Drowning in Coupons

I had one goal for this Sunday afternoon--start some sort of organization plan for the millions of coupons that are taking over my house.

You see, when I started tutoring non stop every afternoon and evening, everything else in my life started to go a bit haywire, couponing included.

I have continued to buy the Sunday papers each weekend, and I have continued to track the best grocery deals each week, but in the mean time, the piles of coupons were getting higher and higher. I just kept putting them in our empty bedroom upstairs, shutting the door, and living in denial. But, our grocery bill is beginning to suffer from this lack of organization, so I just spent all afternoon coming up with a game plan. An organizing the coupons game plan, that is.

I can't find my camera, or I would show you a picture so that you could see just how crazy my life has gotten. But at this point, I have come up with something that resembles order, and I even have all the coupons needed for today's grocery shop. So, I would count this as a mission accomplished. I plan to chip away at the rest of the organizing over the next week or two, but I can go to bed tonight knowing that things are much less chaotic in the coupon department.

By the way, I feel like I need to post on how I even got started couponing in the first place since several of you have asked me about the details of couponing. I plan to do a little "getting started" series soon, but first I have to take the time to reflect on how I got here because I have a hard time remembering. If you asked me, my answer might go something like this, "one day, I was spending 150.00 a week at the grocery store, and now I only spend about 40.00, but I can't remember how I got from there to here."

In the mean time, I wanted to mention that in the midst of all of this organizing, I came across a 5.00 off Nestle Good start formula. Do any of you want it? Just send me an e-mail, and I would be happy to send it to you (laura_rhodes@hotmail.com.) Also, I have a whole stack of 3.00 off Children's Claritin that I will never use, so please, if you can use them, let me know. I really hate to see a good coupon go to waste!!!

Now, I must go get Ada ready for a trip into the city because we are going to pick up a little 25.00 Craigslist table that will fit quite nicely behind our sofa. Next on the decorating agenda? Save every penny I can to purchase two lamps to go behind the sofa on top of the table. It's coming together, ya'll, slowly but surely.