Coupon Organizer

It began with a handful of crumpled coupons stuffed in my back pocket, transitioned into categorized envelopes floating in my purse, and finally graduated to this grownup coupon organizer.


When combing the web for various coupon organizing strategies, I found the binder option appealing for a few reasons. First, it was important to me to have all my coupons visible. The binder method, using baseball card holders found at Target or Walmart, makes it so that I can see each coupon (I do stack multiples of the same product in one card sleeve) without shuffling through envelopes. Another plus of this system for me is that it allows me to take the whole binder with me when grocery shopping without sorting out the coupons I think I'll use, only to have to refile them later when I don't use them or scrounge for a coupon for an item not on my list. Finally, this system looks attractive. Shallow, yes. But I'm not above it when it comes to my coupons!

So here's what I did. I repurposed a zippered three-ring binder I had used once-upon-a-time for a portfolio. It works perfect for coupons because it has pull-out handles for easy carrying, and maybe more importantly, a zipper to keep any stray coupons corralled. It also has spaces for a pen and small scissors (for those sheets of coupons I stuff in the back because I'm too lazy that week to cut them all out) and for store cards, gift cards, etc. There are pockets to stash my grocery lists as well. After I found my binder, I needed category dividers. Using old manilla file folders, I cut them in half, then covered them with scrapbook paper to pretty them up.


Here are the categories I used:

• Fresh Foods
• Canned
• Cereal/Snack
• Bread/Baking
• Frozen

Each major cateogory is also subdivided into smaller categories. For example, under "Fresh Foods," I have the categories "Dairy," "Meat," and "Produce." To mark these subcategories, I used one of my son's trading cards as a guide and made cards using matching scrapbook paper. I then put those labeled cards in the top right sleeves of individual sheets. For those subcategories needing more than one sheet, I simply place blank sheets behind the labeled one. Yet another advantage of this system is that you can customize and change the number of sheets allocated to a specific category based on your current needs.



You'll notice that I don't have any household categories in my binder. This is because most household goods including pet food, cleaners, and beauty/health products get purchased at Walgreens, CVS, or Target. Rather than having one giant binder, I choose to divide my coupons according to where I use them. That way, I can take my big binder with me when grocery shopping (a planned, specific outing complete with large cart to perch it on) and use a much smaller coupon organizer that fits in my purse for household purchases. An added advantage of having a purse-size organizer is that it will always be on me when I make those spur of the moment stops at Walgreens or CVS.

So there you have it, my new and improved coupon organizer!

Free Kids' Workshops at Home Depot

Did you know that Home Depot offers free "How-to" workshops for kids on the first Saturday of each month, from 9 a.m. to noon? I had no idea myself until I noticed a flyer the last time we were in the store. The workshops are for kids aged 5-12. In addition to the project, kids receive a free kid-sized Home Depot apron and an achievement pin. Upcoming projects include a Hardware Sorter on June 6th and a Picnic Caddy on July 4th. We'll definitely be checking out the next one! For more details, check out the website.

Menu

I'm going to jump on the Menu Plan Monday bandwagon (admittedly on Tuesday, but I AM a rebel). Here's this week's dinner menu:

Tuesday
Grilled Chicken
Fettuchini Alfredo

Wednesday
Meatloaf
Oven Roasted Red Potatoes with Olive Oil & Thyme
Corn on the Cob

Thursday
Tator Tot Casserole
Fresh Fruit Salad

Friday
Steak
Grilled Veggie Salad, inspiration here
Baked Potatoes

Saturday
"Someone Else is Cooking" Date Night

Sunday
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Garlic Bread

Blogging Schedule

At our house, summer means more time for family, fun, and hopefully more consistent blog postings as I only work part-time during the next three months. The last couple of months have seen this blog severely neglected, something I hope to remedy starting this week! What better way to kick off the summer than by spending an hour creating a rigid posting schedule that I will undoubtedly abandon before the week is out? You see, I am one of those compulsive list-makers who takes more joy from making said lists than actually following them. So in that spirit, here's my maybe-this-time-I'll-actually-follow-it schedule for the summer:

Mondays - Food (recipes, menus, etc.)
Tuesdays - Creativity Central (anything I can make, repurpose, or recreate)
Wednesdays - Organization (ideas and projects for organizing our busy lives)
Thursdays - Money Saving Ideas (tips and tricks for saving)
Fridays - Fun (family activities, date night ideas, etc.)
Weekends - Frugal Finds (my week's best freebies and deals)

Tune in tonight for installments 1 and 2 because, of course, I'm already a day behind!

Anniversary

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. A week ago, I was thrilled that we had actually managed to line up a real live babysitter. For the first time in 7 years, I had visions of nice restaurants with real tablecloths and soft lighting. Fast forward to this week when the babysitter, inevitably, had to cancel. I admit it, I was pretty bummed at first. There would be no uninterrupted eye-gazing, which, in all fairness, usually makes me ask my husband if I have something stuck in my teeth anyway. But I was looking forward to trying. And that sexy skirt and lowcut shirt won't get to come out to play for fear our dinner conversation will become something like this:

5-year-old daughter, "You should pull your shirt up mom. We can see your breasts."
12-year-old son, covering ears because she said the B word, "MOM!!!! Make her stop!"
5-year-old daughter, laughing, "What? They're funny. You should see them!"

At which point, the romance will be officially dead at the table. (No conjecture here, by the way. Slight adaptation of a real conversation.)

So it's on to Plan B for us. After some thought, we decided to keep the dinner plans but move it to a nice Mexican restaurant that has great food but still is kid-friendly. After that, my husband is going to demonstrate his deep and abiding love for me by doing something he would never do for anything less than love: scrapbooking. Yup! I STILL, seven years later, have an unfinished scrapbook I started making of our wedding photos. So tonight we're going to come home, drag out the scissors and glue, and revisit our memories together. Granted, my husband will probably be more company than crafter, but what more could a woman ask for than the good company of a great man while she's knee-deep in pretty paper and flashy stickers? And as a bonus, instead of just watching mom and dad go out, our kids will be part of celebrating our marriage.

Besides, eventually they'll go to bed, and I can break out the sexy.

Send Mom a FREE Card

The good news? Thanks to Frugal & Fabulous, I've got another great freebie to pass on to you. If you go to Hallmark, they'll send a Mother's Day card for you absolutely FREE, stamp and all. Just type in promo code "CARD4MOM" at checkout. If you hurry, it might just get out in time for Mother's Day.

The bad news? Both my mother-in-law and stepmother occasionally read my blog so they'll now have certifiable proof of my cheapness, ahem, I mean frugality, when they get their free Mother's Day goodies. But it IS the thought that counts, right? Besides, I could hardly resist passing along such a nice freebie to you all.

Make Some Free Crafts for Mom

Today we stopped into Michael's to pick up some cheap painting supplies (around here, we have to keep our 5-year-old in supplies and ceramic canvases or risk serious withdrawals). One of the highlights of a trip to Michael's on Saturday is the opportunity for the little one to do an in-store craft.

Today's craft was a free keepsake plate for Mother's Day. Here's a picture of my budding Picasso's work.
We still have to put a picture in the center before it's ready to be shipped to Grandma's. Pretty cute for a free craft!

And better yet? They've got free workshops all week long. Here's the lineup of what you can make each day. So if you've got a Michael's near you, stop in and make a gift for one of the mamas in your life.