How to Organize Your Grocery Coupons and Save Big

 

I am always curious to see how others shop for groceries. I pick up tricks and tips from people of all kinds.

 

I have found the more prepared and organized I am, the more I save.  To start, I go through all the grocery advertisements.  I circle any items I want to buy that are on sale. I try to make special note of any items that are on sale for which I also have coupons--double savings! I decide which items are worth "stockpiling" based on how well it will store and the price. I usually will not stockpile an item unless it is at least 50% off the regular price.

 

By stockpiling, you will eventually have a cupboard full of items which you bought all on sale. As you incorporate these items into your menu's, combined with current sale items, you will find your grocery budget shrinking. It took me 3-4 months before I really began to see a large savings. Don't get discouraged! You will probably actually spend a little more in the beginning as you build up your savings inventory.

 

To begin, you must have a very organized coupon system. I use a plastic shoebox I purchased at Wal-Mart for around $2.  I made my own dividers   and keep my coupons separated by category (about 20 categories). I choose the shoebox because it was cheap, is big enough to hold a lot of coupons  and is easy to flip through as  I shop. Plus, it fits in the seat of the cart. I call it my coupon baby.

 

As I take out a coupon to use, I just throw it under the box but on top of the lid. It makes for easy coupon storage until check-out. I'm sure cashiers hate crumpled, wadded up coupons pulled from someones pocket and dumped in a heap on the conveyor belt.

 

I see some women at the store who have invested in huge coupon organizers which are really just baseball card holders.  They separate out their coupons and put them in the see-through plastic slots. They seem bulky and it appears hard to pull out the coupons. I see others with envelopes or cardboard holders--I call them amateurs. Really it doesn't matter what system you use as long as it works for you. You can't use a coupon if you can't find it and it gets frustrating to dig through hundreds of coupons to find that special one.

 

 

Before I go to the grocery store, I check a couple of different websites to see if I have missed any spectacular savings. I usually use moneysavingmom.com, frugalfritzie.com and/or kansascitymamas.com. These websites match up coupons to sales. The work is already done for you. I also often check the store's website to see if I want to load any coupons to the store's loyalty card or if they have unadvertised specials or "deals of the day".  Be careful about loading coupons to your store card, they do not double. Paper coupons which double are usually the best savings.

 

I try to never go to the store without a plan. First, I make my week's menu, trying to incorporate as many sale items as possible. I estimate how much each item on my list will cost. As I go through the store, I write down the actual price of the item. My goal is to never go to the check-out without knowing how much I am spending.

 

Right before check-out, I add up the items, subtract off my coupons and include the sales tax. If over my budget, I decide what I can live without and put it back. This is called "budgeting" people. I never cease to be amazed at people who spend what they want, then pay what bills they can with what little is left over.

 

 

Let's take today's shopping trip as an example. I needed bread, celery and cottage cheese. I also had a few coupons for sale items at Dillon's that I wanted to use. If I have time, I try to pull out the coupons I plan on using before going to the store but I take my whole box because I don't know what other great deals may be available.

 

I knew Wold Chili was on sale for $1 and after the 40 cent coupon was doubled, I could get the chili for 20 cents a can. I also knew Campbell's Chunky soup was on sale for $1.25. After the $1 off four can coupon, it cost $1 a can. These items generally cost around $2.25 a can. Sometimes when I just don't feel like cooking, I open a can of Campbell's soup and pour it over Rice or Noodles. It's a cheap, easy meal. My husband calls it "ER" soup--because we usually eat it in an emergency.

 

I also try to always check the clearance rack. Today, there were five Arm & Hammer deodorants marked down to 50 cents each and several packages of tampons for $2. I had a $2 off coupon for the tampons making them free. I spent less than $9 for all of the above items. (I also wanted to mention you can get really great croissants at Dillons for 2 for $1.) I saved 59% off the total bill.

 

 

The best part was the coupons which printed at register. A free package of carrots, $5 off future order of $50 or more and $2 off when spending at least in frozen items.

 

There are always great deals out there. I think the key is just being organized and paying attention.

How to Organize Recipes

Recently, my grandmother gave me a cardboard box full of recipes. Some were torn out of magazines, others were cut from newspapers, many were handwritten on the backs of envelopes or checks with notes such as, "LaVene's--GOOD!"

