Planning a New Week

Good morning, my friends ... and Happy Friday!

I'm hoping to get a Friday Felines post up later today, but I don't have a draft started yet, so I can't say for sure. But I thought I'd pop on really quickly this morning, and talk a bit about next week. There's a lot coming up!

Looking at the week of January 30-February 5, 2012, my notes are as follows:

Days of the Blackbird

February begins!

St. Brigid's Day

Candlemas/Groundhog Day

Crackerjack's Book Group

My Haircut :)

Focus on the Feeders Weekend

Parish Pancake Breakfast

(National Weatherman Day)

(World Nutella Day)

Superbowl XLVI!

What a fun week! February can be a tough month to love, so it's nice to have fun things - familiar things - to look forward to. I'm working on a few projects this weekend - setting up my desk (yay!), reorganizing my household binder (post to come!), and preparing for next week (of course) ...

To that end, today I'm finalizing our dinner menus for next week, and writing out the shopping & errands list for Saturday. Another thing I usually do on Fridays, ahead of weekend errands, is to organize my pocketbook and coupon collection. Now, I'm usually on top of the pocketbook pruning, but I'm afraid I've become a bit lax in the coupon department. I think the holidays threw me off, but really I can just blame my own laziness. I'd like to get back to it though, since one of my New Year resolutions is to be more efficient with the household budget - and family food takes up a lot of that budget!

I was recently reminded of my coupon failings when I spied a woman at the grocery store who had a whole binder devoted to coupons! Literally, a big black binder was perched in the child seat of her shopping cart, and it appeared to be filled with sheet protectors holding all kinds of coupons. I commented on it as I passed by - "Wow, that's quite a neat thing you've got there!" (hint, hint: tell me all about it, lol!) - but she didn't say much in return. (I think she was quite engrossed in the produce she was weighing.) Has anyone tried this - using a binder for your coupons? I find the concept fascinating, but I bet this is for hard core coupon queens ... whereas I'm a dabbler at best. ;)

Well, anyhoo there's some food for thought for the day, but for now I must be off! My friends, I hope you all have a great Friday ... I'll check back in just as soon as I can.

:)

Comments

[Dawn]

Thank you for sharing all your coupon ideas, ladies! I'm going to give my own system some thought ... I'm sure I'll post about it before too long. :)

Have a blessed day!
~ Dawn

p.s. Penny ~ I can't believe I forgot National Chocolate Cake Day either! Lol. Maybe I'll make up for it this week. ;D

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1507113894]

I went to a coupon class last year and have been saving every since. Kroger doubles up to a 1.00 so when the items are on sale and I have a coupon it is SAVINGS AWAY! I usually save 48% weekly on my grocery bill. I stock pile the things also when they are on a good deal. That came in handy last year when my husband lost his job. We had everything that we needed. It sure helped since I have a family of six. I have not paid for toothpaste for a year. I buy them now for FREE with double couponing.

I bought a binder that zippered all the way around. Set up tab dividers and bought plastic inserts. BCW inserts are heavy duty and perfect for the size of cut out coupons.

http://www.bcwsupplies.com/products/trading-card-albums-and-pages/vinyl-9-pocket-page-no1.htm. These work great and have not torn with the many ins and outs of coupons. Everyweek I am putting and pulling out coupons!

I have my binder set up first with Medication, Frozen, Dairy, Meat, Grocery, Cleaning and Misc. I should split grocery but just have not had the chance to. I sit down weekly with my list and pull coupons. It is so much easier when they are organzied. I still take the binder with me but have everything in front so I am not standing in the aisle looking thru my binder. I have been shopping and found something on sale and remembered that I have a coupon so that is why I take the binder with me. I have had many people stop and ask about where I get my coupons and my binder. I am more than happy to explain....everybody loves to save money and times like this it is a necessity.

[Lindsay]

Hi Dawn -- I see you are planning to do the Focus on the Feeders weekend. Something similar that you, and everyone around the country, not just in Mass, can do is The Great Backyard Bird Count -- every year on Presidents' Day Weekend. Information here: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

Enjoy! We have for years!

[Jessica M.]

Dawn,
There is a blog that I love to read. www.thecoupongoddess.com . She has a binder like the one you describe. It's fun to look at her past posts on some big coupon hauls. She really promotes donating to shelters and soup kitchens.

[Raising Three 4 Him]

Back in 2009 I started using a binder for my coupons. I was purchasing more newspapers every week (between a couple extra to 10, nothing crazy), if my paper that was delivered had good coupons in it that is. My little purse size coupon holder was getting very full at the time. My son had just cleaned out his binder that held his Yu-gi-oh cards and the binder was left with about 50 trading card protector sheets. So I snatched it up and started folding ALL of my coupons and catagorizing all of them into the binder. I used the binder up til this past summer. Once all the extreme coupon craze started last winter, the good coupons are now few and far in between (at least here). So, I am now back to getting only my one paper delivered and not buying any more. That is a $2-$20 savings right there, depending on the week and how many extra I would buy. I am also saving because I am not making extra trips to the "stores" to catch the "deals" every week. It would never fail that most of the items that were on sale and everyone had coupons for, those items would be stripped bare from the shelves. So, it would be return trips to see if they'd restocked. And also another thing that started getting to me is the time it took to clip all of those extra coupons, and to fold them, and to file them, to only feel like you HAVE to use ALL of the coupons before they expired! Phew, typing all that makes me glad I a minimalist now with my coupon using!!! The funny thing is I am actually spending less money now than I did when I was couponing heavy. I have found it a whole lot easier to get what I need in the moment, than to chase vanishing deals and feel like I am letting the coupon manufacturers decide what I will purchase. The best thing - I feel much lighter going to the store now with my coupons in my purse, and I don't have customers mistake me for and employee, since I had my big 'ol binder perched up in the cart :)

[Penny]

Dawn. Today is national Chocolate Cake Day and you didn't even mention it. tsk tsk.

