Yesterday, I reflected on the things I wished I would have known when I started couponing. Today, I’ll look forward and talk about things I hope to figure out about frugal living in the next year.
1. Become happy with my coupon organization system. It seems like an on-going challenge. Either clip all the coupons and organize (which takes a TON of time), but you get to score the unadvertised deals. File all the inserts (which takes NO time), but I miss out on the advertised deals. Or the hybrid method (which is a little of both) and a complete compromise. (You get some of the unadvertised deals and you have more work.) I need to find contentment in whatever system I pick.
2. Start using the Walgreens Register Reward system.Yep, I post about it, but I very rarely take part in it. I don’t think God blessed me with the “Walgreens RR Brain Gene” because I always biff the deal or my RR are expired whenever I go. If you are Walgreens Coupon Ninja – feel free to come and train me.
3. Figure out how to share the love. I need to find a way to bless my favorite checkers. They are like icing on my coupon cake – when I get them at the register, my experience is so much better.
4. Start teaching DS about couponing. He asked about coupons the other day – wanted to know how they worked and what they were worth. I figure if he is asking, then I need to start teaching. (Any good tips on this would be GREATLY appreciated.)
5. Find alternative uses for body wash. I’m not joking when I say I have enough bottles of body wash to keep me clean for the next five years. I give away as much as I can, but at some point the recipients are going to wonder if they smell bad or if I have a body wash addiction. And even if I use it as hand-soap, I’m still a good three years out.
6. Bring more organic produce and hormone-free milk into our house. Maybe it is because I’m online all the time or maybe it is because I hung out at farms or because it tastes better – but something in my “gut” says we need to start doing this in our home. But don’t worry, I’m not going to go “crunchy” on you.
7. Find a bulk food store. We use too many beans, chickpeas, wheat flour, etc. to not be buying in bulk. Also, it would be nice to buy a little of something to try it out instead of having to purchase a whole pack.
8. Become braver in the kitchen. I really would like to know how to prepare some of the items I see in the weird vegetable and weird ethnic aisles. But it seems like a constant battle between making something the kiddos will eat and not being labeled as the “Mom from Fox Trot Comics” and embracing my inner-foodie.
9. Take a week off.When couponing starts to feel like “work” – I need a break. If I take a week off, I enjoy shopping more the next week. It also helps the budget because I’m able to bank the money for the following week. (Don’t worry – that doesn’t mean I won’t post. I just won’t shop.)
10. Allow splurges in the budget. For me this includes fresh flowers, for Hubs this is pistachios and high-end cheese. Even if we only splurge once every three months, it’s $30 well-spent and makes us appreciate the simple things that gives us great pleasure.
So does anyone have any answers to my questions above? What are some things you want to learn about or change in the upcoming year?
Oh, I don’t think this is quite the right time to start with Walgreens. They’re testing a new rewards system in the KC area and our RR opportunities are fewer than before. 🙁 I’m seriously thinking about dropping Walgreens if the new program sticks.
I loved the post, by the way. I can relate to so many of the points you brought up.
I am sooo with you on the struggles with the coupon organizing thing. Yesterday, I was stoked to get a babysitter and be able to run some errands Kid-Free. My hubby wanted me to get a Walgreens Rx and I saw that swim diapers were on sale AND I knew there was a coupon–but I couldn’t FIND it. I was burning through my babysitting time, looking for the coupon. So, I didn’t buy the diapers and the time where it would have been no trouble to go inside, I used the Walgreens Rx drive-thru.
I’m still miffed about the diaper coupon and all I know is that SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE but don’t know how. (I was doing the throw each week’s ads into a folder and hope I can find them later thing–doesn’t work!)
It is the challenge, isn’t it? I’m the hybrid. Part coupon binder and part coupon insert. And then just accept that I won’t have all the coupons. What’s everyone else doing? Is there a better method?
And our treats are expensive beer (Smokestack series), good cheese, and, while we’re happy with most of our $10 wine purchases, we like to have a drink most nights, which really racks up the $$ we spend on booze.
(The Missouri-made “Most Wanted” vodka is very, very good–we like dirty martinis. We were buying premium Vox vodka and this is an excellent substitute for about 1/3 the price)
JulieeeC – Wine isn’t a treat in our house. It is a necessity. 🙂 I beginning to think we need to meet for a happy hour – I also love a good dirty martini.
5. Find alternative uses for body wash.
It’s soap, so it works how soap works. That means I use it in bathroom dispensers and I also keep some on the kitchen sink because I’d rather use free body soap to wash my hands after handling raw meat (or whatever) than the more expensive dish liquid. Amazingly, I now use the dish liquid to clean only dishes 🙂
Coupon organization
I have found that keeping my inserts together in one of those cloth organization bins is really easy. I then store the bin in the trunk of my car along with a pair of scissors.
If I find something on sale and want to know if there is a matching coupon, I solve the “finding” dilema by using my cell phone to look up one of my favorite coupon databases (coupontom, krazycouponlady, etc). If I find a great deal, I run out to the car, clip the coupon and come back into the store.
I do keep a coupon holder (zippable lunch box with index cards) to hold my other coupons (peelies, magazine tearouts, blinkies, and internet coupons). As well as the insert coupons that I know I will use (milk, cheese, crackers, meat, etc).
Between the two organization systems, I feel I keep a pretty good balance of clipping and organizing only the coupons I feel I will use.
Hmm…I like this idea. No extra work and all the benefit. It just housing my coupons in my car instead of in my kitchen. Anyone else have ideas?
Body Wash: Some kinds (like the Old Spice Conditiong Shampoo and Body Wash) can be used as shampoo, like the label says. Other than that, you can use it to clean the shower/bathtub/sinks. I wonder if it can be used (dilluted) for blowing bubbles.
It can ALWAYS be donated to places that help others (like the Salvation Army on Broadway, local Community Service Leagues, Rachel House locations in Lees Summit, Blue Springs or the Northland, City Union Mission on E. 11th Street, or churches that collect items for distribution).