How Do I Organize It?

The "it" in this case is all of the coupons and stuff ---- a few of you have asked me to be more explicit about this ---- so here goes.

First ---- I use the Coupon Mom system for dealing with the flyers each week. They come in the newspaper each Sunday. I pull them out of the paper and put them in a file folder marked with just the date. So coupons from this coming Sunday will be in a folder marked 4/26. That's it!! I'm done. I don't look at them. I don't sort them. I don't cut them out. Nothing. Just file them by the date. Later on when my mother-in-law gives me a pile of inserts that she's been saving for me, I'll file each of them in the appropriate folder. (Hint: the date is printed in super teeny-tiny print along the spine of the insert) I keep a file crate (the cheapie kind from Staples) with all of the folders in order by date.

Next --- I have some coupons that have come from other places. Those need to be dealt with as well. I have a folder marked All You for the coupons that come from that magazine. Another folder marked Shaws (they tend to have a lot of store coupons and booklets) and another marked CVS for the Beauty Book coupons from them.
I also have a zippered binder filled with photo inserts and money collecting inserts (from a hobby shop). I've put tabs on them with general categories: hair, dental, cosmetics, snacks, beverages, etc. The loose coupons that come from all sorts of places go in these. These are the coupons from the blinkie machines in the supermarket, from tearpads in the drugstore or supermarket, from the boxes of products I've already purchased, peelies, and other assorted places. This is also where coupons end up if I've clipped them for a deal and then I don't do the deal for some reason.

Finally, I have a little zippered notebook that was meant to hold a calendar/organizer. I got it for a few dollars at an odd lot store. I've thrown away the calendar stuff and filled it with pocket inserts and business card holder sheets from Staples.
Each store I frequent has its own page. The business card holders keep all of my cards (each of the supermarkets has its own card, plus CVS --- its too many to manage in my wallet). The little pocket insert holds any rewards from the store that I need to remember to use (ECBs, RegisterRewards, catalinas). The other side of the pocket is where I put the coupons that I'll need for that store for the week.

Once a week, I sit down and make my lists from all of the stuff I find on the internet and from the flyers the stores provide. I'm experimenting right now with a cut and paste operation into a Publisher document that gives me a little booklet that fits right into my little notebook. I'm not sure I'm liking it --- it often isn't giving me enough space and it comes out in a font too tiny to read sometimes. I used to do it by hand on a folded piece of paper with columns down the side to keep track of money going out and coming back to me (ECBs etc again). We'll see which method will stick. My list goes into my little notebook and travels with me through the week. Then I pull the coupons from my big file (that 's why the date is generally posted with the shopping list. Its posted like that on most every site around the web on this topic -- the few who don't provide the date are more frustrating than they're worth) --- I stick the coupons into the appropriate pocket of my little organizer ---and I'm good to go!!

Price Books 101

What is one??  Why do I need one??  What do I do with it??

A price book is a very simple mechanism that helps you to put the first major dent in the grocery budget for your household.  It lets you keep track of what the stores near you are doing.  They run sales, seemingly willy-nilly, and you struggle to catch a good deal.  The price book takes the struggle out of finding the good deals. 

Very simply, a price book is your record of the prices your stores are charging for items that you use.  You make a simple grid – think an attendance sheet from school.  You put the items you commonly use where the names go – be sure to include brand name and size – you want to be sure to compare apples to apples.  Now, each week when you go to that store, make a note of the price of that item.  That’s it.  That’s all there is to it. 

If you shop at more than one store (goodness knows, I do), keep a price book for each store.  If you don’t go to a particular store one week, don’t obsess.  You want to record information for as many weeks as you can, but you don’t want to lose your mind doing it.  Just jot down the price of each item every time you go into that store.  (Now that I’ve written that line – if you go into the store twice during the same week, don’t bother recording the price again – it won’t have changed and you already know it)

You’ll want to accumulate about 12 weeks worth of information.  That will begin to show you the store’s pattern of sales.  And you’ll begin to know what is the rock bottom price for the items you use.  Soon, you’ll only be buying when things are at their rock-bottom price.  And, you’ll know how much to buy, because you’ll be able to predict when that price will come around again.  You’ll also start to see which stores are truly giving you better deals on the things that your family actually uses. 

