Guest Posts

I just celebrated another birthday (yikes!) and I had a blast getting in on some of the birthday freebies that came along with. Since I know how much you all love free things, I’m excited to share this guest post with you on five nice deals and freebies that you can sign up for before your next birthday rolls around:

IHOP
By signing up for IHOP’s Pancake Revolution, you don’t just get one free stack of pancakes for your
birthday, you get three throughout the year. It’s true, by signing up for exclusive offers from IHOP,
you’ll get one free meal just for signing up, one free meal on your birthday, and one free meal on your
one-year anniversary. And this isn’t just for kids; anyone who enjoys the restaurant chain can sign
up.

T.G.I. Friday’s
Who doesn’t love dessert — especially on your birthday? Well that’s just what you’ll get when
you sign up for T.G.I. Friday’s Give Me More Stripes rewards program. All members receive one
complimentary dessert redeemable at any time during their birthday month with the purchase of any
entrée.

Ruby Tuesday
Sign up for Ruby Tuesday’s So Connected Club and you’ll receive a coupon for a free burger on your
birthday — good for both dine-in or to-go. But don’t try to con your way into this deal. To be eligible,
you’ll need to bring a valid ID to prove your date of birth before you can redeem this offer.

Moe’s Southwest Grill
Love Mexican food? Sign up for Moe’s E-World and you’ll get a free burrito on your birthday. Upon
joining, you’ll also get a free cup of queso redeemable right away. Double deals like this are hard to
come by so you don’t want to miss out on this fresh, made-to-order southwest fare.

Rubio’s
For years, Rubio’s has served some of the best fresh fish tacos and Mexican food to customers. And by
joining the Rubio’s Beach Club, you can get a free taco upon registering, as well as a coupon for a free
meal — up to $7 — on your birthday. Just another great offer for having an email address and being
born!

About this Guest Post Author

QuickQuid is an ethical online payday lender that helps hard-working Britons find a fast and
convenient solution to financial emergencies from the privacy and convenience of home. Its cash
advances are a hassle-free solution to household bills, emergency expenses or short-term money
needs.

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There are good budgets and there are great budgets, but the best budgets are those that work for you and which you can stick to on a long-term basis. It’s not just enough to spend time and effort creating one for your family, you must work towards staying on track and not spending more than you’ve set aside for the month. Many people lack the discipline and self control to spend within their means; however, with a little determination and lots of fear for the adverse consequences (debt and ultimate ruin), it’s easy enough to stick to your budget if you:

• Get the whole family involved: A budget is not just for some members of the family – no amount of penny-pinching is going to help if even one person goes on spending sprees. So before you set a budget, call a family meeting and work out specifics that are acceptable to everyone. Only when your entire family is at peace with the budget and amenable to following it can you make it work.
• Set reasonable goals: Sure it’s a budget, but that doesn’t mean you have to scrimp and save every possible penny. Unless you set reasonable goals, you’re going to be breaking the rules sooner than later. It’s like going on a diet – in order to stay on it, lose weight, and keep off the weight you’ve lost, you need to set goals that are achievable on a daily basis and sustainable in the long term. So when you prepare your budget, ensure that you set rules that are easy to obey and not too rigid on your family.
• Use cash and credit cards wisely: Actually, if you’re a sensible credit card user, it’s best to use your cards for most of your purchases because you’re not just using borrowed money at zero interest, you’re also deferring payment for a whole month or even more, in which time your money is earning interest. However, this strategy could backfire if you’re not the kind who pays off the entire balance amount on your cards every month. Also, when you use cards, you need to have a head for money so you keep track of all you’re spending that particular month even though the payments are going to be made only in the next month. So unless you can do all these things, it’s best to use cash as much as possible so you know how much you’re spending. Insist on receipts at every payment point however so it’s easy to keep track of what you’re spending on. If you prefer cards but have trouble remembering bill deadlines, set up automatic debit instructions with your bank to pay all outstanding bills in one go – this also prevents you from spending more than you have. Prepaid credit cards are also a good option when you’re not a responsible credit card user.
• Make periodic adjustments: A budget is not a document that is drawn up once, then framed and followed to the letter month after month, year after year. It must be modified according to your changing financial situation – if you earn more, you can allow yourself a little more leeway, and if you earn less, you must cut out unnecessary expenses and start to scrimp on costs. Also, some months may bring about special situations like birthdays and other occasions where you may have to spend more than you usually do. And unless you include these in your budget, you’re going to overshoot it. When you change your budget every few months taking into account your changing circumstances, it’s easier to keep up with it.

When you create a budget, pay attention to making it work for the first few months – if you can get through the initial stages, it becomes a habit that’s easier to maintain.

