Using Time Wisely

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Organizing: Vehicle Coupon Holder

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Vehicle Coupon HolderIn Thursday’s Arrange Coupon Redemption post, I shared planning and finding coupons for those times when you choose to eat away from home. In reading that post, Shannon, a friend and supporter of Using Time Wisely, responded with a tip of her own. She keeps her coupons in the car. 🙂

Besides loving her comment, I was encouraged as we are on the same page. Having previously planned to share my vehicle coupon holder for today, I enjoyed hearing that Shannon had the same success that I have found by keeping the coupons in the car.

Though there are a number of ways you can organize your coupons, I have chosen the following system which has worked for our family:

1.Vehicle coupon holder Find a container. I purchased our blue coupon binder for $1 in the Target Dollar Spot section.

2. Determine your sections. My holder has 6 slots to which I designate as follows: expiring soon, Chick-fil-A, Zaxby’s, desserts, free items, and percentage off coupons.

3. File coupons. Any coupons I find in the newspaper, home mailers, magazines, store flyers, etc., get filed in the appropriate category of my holder.

With the binder complete, I store it in our van, so I have easy access to these coupons when we choose to treat ourselves. I do have a folder by my desk at home that holds gift cards, vouchers, and booklets of coupons. Usually redeeming these discounts require more forethought to use, so I don’t keep them in the car.

In using time wisely, having the coupons available and organized in our vehicle coupon holder allows a quick look to see if an outing is possible. Knowing that busy days and hiccups with errands will occur, plan for those times. But when planning does not come together, seize those coupons to keep your family fed while on the go.

Thanks, Shannon, for sharing your tip to help us all as we continue using time wisely. Happy organizing!

Question: How do you organize your restaurant coupons, vouchers, and gift cards?

Buying Ahead

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Were you able to snag any grocery deals this week? I was able to get some items we will be using at great prices! This week I shopped the sales at Publix after creating my grocery list from the sales ad listed by Jenny Martin at http://www.southernsavers.com/.

TIP:     If you are looking for coupons to use with items that are on sale and you do not live in the southeast, then check for your local sales at http://www.becentsable.net/store-deals/. You can click on your state and find links to blogs that post sales and coupon match-up deals in your area.

On Tuesday, I made a run to Publix. I purchased:

  • 6 Publix 2 liters (buy one get one free $.89 or $.44 each).
  • 4 boxes of Ronzoni pasta (buy one get one free $1.39 or $.69 each and used 2 coupons for $1.00 off 2 boxes. With the coupon, each box was $.19.)
  • 2 Log Cabin Syrups (buy one get one free $3.89 or $1.94 each and used 2 coupons for $1.00 off. With the coupon, each bottle was $.94.)
  • 1 Argo Pure Corn Starch (on sale for $1.39 and used $.30 coupon. After the coupon doubled, the container was $.79.)
  • 1 Argo Baking Powder (on sale for $1.39 and used $.30 coupon. After the coupon doubled, the container was $.79.)
  • 2 Smart Balance half gallons of milk (on sale $2.50 and used 2 coupons for $2 off. With coupons, each carton was $.50.)
  • 4 bags of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish snack (on sale $1 and used 4 coupons for $.35 off. After coupons doubled, each bag was $.30.)

My subtotal was $37.94. After subtracting coupons and sales of $28.82, I paid . . . $9.12 which is a savings of 76%.

Buying Ahead at Publix on April 5, 2011

Though right now I do not need all the 2 liters, pasta, syrups, corn starch or baking powder, I will be using these within the next 6 weeks. To help save money, I purchase these items when they are on sale. When my family finishes the current bottle of syrup, I will have another bottle in my pantry for a replacement. Had I not purchased the bottle on sale, I may have ended up paying full price if I needed syrup and could not find it on sale. I might also have needed to run out to the store which would unnecessarily use my time and energy.

The reason I buy items my family uses ahead of time is to save money, time and energy. Anytime I can combine sales with coupon savings, I am maximizing those savings. I can then add these items to my pantry. When I plan my menus, I will have some staples to get me started.

Do you use the BUY AHEAD principle where you purchase items, when they are on sale, before you need them? What deals have you been able to snag by buying ahead?

Feeding my Family

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Thursday mornings are my low point of the week. I just battle getting up and going. Since I know this time is difficult for me, I do not plan activities or appointments on Thursdays instead I try to stay at home. If nothing else gets accomplished on Thursday morning, my 12-month old gets to nap in her crib.

Having a morning at home really helps to get some basic cleaning done. I spent a little less than an hour this morning picking up the downstairs, vacuuming the floor, cleaning up the breakfast dishes, and preparing for dinner tonight. By having my dinner planned, I am bypassing the 4 o’clock anxiety I get when I have no idea what to make for dinner. I work hard to keep my menu planning up-to-date, but life does happen. There are days when I hit that wall of “what do I do for dinner?” That’s when I turn to my stockpile and put together a meal to feed my family.

What’s a stockpile? Well, come back on Thursdays as I share my food tips including menu planning, grocery shopping, couponing, stockpiling, recipes, and more.