You can pay someone else to do this for you.  The website The Grocery Game, essentially does this for you.  They keep track of prices and identify rock-bottom prices at which you want to stock up.  You pay a fee for each store that you want to track – they don’t give you the price book information – they simply tell  you when the price is rock-bottom in their estimation.  Many people are very successful using the Grocery Game and I don’t want to underestimate their value.  If you are a total beginner and trying to wrap your head around this whole thing, The Grocery Game can be an invaluable tool.  But at the same time – if my end goal is saving myself money, why do I want to pay them to do what I can do with a simple sheet of paper and a pencil?  Also, I find that some of the stores I use are not in the Grocery Game database, so I can’t get information for them.  Additionally, the Grocery Game doesn’t help me to compare stores to find the best possible deal.  Finally, as you learn to make the best use of catalina promotions and rolling ECBs and Register Rewards (other tutorials) you ‘ll find that the Grocery Game doesn’t factor these into the equation.  I think they may be a good short term crutch – but not a long term help for the serious shopper.  Lucky for all of us, they offer a short term freebie trial offer.  

Mid Winter Windex Blues

I've got that organization bug again. I swear, it hits this time every year. I think its like the flu or something. It must incubate with the cold weather and the Christmas decorating and then it blooms into a full blown illness that compels its victim to empty drawers, clean closets, organize and sort junk and clear clutter. All of this leads to the familiar symptoms of fatigue, and finally exhaustion. Unfortunately without this annual illness, many of us might end up buried under some pile of junk somewhere in our home or office.
So -- I'm working on taking baby steps. I want to satisfy the deep-seated drive to clean, de-clutter, and organize without getting myself into that awful state of sleep-deprivation, crankiness and exhaustion. That's the plan anyway.
First off, I got myself a cute little laptop desk and begged my husband to put it together for me. (I'm going to know that I've arrived when none of my furniture required assembly!). It fits in a little corner of our family room, over past the woodstove and out of the way. This is actually a photo of the one I got. It has the little cubbies along the top and the surface slides out to almost double the work space when you're using it. Underneath is a cabinet with a shelf in it and doors that close (priority #1 when clutter is an issue). It was cute, it was very inexpensive, it was perfect (okay, okay --- my husband, who put it together, has a different opinion about its perfect-ness). This weekend, I want to start organizing and getting things together for it.
Second task will be my desk at work. (YIKES!!) This is scary. I have one file drawer that I cannot even remember the last time I opened it. The piles need to go. The bookshelf needs to look like a bookshelf again. I want to actually see the surface of the little side-desk. The computer screen needs to be cleaned. I might even swap around some of my bins, drawers, and organizers to create a uniform color set for my desk (What a concept!) I was completely inspired by Christie at A Journey Through Thick and Thin. She did an amazing re-organization of a desk area in her home. Its beautiful. She didn't spend a fortune. I love it. Go to her blog and check it out if you like. I think you'll find it inspiring too.
And finally, I want to find an organizing system for my work stuff in the car. I'm finding the its easiest and best when my coupon crate simply "lives" in the backseat. I can immediately call up any coupon I need or want, run into the store, and VOILA --- a deal is born. I want some kind of a car desk/office system to keep this all from ending up looking like I live in my car. I'm looking for something along these lines (but without spending all that money --- these are expensive!) We'll see what I come up with.
So --- how has the mid-winter cleaning and organizing bug hit you?? Make a plan. Take it slow and easy. Your grandmother was right --- Haste makes waste --- and we know we're too frugal for that.

Shopping List Tool

This looks incredibly cool. Colette at WayMore4WayLess has developed a spreadsheet that keeps track of what's the deal at what store. I know that I'm always reading the blogs and the list at Coupon Mom and The Grocery Game and then when I get all done, I can't remember what I'm supposed to be buying and where I'm supposed to be buying it.
Keeping track of all of the coupons, advertised and unadvertised deals, rebates etc can be tricky, tricky, tricky. Colette has graciously put this spreadsheet on her blog for free downloading!! Way to go Colette!! Just click here and you can download the thing ---- try it (I'm going to!!) and then lets compare notes. (Don't forget to send Colette your feedback on this tool too. Just leave a comment on her blog.)
Yay to Denise Sawyer for spreading the word about this......