This guest post is contributed by Mark Macaluso, he writes on the topic of Masters in Accounting . He welcomes your comments at his email id: mark.macaluso985<@>gmail<.>com.

Does your family have a budget? How do you stick to it?

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It’s peach season and that means that you should be able to pick some up fairly cheaply at your local grocery store or Farmer’s Market. Now although they are great straight from the tree, I like to look for other creative ways to use them. Here is one of my recipes for a delicious peach pecan crisp that can be made using basic ingredients found in almost any pantry. The result is a delightful dessert that cost very little.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbls cold butter
2 Tbls sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
6 med peaches, peeled and sliced
3 Tbls lemon juice
1 Tbls lemon zest
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400

In a large mixing bowl combine the first 7 ingredients. Note: You can use a food processor but I find that it’s easier to mix with my hands. Mix until crumbly; set aside.

Combine peaches, golden raisins, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Pour mixture into a 9×9 or 8×8 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread mixture evenly throughout pan. Sprinkle with pecan mixture. Bake for 25-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Yields 8 Servings

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These back to school ads I’ve been seeing everywhere are driving me crazy. Seriously, they’ve almost got me tricked into thinking that summer is over! It’s still July, but here I am feeling like I have to suddenly cram in some last minute summer activities.

My girls and I are having a blast playing together this summer, but of course, we do things that are either FREE or very CHEAP! I thought I’d share some of my ideas for keeping the kiddos entertained this summer… just in case you’re starting to freak out (like me) that school is starting soon (it’s really not…)

1) Visit the library: Most libraries have a summer reading program that will entice your kids to keep reading while school’s out. My kids already finished their requirements and are now waiting to pick out their last prize: a free book at the library in August. Aside from reading programs, libraries have fun and educational computer games for kids to play, magazines to look at, games and movies to rent, puzzles and puppets for the younger ones. We usually can easily spend 1-2 hours at our library each week.

2) Go to the Park: I am fortunate to live in a city with dozens of public parks that are fun and safe for my kids. Pack a picnic lunch or go early in the morning and have a picnic breakfast before the weather (and playground equipment) gets too hot. I have fond memories of going to a park as a child, eating Dunkin Donuts on a blanket with my mom and sisters, and making up games of tag and pirates.

3) Go on a treasure hunt: This could be one that you’ve pre-arranged with clues and prizes, or just go for a walk and see what you can find. My 5 year old has the sharpest eyes and will find a “treasure” no matter where we go. It may be a feather, a seed, a shell, or something that looks to you like garbage, but to a young child, it’s exciting to find something! For older kids, create clues to lead them around your house, neighborhood, or back yard and have the final prize be a coupon for a ice cream cone or something fun!

4) See a movie: What child doesn’t enjoy a trip to the movie theater? Many theaters offer $1 summer movies or free movies on select days. It may be a movie that has already been released on video, but it’s still fun to see it in the theater and get some popcorn!

5) Put up a tent: Even if you aren’t a camper, try putting a tent in your backyard and just watch your kids enjoy it! You could borrow one from a friend if you don’t have one.

6) Wash the car: Kids LOVE to play with water, so why not surprise Daddy with a clean car? You wash the inside and have the kids clean the outside. If there is still time, wash the bikes, or your neighbor’s car (if it’s okay with them). Water+ soap bubbles + kids is always a winning combination!

7) Go to the museum: Our library has passes you can check out to get free admittance to many museums. You can also check to see if your local museums have summer rates or days you can go for free.

8) Go feed the ducks: We actually save our state bread and buns for this very reason. There are many small ponds in our area with lots of ducks and the girls love to go feed them. If your city doesn’t have ponds, try looking for a local metropark.

9) Visit a local farmer’s market: Make a list of things your kids have to find while there. If they are able to find all the fruits and veggies on their list, let them pick out some treat to take home!

10) Pick your own fruit: This is a great family activity! For some reason, my girls love to pick fruit and “berries” (anything small they find on a tree is a “berry”). It’s great to support local farmers, learn how the fruit is grown, and take home a yummy treat. You can go here to find u-pick locations near you.

11) Visit your local police or fire station: Call ahead and see if you can take your kids to see their local “heros”. Bring a plate of cookies as a thank you to these men and women who serve your community.

12) Wash outside: Do you have a small kiddy pool? Let it warm up in the sun all day and then give your kids an outdoor bath! Add bubbles and wash cloths and see who can get the soapiest before rinsing off!