There are a disproportionate amount of recipes for pickles and beets and zucchini dishes and jello salads. I will likely pass on Bernice N.'s "Red Hot Jello Salad" which combines red hots, applesauce, sour cream and red jello. I also hope Maxine Mile's never learns I didn't make her "Ribbon Salad", containing lime and cherry jello and one cup mayonnaise along with various other ingredients. I feel a little guilty about this one because it did receive the designation "real pretty and good salad".

However I am looking forward to "Dora's Fudge" (real good) and "Better Than Sex Cake," frustrated author unknown.  I remember my Grandma making this cake when I was a child and really liking it. I wasn't allowed to call it, "Better Than Sex Cake" but told to just call it, "Really Good Cake".   

The recipes that intrigued me the most were the family recipes. Recipes handwritten by my great-grandmothers who I never met. I consider the box a true treasure trove.

While I have looked through the box, I have not yet attempted to organize any of the recipes. This is more of a winter project. Along with a family cookbook I have longed to put together.

Recipe Treasure Trove

Most of us do not have a lifetime of recipes to organize but it is easy to quickly accumulate lots of recipes printed from the Internet or torn out of magazines at the doctor's office. What to do?

Recipes on the Loose

Here's what I do. I buy photo albums. I re-purpose the photo albums into recipe albums.



Photo albums for 4x6 photos

Recipe Albums

Simply insert the recipes into the photo slot. Full pages may need to be folded before inserting. No more shuffling through papers. Just flip through the pages to find your recipe.

It would also be easy to print off family recipes, place in individual albums and give as gifts. You can find much smaller albums than the ones pictured for just such a project.

Andrea's Puppy Chow

Most importantly, you preserve cherished recipes such as the first recipe my oldest daughter ever cared enough to write out and save (circa kindergarten). Precious!

How to Organize Costume Jewelry Necklaces

Former desk area converted into make-up area

When our three kids were in high school, it became imperative that they all have their own bedrooms.  We lived in a three bedroom house. We ended up converting our family room into a master suite and have never reclaimed the former master bedroom. It is now a guest bedroom.

I converted this former desk area into my make-up table. I purchased a cheap (around $10) curtain rod and hung it on the wall.  I hang all my costume necklaces and bracelets on the curtain rod. 

Bracelets on end



Gone are the days of untangling necklaces. There is nothing worse than starting your day by attempting to take a the knot out of a fine chain. Well OK, I have had a lot of days that started worse than that but I think you get my drift.

Choose a curtain rod that "sits" in the bracket and lifts up easily to make it simple to remove bracelets on the end. Necklaces can go anywhere since they typically clasp or unclasp.

I love being a girl



I sort my necklaces by color and style to make it easiest to find matching accessories. 

One time when I was still working, a former supervisor had everyone write down something nice about everyone else in the department on index cards and give it to each co-worker. It was kinda like being in high school and having to write in people's yearbooks.  There were a lot of comments like, "I really enjoy working with you. You are so sweet!" 

Well, nobody actually said I was sweet but I think you get the general idea of the exercise--force yourself to say something nice. There were a lot of nice comments and it was a good little team building exercise. The comments were suppossed to be anonymous but after working with 23 people for some time, you know each other's handwriting plus most people signed their cards. I got 22 index cards with very flattering comments and one that said, "Your clothes always match."

Can you imagine not liking someone and having to work to write down something positive about that person?  I guess the best this lady could come up with that I do have the ability to match my tops to my bottoms. And looking around Wal-Mart each time I venture out, I have come to realize this is a skill.

It's always a little disconcerting to find out someone doesn't care for you, especially if you do not have strong feelings one way or the other about them. She was one of those people who when you passed them in the hall loudly commanded, "Smile!" as she marched by without stopping.

I'm one of those people who when lost in thought or in a hurry, may not even be beware I have just passed you. Once awoken by someone's bright and cheery and irritating demand to act a certain way, I have to quelch the impulse to respond, "I will when you leave". Sometimes, I am not nice on the inside but try not to let it show on the outside. I am successful about 77% of the time.

Funny thing is, it was the only index card I kept.

Easy Peasy

Practical and pretty. This is one of the most commented on items when people visit my home and it was cheap. Simplify your life by making it easy to find things. What cool things have you done to organize your life? What are your cute inexpensive decorating ideas? Please share!