Since we've moved out here to Houston I've been really concerned about food storage. The truth is that I knew we could count on family if an emergency happened and we needed food, but now that we are out here on our own I have been anxious to build up our storage. My mom sent me some links for websites that let you clip Internet coupons and then I saw a segment on the news about a lady who takes women to the store and teaches them to shop with coupons. Between the ladies the total price was suppose to be $700 but they got it for $235. Right then I knew I had to start clipping coupons. It was kind of hard getting organized and figuring out how the whole coupon thing works, but I think I'm figuring everything out. The point of it all is to build what they call a "stockpile" or what we call food storage. Then after a while you'll never buy full price for anything (except some basics) because you'll have at least a year supply of food & other household products. I use to plan my meals and then make my shopping list. Now I am looking through the ads, clipping coupons, and then planning my meals based on what's on sale. Anyway, I finally made my binder and I'm ready to start shopping smart! I do have a few tips that I've learned so far (not as many as the experts though) and I have some links to coupon websites...if you're interested let me know.
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Here is my beautiful binder. It zips all the way around so I won't lose anything. It has the pouch in front to hold my calculator and scissors.
The top pouch opens up to an accordion file. This is where I'll keep the store's weekly add for reference.
The first page inside the binder is my table that lets me know which stores double my coupons and lots of other information. This will be my quick reference (until I won't need it anymore) to figure out which store will give me the best price.
I added a 'Sale Cycle' sheet to my binder as well. It tells me what products generally go on sale during what months and when to stock up on them. For example, now is a great time to stock up on Ketchup and Mustard...and in September I should stock up on Peanut Butter and Jelly.
After I color coordinated the tabs.
The top pouch opens up to an accordion file. This is where I'll keep the store's weekly add for reference.
The first page inside the binder is my table that lets me know which stores double my coupons and lots of other information. This will be my quick reference (until I won't need it anymore) to figure out which store will give me the best price.
I added a 'Sale Cycle' sheet to my binder as well. It tells me what products generally go on sale during what months and when to stock up on them. For example, now is a great time to stock up on Ketchup and Mustard...and in September I should stock up on Peanut Butter and Jelly.
After I color coordinated the tabs. Green=Dry Food
Blue=Dairy/Frozen Food
Red=Baby Stuff
Yellow=Personal Care (ie. shampoo)
Orange=Household Stuff (ie.paper towels)
