Coupon Binder

Here's my coupon binder...

Just an ordinary 3-ring binder, and very full as you can already see.


I keep my shopping lists and sales ads for that week in the front pocket. My lists are in envelopes with the coupons I intend to use already in the envelopes. I take my binder into the store though, because you never know what you might find! Today, for example, I found frozen pizzas on clearance at Walgreen for 74 cents. I had a coupon for $1 off that brand of pizza! What does that mean for me? Free pizza for Ryan to "cook" for himself this weekend while I'm away!


I keep the coupon policies for my regular stores in the back pocket.


My sections are separated by divider stickers. They're easily adjustable and don't take any extra space in the binder.


In addition to coupons, I keep all of my member/rewards cards here instead of my wallet or planner.


All my gift cards, too!


And, punch cards!


Having sections for your favorite stores makes it easy to keep your gift cards, extra care bucks, register rewards, and very store specific coupons organized.


This picture is of my snack section and shows some good examples of your typical coupons and a typical section: the CVS coupon is a store coupon and can be combined with a manufacturer coupon for an awesome deal; the coupons down the middle row are all internet coupons and in this case all manufacturer coupons; the coupons on the bottom left are from the Sunday paper; and the coupons for the chips and pretzels are peelies, they were peeled off of chips and pretzels in the store.


I take this with me whenever I shop, because you never know what you might find! Right now, it fits perfectly into one of my regular reusable shopping bags. Once I'm in the store, I put all my shopping bags in the child seat and lay my binder across the bags. You can also buckle the child safety belt and place the binder on top of the belt!

Thoughts or feedback? Are you inspired? What would you do differently?

My coupon binder

About three weeks ago, I started couponing. It started with catching the preview episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC. About 5 minutes into the show, Ryan and I both knew this was something I could totally do. I've always used coupons when I happened to get them, used grocery store member cards, shopped clearance racks, and carried stamp cards for places where I would often eat. I've never had much to spend so I would look for good deals, but while watching this show, I realized iwasn't looking hard enough! I never thought about seeking out perfect combinations to maximize my deals!

I've focused on two resources to get started: Thekrazycouponlady.blogspot.com and "How to Shop for Free" by Kathy Spencer. I was drawn to both of these women because they looked completely normal! I know it sounds crazy, but when you think of coupons, you think of junk food and things you don't need or would never use. These women looked like they ate normal food and lived normal lives... Other than being addicted to finding good deals and saving money! Of all the things to be addicted to, saving money seems like an awesome option. By checking out both of their websites and books, you really will find everything you need to get started, especially in the "Beginners" section on Krazy Coupon Lady.

To get started, you'll need some supplies to get organized: a three ring binder (mine is a 3-inch binder and it's already nearly full), baseball card organizer sheets (I used 2 packs) and dividers or sticky tabs to make dividers (you can sometimes find coupons for tabs at 3m.com). think about where you shop and what you normally buy as you create the sections in your binder. I've placed two or three pages per section and have adjusted the pages adding more to sections as needed.

This is how my binder is organized:

Front pocket- shopping lists for the week
Back pocket- coupon policies for my most-frequented stores

-Sections
Rewards/store cards
Gift cards
Punch/stamp cards
Restaurants
Safeway
Target
CVS
Walgreens
Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic
Miscellaneous
Veggies
Fruit
Nuts
Dairy
Non-dairy
Deli
Meat
Seafood
Cereal
Breakfast foods
Salty snacks
Sweet snacks
Grains, pasta, sides
Soup, canned goods
Sauces
Condiments, oils, dressings
Spices, seasonings
Baking
Beverages
Bread
Pb&j
Frozen foods
Frozen desserts
Pharmacy, meds, first aid
Makeup
Skin care
Hair care
Shaving
Laundry
Cleaning
Dish washing
Bags, foil
Oral health
Feminine hygiene
TP & PT (toilet paper and paper towels)
Candles, fragrances
Home office

Now that your binder is ready, you need to get ready to shop! Pull that stack of store cards out of your purse or wallet and register them on their websites! There are so many advantages to registering your cards and checking their websites weekly including prices lower than the advertised club prices, store coupons (which can be combined with store coupons and store sales), personalized deals, store rewards, sneak peaks for upcoming sales ads, and access to more manufacturer coupons.

Time to get some coupons! Subscribe to your Sunday paper! That's the best place to get manufacturer coupons and weekly ads. Make sure you're set with a good printer, color ink, and lots of paper, then go online. My favorite online coupon resources are listed on the right of the blog. If you have favorite products and are brand loyal, register on their websites and like them on Facebook. To get the best deals though, get ready to open your mind and try new products! The last place to find coupons is in the stores. Each week stores offer coupons in their ads which you can combine with manufacturer coupons. Take some time to walk through all of the aisles and look for peelies and hang tags. Peelies are those stickers are on the front of boxes and containers and hang tags are usually hanging on bottles. You don't have to buy the products to take the coupons, just don't take them all! Nobody likes a coupon hog! Just take 2 or 3. Check special displays and food counters, too. I suggest organizing your coupons in your binder and separating them by expiration month. I don't label the pages in each section by month (yet) but I know the first page in each section expires in April, next expires in May, and the rest are months beyond that.

