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Blog: The Pile High Club--how NOT to become a member
 Clip Happy
I was recently walking 18 miles with a friend (no, seriously, we're training for the breast cancer 3-day) who told me how she never used to be a coupon clipper, but now with the economy so unstable, she's trying to save every penny possible, and in doing so, has become obsessed with clipping coupons.
So I thought it apropos to talk a moment about good ways to organize your coupons so that you have them when you need them (that is, BEFORE they expire!).
Rules of couponing: The rules are, there ain't no rules! (Guess the movie that line is from… it's Grease, at the end of the movie when they're about to race for "pinks" for the cars. But I'm tired and loopy and I digress…)
Seriously, there is no one right way to organize your coupons. Of course you should contain them somehow (a small filing wallet is best, but even a ziplock baggie will do) so you can carry them from the house to the car. You can sort them by aisle in the supermarket, alphabetically by item, by brand, by anything. The key is to have your coupons where you need them when you need them.
So keep them in your car glove box so when you're at the supermarket (or ready to get that oil change) you have the coupon handy and you're not beating yourself over the head for leaving it in the drawer in the kitchen where it's saving you zero cents.
This also goes for all the gift cards and store credits you have piled up. Put those babies in the glove box so when you happen to be passing the Williams Sonoma next time you can use Aunt Debbie's generous $15 gift card.
I'm all for saving money right now (who, besides the government, isn't?), but when getting clip happy you also have to ask yourself what your time is worth. If you're stressing out over getting to all those flyers and newspaper inserts and you're getting backed up in your cutting and you're staying up late or putting off playing with your kids (or your spouse) so that you can clip just to save some pocket change, well then take a breather.
I get paid by the hour and I know what my time is worth. Even if you don't get paid by the hour, give yourself a price and then ask, "is it worth $125 for me to spend an hour clipping coupons to save $4.85?" (and no, I do not make $125/hr!).
Yes, there are those women on talk shows who religiously cut coupons and save $89 on a $289 grocery trip but… they are not the norm.
OK, I have no point here--I'm slap happy (or clip happy). If you read my earlier post then you know I'm going on very little sleep (was at the 7th Rays/Boston game last night and had work early this morning) and I believe all my synapses are not connecting.
Cliff Notes version:
Clip to save. Keep clips contained. Keep contained clips in car. Don't stress yourself out.
posted on: 10/20/2008 8:25:06 PM by Heather Lambie
category: Paper
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The Pile High Club--how NOT to become a member
by Heather Lambie
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About Heather:
My Husband - "Honey, how thin can you spread yourself before you're no longer there?" Me - "I don't know. But I'm in it to win it, so we may have to find out."
Heather's Website:
www.yourhomeeditor.com
Favorite Websites
- The Sartorialist
This site appeases my hunger for all things New York, reminds me of my time there, and gives me great ideas for unconventional looks.
- Toffee To Go
They are located in Tampa, very near me, but they deliver/ship nationally. They have THE BEST toffee EVER. It's buttery, salty, sweet--all my favorite things in one bite.
- The Container Store
I know this is a no-brainer for an organizer...but this place really turns me on!
- The Poetry Foundation
- Because I Said So (blog)
As a mom myself, this mom of 6 (!!!) has me in stitches.
- Michael Buble
If I wasn't happily married, I might be stalking him. Bar none, the best voice and best sense of humor!
Quotes That Move Me
- General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
"The truth of the matter is, you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it."
- Ivern Ball
"Most of us ask for advice when we know the answer but we want a different one."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The secret of education is respecting the pupil."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."
- Abigail Van Buren
"The best index to a person's character is how he treats another person who can't do him good, and how he treats people who can't fight back."
- Dorothy Galyean
"Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."
- Aristotle
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
- Mark Twain
"To be satisfied with what one has; that is wealth. As long as one sorely needs a certain additional amount, that man isn't rich."
- Jackie Kennedy
"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."
Places I'm Dying to Visit
- Hawaii
Any how, any way, any time.
- Los Cabos, Mexico
- China
- Japan
- Alaska (via cruise ship)
- Marbella, Spain
Places I've Already Been
- Australia (Sydney)
- New Zealand
- Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora
- London
- Paris
Spent only one day here (took the Chunnel from London when I was there) but it was one amazing, beautiful day where I walked the flea markets, visited the Louvre, people-watched and used all 6 senses to experience it.
- Trinidad & Tobago
My husband is from here, so we go several times a year to visit family.
- Italy (Milan, Vicenza)
- Jamaica
Things I'd Like To Do Before I Die
- Run a leg with the Olympic torch before the games begin
- See the monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico
- Ride a horse on the beach (in the water)
- See a prize fight (boxing) in Las Vegas
- Run the NYC Marathon
I ran the Disney Marathon in 2000 (pre-kids). Would love to run another post-kids, to prove I can.
- Have washboard abs.
- Eliminate self doubt.
- Own an apartment in Manhattan.
- Watch the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve.
- Take an RV trip down the coast of California.
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