13) Set up an obstacle course: You can do this inside on a rainy day or outside anytime. Get your kids moving by creating obstacles for them to hop, skip, run, jump, crawl through. You can use things like hula-hoops, small chairs, brooms, trampolines, balloons, etc. to create the course. Time the kids to see who can do it the fastest give everyone a Popsicle as a treat when they’re done.

14) Do some volunteer work: Ask an elderly neighbor if they need any summer chores done- like washing windows, picking weeds, etc. They may not see this as fun, but I bet they’ll feel good when they are done and you explain the importance of helping others. Give each of your kids a small award (money, extra video game time, ice cream treat) to thank them.

15) Write and act out a play: My sisters and I used to do this all the time. You can have older kids write their own, or read a childhood favorite story for kids to reenact, like Rumpelstiltskin. Make props and costumes with things you have at home. My sisters and I used to do this with friends and invite our parents to come watch our performance. We would even serve treats: little boxes of raisins!

16) Call your local Parks and Rec department: Or visit their website. Find out if they have a summer concert series, free family events, free swimming passes to use the pool, etc. Most cities offer so many fun and free family activities year round!

17) Sell some old toys and have Christmas in July: Take old toys and clothes to a thrift store or have a garage sale. Then, with the money you make, buy gifts for each other and have Christmas in July! You could even make cookies, sing Christmas carols, and read the story of Christ’s birth!

18) Go to the beach: You may have a drive a little ways, but this can be a great free family activity. What kids don’t enjoy the beach!?! Pack lunches and snacks and enjoy making memories!

19) Go to the Sprinkler park: We are so fortunate to have about 4 of these within 10 miles of us. They are becoming more popular, so look online and see if there is a new one near you! They are almost always free and are so much fun. If you don’t have one near you, create your own! You can water your grass and flowers while your kids cool off!

20) Go to the zoo or petting farm: Look for discounted tickets in entertainment books or call and see if they have discounted rates on certain days. If you have a friend with a membership, can you go with them on certain days when they can bring a guest? We don’t have a membership to the zoo, but we usually splurge for this a few times a year because the kids love it. Again, pack a lunch/dinner to avoid the high prices at the snack bars.

21) Store Freebies: Participate in some of the free weekend activities I post every Friday. Stores like Michaels, Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc. offer free activities for kids all year long!

22) See a Ball Game: You can usually find discounted tickets on ebay to MLB games, or see if you have a minor league game nearby.

23) Become a photographer or make a scrapbook: With all the great photo deals available, this is a cheap way to have fun and be creative. Give kids a disposable camera and have them take pictures of their summer. Then, have a family night in August to create your scrapbooks!

24) Make a pen pal: Encourage kids to learn something about someone in another country. The website epals lets kids form pen pels with kids around the world. If you don’t want your kids emailing, you can send letters to family friends or relatives who live far away.

25) Kids make dinner: Put your kids in charge of dinner (if they are old enough) or help younger ones decide whats on the menu for tonight- even if it’s pancakes with macaroni and cheese, let them eat it for one night! Adding candlelight will make it extra special.

26) Family Game Night: Have kids pick out game for the whole family to play! If your kids are old enough, have them make up their own game with cardboard and notecards.

27) Try something new! Find something you’ve never done before and learn how to do it! It could be making your own ice cream, learning to play chess, creating a puzzle, making a bird feeder, making your own silly putty or bubble solution, tie-dying a shirt, or planting a garden. Involve your kids and watch them learn! You can find instructions how to make most of these things online!

28) Create a time capsule: I always wanted to do one of these as a child! Have every member of your family add a letter to themselves and a special memento (or make a picture collage) into a box (and then place in a large bag). Promise to open it again in X number of years. Go here for more ideas.

29) Read a book together as a family: You should be able to ask a librarian for suggestions on books that would be appropriate for your family and kids ages. Each night, read 1-2 chapters together. When the book is finished, have a themed book party where you dress/act as the characters, discuss your favorite parts, act out scenes, or watch the movie version (if there is one).

30) Learn about astronomy: Find some websites or books on stars and then find someplace to go to look at the stars some night (you may have to get out of the city). Bring a blanket and some dessert and star gaze!

31) Make up your own holiday: This could be the start of a great family tradition! There aren’t too many (any?) major holidays between now and Labor Day, so have a contest to create your own holiday! Decide what day it will be, how you will celebrate and observe it every year, and maybe share it with your neighbors and make it an annual event!

32) Cook everything on the grill: Breakfast, lunch and dinner must be cooked outside. As my dad always says, “Food tastes better outdoors!” Find recipes on line for new ideas. One of our favorites is a grilled ham and cheese sandwhich made over the fire (we call them “mistokenchies” after their name in Portuguese… I think) or a fried bannanas and chocolate dessert. Use charcoal to really make it special!

