|
Blog: The Simplified Home
 Reduce Household Spending One Coupon at a Time
Everyone is worried about the current state of our economy, with good reason. But much of what is going on globally is out of our control. What we do have control over is how we spend our own money.
One of the easiest ways to reduce household spending is to use coupons when you shop. It's a no brainer ... if you found fifty-cents, seventy-five cents ... a dollar on the floor, wouldn't you pick it up and feel like luck was on your side that day? Isn't using coupons like finding money on the floor? You bet! Yet a small percentage of Americans even use coupons, let alone have a system for organizing, storing and redeeming coupons. Consequently they spend much more of their hard-earned money on household purchases than necessary. Yes, it takes some time to get set-up ~ all the more reason to have an organized system in place to greatly reduce the time it takes to use this free money when you shop. I'll be highlighting three tools and systems here that you can use to stay organized and find the most savings possible with coupons.
To get started learning about the world of couponing, there are many blogs, websites and helpful guides that serve as great resources to help you learn how to find, clip, sort and organize coupons for saving money on every household purchase.
Another very helpful organizational tool for saving money with coupons is The Couponizer. 
Developed by a cost-conscience mom. Amy Bergin developed this system for her family when other systems she tried were too cumbersome. One of the best features of The Couponizer is that it is designed to lay flat in your grocery cart, making it easier to find and retrieve a coupon and maneuver the cart at the same time. The Couponizer system gives you all the tools you need to clip, organize, store and use your coupons to reduce household spending.
You may also decide to develop your own coupon organizing system. The main categories to consider in your DIY coupon system are:
• Meat
• Vegetables
• Breakfast
• Bread
• Pasta
• Dairy
• Deserts and sweets
• Paper Products
• Personal Hygiene
• Household
• Frozen Food
• Canned Food
• Condiments
I've heard people say that when they have coupons they often buy products they wouldn't ordinarily, so they actually spend more money when they use coupons. The solution for this is to never go to the store without a list of what you truly need. In our home we use a shopping list called ALL OUT OF notepad, which is a 6 x 9 sized shopping list pad shopping list pad which adheres to your refrigerator with a heavy-duty magnet. The ALL OUT OF notepad saves you the hassle of having to write out a shopping list each time you shop. As we deplete household items, we circle the needed item on the ALL OUT OF notepad on our refrigerator. We tear off the already prepared shopping list and take it with us to the store.
When your coupons are organized it will be much easier to find and use them to save big money during every trip to the grocery store. I get great satisfaction from seeing the subtotal at the register, then watching the total reduce as each coupon is scanned. Recently, we saved more than thirty dollars from using coupons, which translates to getting thirty dollars in free food.
posted on: 9/7/2009 10:00:00 AM by Janet Nusbaum, The Organizing Genie
category: Homes
The Simplified Home: < Previous Post - Next Post >
Blog Central: < Previous Post - Next Post >
 Discuss This Post
There are no comments.
|
|
The Simplified Home
by Janet Nusbaum, The Organizing Genie
View This Blog
 Subscribe To This Blog
About Janet:
Janet Nusbaum creates calm out of chaos, and loves bringing serenity and order to overwhelmed households, cluttered offices, frazzled parents, and transitioning seniors and families. Janet, President of Simplified Spaces & The Simplified Home, is an Organizing Consultant, Senior Move Manager, Author and Speaker.
She is the author of "Mom, Can I Help Around the House?" A Simple, Step-by-Step System for Teaching Your Children Life-Long Skills for Pitching-In & Picking-up".
She is a proud member: National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) & National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD)
Visit our blog - www.TheOrganizingGenie.com, and sign-up to receive our special report "SHELF LIFE OF 75 COMMON HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. Use this report to decide what to keep and what to toss ... then TAKE ACTION!!
Janet's Other Blogs:
Janet's Favorites:
|
www.OnlineOrganizing.com is a service mark of Bradford, LLC.
