  • a day off school
  • a free afternoon of video games
  • a day at the beach/lake
  • a day to sleep in
  • a night to stay up late
  • a trip to the movies
  • dinner of your choice
  • get out of jail card 😉
  • a movie night
  • a trip for ice cream/donuts/smoothies

Gift coupon ideas for adults:

  • a free carwash
  • a free backrub
  • a free foot massage
  • a day off from chores/childcare
  • a spa day
  • breakfast in bed
  • movie night
  • candle-lit dinner
  • lunch date
  • date night
  • weekend getaway
  • a day of service/honey-do list checking off
  • for new parents: free babysitting, five loads of laundry washed and folded, a free trip to the grocery store alone

How to Make a DIY Coupon Book

While you can certainly put the coupons in an envelope or link them with a hole punch and brad, it’s so fun to receive a book of coupons that one can tear-out and redeem.

supplies for making a diy coupon book.

Supplies

To make it easy, I’ve compiled all the supplies here in this Amazon list. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own DIY Coupon Books:

blank coupons printed on copy paper – There are several free templates in the free resource library. (Subscribe here for instant access.) For best results print the coupons themselves on copy paper. That way they are easier to combine in the coupon book. You can also make your own coupons by hand on or on your computer.

card stock for the book cover – You can find a wide variety of card stock or scrapbook paper available from Target, Walmart, Amazon, or your local craft store. Leftovers are great to use for making a Gratitude Journal another time.

marker or pen – Our coupon template has space for you to write what the gift is and/or write a special message. Don’t worry about your penmanship; a handwritten coupon is so much more meaningful.

scissors or paper cutter – You’ll need scissors or a paper cutter to clip the coupons apart to assemble them in the book. 

stapler – A stapler is handy for binding the coupons in a book.

ruler or bone folder – You’ll want a straight edge to help you fold the cover as well as a ruler to mark it in the right spot.

Optional supplies – there are a few supplies that you might gather to make your DIY Coupon Book a little more, such as printed paper, washi tape, or stickers to make a cute cover, patterned scissors to trim the cover, a bone folder to make crisp folds, a perforating wheel to make the coupons easier to tear out. These are not required, but will allow you to add personality to your own homemade coupon book.

Get the Free Printable Coupons

Subscribe to my mailing list below and I’ll send you instant access to my free printables library. The coupons and dozens of other DIY projects are there!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how to put together your coupon book:

1. Print out the coupons and choose your color scheme. My printable coupon templates come in 2 styles and 5 different colors.

2. Cut out the coupons with scissors or a paper trimmer.

3. Fill out the coupons with the gifts they are good for. Use stickers or markers if you want to get creative.

4. Cut a strip of card stock for the front and back cover. We’re going to make a matchbox-style coupon book. The strip should be 2.5x the length and just a bit wider than the coupons. In this case, I made my strip 2 1/4 inches by 8 inches.

5. Measure and mark the inside of the cover 3 1/2 inches to the left. This is where you will fold it. You can line up the ruler with the markings to make a straight fold.

6. Tuck the coupons into the fold, with the right sides even. The left sides will be covered, so if they aren’t perfectly square on that side, it’s okay.

7. Fold the last inch or so over the left sides of the coupons. Staple through both covers and the coupons in between.

8. If you’d like, you can embellish the short end with patterned scissors.

9. Fold the front cover over and tuck it into the small flap to close.

Variations

This basic tutorial is one that you can tweak with your own ideas. 

  • You might use printed card stock for the cover. Two-sided printed card stock is fun. 
  • Use a perforating wheel along the left edge of the coupon so that it’s easier to tear out.
  • Trim the edges of the cover with patterned scissors to make it more decorative.
  • Skip the coupon book and tuck the coupons in a small envelope. These envelopes are the perfect size for my coupon templates.

Best Tips for Giving Coupon Books

  • Include expiration dates, especially for children who can read. You don’t want to be ambushed by a trip to Disneyland request when it’s very unexpected.
  • Write down a list of the great gift ideas you choose. You don’t want to forget what promises you made.
  • Consider making each coupon redeemable during a different month or season. In this way, you’ll have plenty of time to budget for the item if it’s not already planned for.
  • Don’t feel like every coupon has to be something over-the-top amazing. Just think about the things your gift recipient most enjoys and that will make for a meaningful gift.
overhead shot of birthday card with pen and diy coupon book.

More DIY Gifts

What do you think?

We love hearing from you! Leave a starred comment below to let us know what you think of this project. Thanks for sharing Life as Mom with your friends and family.

square crop of multiple coupon books over a bed of gift coupons with stickers and scissors.

DIY Coupon Book Instructions

Making your own coupon book is a great way to give a custom gift. It can be as extravagant or as budget-friendly as you like. You only need a few paper craft supplies and a list of activities you want to gift.
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Action Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Equipment

  • scissors or paper cutter
  • marker or pen
  • ruler or bone folder
  • stapler
  • optional equipment see notes

Supplies
  

  • blank coupons printed on copy paper
  • card stock for the book cover
  • optional stickers and other embellishments see notes

Instructions
 

  • Print out the coupons and choose your color scheme.
    blank coupons printed on copy paper
  • With the pen, fill out the coupons with the gifts they are good for. Use stickers or markers if you want to get creative.
    optional stickers and other embellishments
  • Cut a strip of card stock for the front and back cover. We’re going to make a matchbox-style coupon book. The strip should be 2.5x the length and just a bit wider than the coupons. In this case, I made my strip 2 1/4 inches by 8 inches.
    card stock for the book cover
  • Measure and mark the inside of the cover 3 1/2 inches to the left. This is where you will fold it. You can line up the ruler with the markings to make a straight fold.
  • Tuck the coupons into the fold, with the right sides even. The left sides will be covered, so if they aren’t perfectly square on that side, it’s okay.
  • Fold the last inch or so over the left sides of the coupons. Staple through both covers and the coupons in between.
  • If you’d like, you can embellish the short end with patterned scissors.
  • Fold the front cover over and tuck it into the small flap to close.

Notes

Optional supplies: there are a few supplies that you might gather to make your DIY Coupon Book a little more, such as printed paper or stickers to make a cute cover, patterned scissors to embellish the cover, a bone folder to make crisp folds, a perforating wheel to make the coupons easier to tear out. These are not required, but will allow you to add personality to your own homemade coupon book.
Variations: This basic tutorial is one that you can tweak with your own ideas.
  • You might use printed card stock for the cover. Two-sided printed card stock is fun.
  • Use a perforating wheel along the left edge of the coupon so that it’s easier to tear out.
  • Trim the edges of the cover with patterned scissors to make it more decorative.
  • Skip the coupon book and tuck the coupons in a small envelope. 
Tried this project?Let us know how it went!

This post was originally published on February 10, 2014. It has been updated for content and clarity.

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4 Comments

  1. instead of purchasing a perforating wheel, save your money an use your sewing machine or a hand held needle.

    treat the paper like a piece of cloth. ‘sew’ the paper without thread. i did this all the time when our girls were younger. and then they would ask me to ‘sew’ blank pieces of paper for them so they could make their own coupon books for play or gifts.

    fun times.