To get the best deals, be patient! Manufacturers and stores expect most people to see a coupon and use it right away, or clip it and forget it. Check the weekly ads for good sales, then match the sales with your coupons. In most stores, you can get the sale price and combine it with a manufacturer coupon and, if available, a store coupon. Check if your store combines coupons. Safeway, for example, doubles the lowest four manufacturer coupons that aren't marked "do not double" per transaction up to $1.00. Once you start finding these awesome combinations, you'll find yourself getting items for much less than half price or even for free!

These are just the basics to help you get started! Check out the websites listed on the right to learn more of the nitty gritty details on how to maximize your savings.

Finally, have fun saving and shopping!

Dani's Bridal Shower

My little sister, Dani, is getting married a week from today! It makes me feel so old!! Three weeks ago, I flew to California to host her bridal shower at Martha Green's Eating Room in Redlands. It was the perfect venue for her shower! It's all decorated in black and red and looks like a nostalgic kitchen. Everything turned out better than I'd hoped for and everyone said it was a lot of fun and the perfect shower for Dani. Dani loved it!



There was a tier tower of deliciousness for every 4 guests. It was filled with scones, tea sandwiches, cookies, cupcakes, cheescake, and caramel turtles... and this was only the first course! We were also served mini quiches and white chocolate mousse.



The place settings were hand-stitched place cards, fabric bracelets (Andrea's brilliant idea!) which we used for the wedding word game, a bag of candy hearts to be used as markers for gift bingo, a pen, and a packet of games.



As the guests arrived, we put them to work making scrapbook pages for Dani and Kevin's wedding album. Everyone loved getting crafty and the pages turned out beautifully! Now all Dani and Kevin have to do is add the pictures!



Dani and her mother-in-law, Teri, and sister-in-law, Jessica.



Everyone's getting serious about playing games.



Congratulations, Dani and Kevin!

Converted Shopper!

Last week, my good friend, Jocelyn, and I baked cookies for her/our boss's birthday. While we were baking, Ryan was flipping through channels and stumbled upon a new show on TLC: Extreme Couponing. All three of us were blown away! Yes, some of these shoppers are super extreme-- I doubt I will ever need 200 candy bars, as tempting as it seems... well, maybe for Halloween... I digress-- but so much of what they do makes sense for saving money and being prepared in case of an emergency.

Couponing is right up my alley! It's challenging, it requires organization, I get to shop(!), and I get to save money. Watching the show inspired me. I checked out Joanie Weaver's website (The Krazy Coupon Lady) after seeing her on the show and knew this was something I could do; maybe not to the same extreme (Ryan says I'm not allowed to dumpster-dive for coupons), but well enough to save money and keep us well-stocked. I also picked up a book by Kathy Spencer, How to Shop for Free, at a really good price from a Borders that's closing near me, and I just love it! She also has a website: How to Shop for Free. After checking out the websites and reading the first few chapters of the book, I knew I was ready to get started.

I subscribed to the Sunday Washington Post, picked up some baseball card holders to get organized, and started printing and clipping online coupons. Today, I took my first coupon-driven shopping trip at the CVS across from my office during my lunch break. I spent $35.15 and saved $35.33 by combining sales and coupons, AND earned $12 Extra Care Bucks (like free money) for my next shopping trip! That's $70 worth of stuff for half price plus $12 bonus money! Score!!

I didn't get crap either! Here's what I got today:

Herbal Essences 12 oz shampoo

Herbal Essences 12 oz conditioner

Herbal Essences 8 oz hairspray

Cheddar Chex Mix 8.75 oz (to share at work)

Turtle Chex Mix 5.5 oz (to share at work)

2 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios 25.2 oz (these are huge boxes!)

2 Right Guard Deodorants 4 oz (both had travel-sized shampoos attached)

Irish Spring Body Wash 18 oz

Hormel Completes Microwave Meal (lunch!)

Dial Nutriskin Lotion 21 oz

Maybelline XXL Volume Mascara

All awesome name brand stuff that we will totally use! Do you use coupons? If so, do you have any online sources or tips?

40 Days of Giving

Today marks the first day of Lent, a traditional time of self sacrifice to bring oneself closer to the Christian God. Over the years, I've witnessed many friends make sacrifices like giving up chocolate, soda, alcohol, or Facebook-- all noble sacrifices for self-improvement, self-awareness, and growth. Their actions made me think about what I could do for forty days to become a better person. I couldn't think of something to sacrifice! I lost 30 pounds in the last year, so I didn't think sacrificing something I eat or drink was the way to go. I've been doing enough of that! I use multiple forms of electronic communication to keep in touch with my family and friends wherever in the world they may be. I very rarely drink alcohol.

I've decided to challenge myself to do something nice for someone every day. This is more than holding open doors for the people behind me or giving up my seat on the metro. Today I made a donation to the Ronald McDonald House Walk for Kids. I don't have much money to spare (my winter boots sound like rattles from the rocks that snuck in through the holes in the soles), but I know my small donation will go a long way to support families in need who are focusing their energy on supporting their children undergoing long-term medical treatment. I have the fortune of working for a company that will match and double my donation as well!

Do you have any ideas for things I could do to help someone have a better day?

If you'd be interested in supporting The Ronald McDonald House (my sorority's philanthropy) through their Walk for Kids, make a donation through my sorority sister's team here: Big Red Shoes