33) Go to Chuck E. Cheese: We like to do this a fun treat for our kids. You can print rewards calendars at their website good for 10 free tokens. Spend a few dollars to get some more tokens, and then play all sorts of arcade games for tickets! You don’t have to eat there and it doesn’t cost anything to get in.

34) Go go-carting or putt-putt golfing: You can usually find B1G1 free coupons in the Entertainment book. Don’t have a book? Ask a friend or trade for a coupon at AFullCup.com

35) Make your own Design: Have kids create a work of art, then take a picture of it and upload to it VistaPrint to turn it into a magnet, canvas bag, tee shirt, etc. You can get most of these for free at VistaPrint- just pay shipping!

36) Go Bowling! Join the Kids Bowl Free program and go bowling any day! You’ll have to pay for shoe rental unless you have your own!

37) Pajama Day: Stay in your p.j’s all day (or maybe just till lunchtime) and spend the day having a “read-in”, playing games, making a fort, playing play-doh, finger painting, etc. Your kids will remember this funny day.

38) Redo your kids bedroom: Find free or cheap accessories and furniture on Craigslist.org or Freecycle.com or at thrift stores. It’s amazing what a little paint and re arranging can do to a room!

39) Help the environment: Collect water containers or newspapers and visit the recycling center. Teach your kids about recycling. Then take something from home and turn it into something else. See who can be the most creative!

40) Visit an animal shelter: Using coupons, get some pet food or treats for free or cheap and go volunteer at the local animal shelter (call ahead first). Your kids may enjoy petting some cute little animals and the shelter will appreciate your help. Take this opportunity to talk about animal shelters and pet adoption.

41) YOUR TURN.….what free or cheap things do you do with your kids in the summer? Leave a comment below to share!

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One of the blessings of being frugal is saving resources, primarily for your own family, but also for others – and for being able to give generously without it hurting your own family’s budget. You can help others at little to no cost to you. Obviously, you can serve with your time for free. Many organizations need help in the kitchen, or help stuffing envelopes, making phone calls, and more. You can visit shut-ins or the elderly. But what if you want to do things with a little bit more tangible impact?

One great thing you can do is a welcome basket. If you’re a frugal shopper, you know you can get lots of food and toiletries for very little. Create a little basket out of what you’ve gotten, and use it to welcome new members to church, new neighbors, etc. Or use it to give to someone who recently had a baby. You can also cook a little extra one night, and freeze a few portions for families with new members.

If you’re crafty, consider making quilts out of scraps. “Ugly quilts” are ugly enough that they have no monetary value, but provide a blessing to the homeless and protection from winter. Making crafts with your kids and bringing them to nursing homes or shut-ins is a great way to brighten someone’s day. Craft supplies are very inexpensive, and you don’t have to be very talented to create a work of art nice enough to bless someone who doesn’t have family members nearby.

There are many more things you can do to bless others through your frugality, but hopefully this will give you a few ideas to get started!

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When I was in fifth grade I remember begging my mom to learn how to do laundry. Boy, was that a mistake! After I was taught, I pretty much took over. Thankfully looking back now I see how much it helped my mom, but if I could do it over I would have done a better job and saved her a ton of money!

You see, I thought it was necessary to fill the soap to the brim because after all, the more soap the better. Right? Wrong.

So, to save money on laundry, I find myself doing some of the following:

Use Less Detergent than Recommended
Some of you may think this is strange, but really it’s not necessary to use the full amount. Because really, how dirty are the clothes you’re washing. Now, when my husband comes in with grimy work clothes after tinkering in the garage, you betcha I’m adding the recommended amount! Most of the time I use about half to three-fourths the recommended amount.

Wash In Cold Water
Over the past few years I’ve been washing almost all of our clothes(except certain dress clothes, towels, and sheets) in cold water. I haven’t noticed a difference in our clothes. Most of the energy used for the wash cycle is in heating the water.

Line Dry
I will admit, I don’t do this nearly as often as I should. One of my future purchases will be a nice drying rack. How I miss our clothes line when I was growing up. Now, that is one area I helped save money since I always hung the clothes on the line in the summer. It saves energy, but also is so much easier on your clothing. In fact, you’ll extend the life of your clothes by line drying.

Cut Your Dryer Sheets In Half
After I open a box of dryer sheets, I cut all of them in half. It does the job just as well and you just doubled your box!

Use Your Dryer Back to Back
This makes since because if your dryer is already warm when you put the clothes in, it doesn’t have to heat up again. Now here’s the trick, keeping on top of the laundry and remembering to take one load out and get the other one in right away! Anyone else guilty of leaving a load in the washer overnight a time or two?!