Lol. One for next year's calendar :)

Off to bake cake... and plan February... thanks for all the wonderful ideas!

Looking forward to Friday Felines whenever it gets here!

[Katie]

Hi, Dawn!
I coupon but have not ventured in to the binder method because I don't have time to maintain it right now with two small kids. (3 and 7 months!) Maybe one day when they are older and I have time to clip everything I need every week. Instead, I file my inserts and cut what I need when I need it. Each month has three folders Proctor and Gamble, Smart Source, and RedPlum. I then file by week inside each folder. All of this actually ends up behind my weekly file folders. :) So, when I pull out my filing drawer I have my file crate folders and then coupons. I use a site called SouthernSavers to help me with my coupon matchups...then I go and pull the inserts I need, clip, and put everything in my shopping folder. There are lots of sites similar to SouthernSavers that you can use to do coupon matchups...check out SS but there will probably be some variation since you are further North. Happy couponing! And thank you for your blog. I enjoy reading it and have learned a lot. Thanks for sharing your little corner of the world!

[Leah]

I use a binder for my coupons and it has really helped me with shopping. I have saved about $300 since starting with it almost a year ago.

[Elizabeth Quigley]

Thanks Theresa for your helpful hints. At this time I am not interested in building a stock pile. It is just the 2 of us and we are older. Like Kristie I buy mostly fresh meat,produce and milk.I do use coupons for the products I use when I can find them.I am pleased that you have a method that works well for your family. It is important that we all do the best we can to be good stewarts of the resources we have.
Have a wonderful day.
Elizabeth

[Kristie]

Oh, I love seeing the plans for your week ahead! Gotta go pull my folder for next week and start working on ours. We also have a lot going on! Can't believe its almost February already! I'm still not used to 2012 yet!!!
I so envy women who coupon. I can't seem to get used to it, but like you I also want to get better in this arena. I don't really like the binder system for coupons. It looks really good, but I'm a filer and I can just see the stack of coupons that would never make it in. (kinda like using the file crate and not a binder for those things). I have a reciept holder? acordian file (cardboard, not the plastic ones, yuck!) that I file my coupons in. It is small enough to fit in my bag when out and big enough that I don't have to fold the coupon to put it in. When I cut my coupons I can just drop them in the right spot. My biggest problem is that I file my coupons, don't put it back in my bag, don't plan my list around the coupons/sales, and then end up at the store without any coupons. This is not good! However, I often find that there is not often a coupon for the things I normally buy (meat, veggies, fruits, milk). It is definately something I want to get better at though!

[Tanya W]

Happy Friday! Thanks for the reminder to do a bit of planning today...I usually end up planning on Sunday which is too late. Our school has a PD day today which means I might be able to squeeze in some planning time. Hope you have a great Friday!

[Teresa]

Elizabeth,
you are right in that most will use and buy anything-Extreme couponing??! But, you still could save over the long haul being brand loyal and organic. IT would just take longer to build any stock. But, a little tweaking is better than none. Write to organic companies and tell them how much you like said product-they may send coupons. Get on their websites and look for coupons or comment on their page. Never pay full price there will always be a sale(just try to key in on the lowest sale price you see)
Teresa in Ohio

[Elizabeth Quigley]

Hi Dawn,
You do have a busy week ahead. I have a friend that uses the binder and it is over whelming for me. I like keeping my shopping simple. A list and the coupons I am going to use.You are like me I am not a coupon queen. I dabble.I am very picky about what I buy because of health issues. I beleive that to be able to really save with coupons a person has to be willing to use any brands and not be concern with organic or all natural foods. This is not to put down the ladies that use coupons. They just don't work for us on a large scale.I am very brand loyal.
Have a wonderful week end.
Elizabeth

[Teresa in Ohio]

Dawn,
I have become an aggressive couponer. It didn't start that way though. I use to take my few to the store with me and maybe save $O.75. A friend showed me by watching sales,using coupons and web coupons I could save big. We use to spend 450 every 2 weeks! I now spend around 250 each time. There is definitely a game here. A store may put chicken on sale for 1.99lb one week then the next several weeks the "sale" price will increase each time. So, you want it at the lowest possible price, then STOCK it.
My list is not made up of the ingredients I would need for 1 week of meals, but not more random looking- all stock up items. We do not eat junk, in fact by watching closely I am able to have fresh fruits and veggies. I think the frozen foods are a big plus too. I didn't used to by frozen veggies/ fruits thought it was too expensive. Now, the freezer is stocked. I use the most coupons for toilet paper, shampoo, soaps, make up, etc. All none edibles. I haven't paid for toothpaste in 3yrs. It ends up being free with coupon and low price.
It takes time to build stock and get your grocery budget to come down. I won't pay full price too often. It has to be on sale and have coupon is a plus.
Good luck to you in this area. I know you will feel a sense of accomplishment and joy to reel in those dollars:)

Teresa in Ohio