Are rising food prices starting to dismember your budget? If you’re like me, you are looking for some way to cut costs, rather than switching over to a diet of bread and water.

I have friends who claim using coupons cuts their bills in half. But when I tried it, I spent hours cutting them out, then couldn’t find the right one when I needed it. Or, after I would find it when digging through my file of coupons, it would be expired. I’ve tried to find a better way to organize them, to no avail.

Melanie Badgley, the mother of four boys, may have found the answer with the “KouponKeeper.” It’s basically a large Trapper-Keeper-like notebook she designed that has 24 clear pocket pages separated into 12 basic categories. It also has pockets for keys, cell phones and debit cards. You can attach the whole thing to the shopping cart.

The bottom line: If you’re going to get serious about coupons, the KouponKeeper is the tool. Once you get it strapped to your cart, people will probably move out of the way when they see you coming down the aisles. It will take some work to fill all the pockets and get your list and accessories organized, but there will be no fumbling in the checkout lines after you get going. To be honest, I haven’t had the nerve or time yet to give it a run through the store, but if food prices get any higher, better watch out — I will be snapping on the KouponKeeper. You can buy it for $19.95 at kouponkeeper.com.

Lifestyles reporter Sylvia Anderson can be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com