Wear It Twice
You can bet I’m wearing my jeans more than one time before I toss them in the laundry basket. In fact even my husband does this with his dress pants. Sometimes I’m annoyed that they don’t fit quite as well the second(or third) time, but they’re usually not dirty enough after wearing them just once to justify washing them.

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Combine as many sales/coupons/promotions as you can! Yes, it’s great when you can buy something on sale but isn’t even better when you can buy something on sale with a coupon and receive a store promotion like Kohl’s cash all at once! Whenever I get a $10/$10 coupon for Kohl’s I try to combine it with clearance items. I have been able to get three shirts for Cailynn on clearance for FREE with the $10/$10 coupon. Save them for her birthday and that’s three FREE shirts for her birthday present!

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One of the biggest myths that get under any frugal shopper’s skin is hearing someone say, “I’d love to save money like that but I can’t do that and eat healthy.” While I will admit that if you chose to eat organic only or have a very strict diet it can be difficult and more expensive to get the things you need that does not mean that you cannot eat healthy and coupon or even eat orgnaic and coupon. Here are some tips to find what you need to keep saving 50% or more on your grocery bill.

Email the companies you love regularly – Fact of the matter is that organic companies know that you are one of their most brand loyal customers out there and they put out less coupons because of that. However if you email them they will step up to the plate and send you some. I literally will walk through a store and think, “Its been a long time since I had Kozy Shack pudding, I should email them . .” and take mental notes to go back and have coupons for the next time I see it on sale. You can find a list of a few that I have emailed in the past here.

Visit the companies you love regularly and get on their email list – Some companies have regular email list and will periodically send out coupons through that route. So while you are emailing them asked to be put on their list or look for a link to subscribe to their site.

Check coupons.com for organic coupons – The almost always have 3 or 4 organic coupons per month so check them out. You can find other sites that I have downloaded coupons from here.

Keep your catalinas – Now I will be the first to admit I am not that great at keeping my catalinas. I probably have some in my trunk at the bottom of my reusable bags, in my car and in my coupon binder bag as we speak. Some are a joke that I throw away right away. But they are based on your shopping habits and are usually competitor coupons or coupons for something you bought to build your loyalty. So if I get a soy milk, oikos, lean cuisine, Sobe Lifewater etc. I will be sure to keep those!

Be on the look out for and stock up on organic and produce coupons – There are a few that do come out in the Sunday paper and a lot of times they are good for 2 to 3 months, os make sure to buy extra papers that week.

Buy organic from coupon friendly organic stores – Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods accept coupons and Whole Foods even has store coupons!

Take a good look at everything in your grocery cart – One of the most important things to remember is that you grocery shop for more than just food. Even if you are green with all your health & beauty products and cleaning products you can still get coupons for those and save money even on a trip that you don’t have coupons for your food products.

Don’t overlook your everyday low-price stores when in a pinch – If you don’t have time to compare prices or need something without a coupon you can find some good prices at Aldi’s Sav-A-Lot or other everyday low price stores.

Don’t forget to bring your own bags! – Most grocery stores offer a $.05 discount for bringing your own bag and helping the environment. I usually use 3 to 5 bags per shopping trip. $.20 discount is not much but it is something. That can cover my bananas or get me an ear of corn when they are at rock bottom price and in season.

Does this really work? For the week of 04/19/2010 There were not many good deals at Kroger so I gathered up my healthy coupons and looked for deals. Below are details of what I bought and how I combined these strategies to still save over 50% while looking for organic and healthy products. This tirp was done at the Kroger in Grand Blanc which doubles three like coupons up to $1.00.

Terra Chips Regular Price $4.99 sale price $3.49 MQ coupon for $1.00
Final cost $1.49

Silk Almond Milk $2.99 Catalina coupon for free Silk Almond Milk
Final cost free

Del-Monte Fruit Cup Regular Price $2.99 sale price $2.49 (2) MQ coupon for $.75/1
Final cost $.99

Dole Fruit Cup Regular Price $2.99 sale price $2.00 MQ coupon for $.75/2
Final cost $1.25

Del-Monte No Sugar Added Fruit cups Price $3.19 sale price $1.80 (2) MQ $1.00/2
Final cost $.80 each

Cascadian Farms Frozen Edamme Beans Regular Price $3.59 sale price $2.99 $1.00/1 printable
Final cost $.99

Naked Juice Regular price $3.49 sale price $2.99 $1.00/1 printable
Final cost $.99

Bolthouse Natural Juice Regular Price $2.99 sale price $2.50 $1.00 mailer from emailing (reads do not double)
Final cost $1.50 or $.50 depending on if coupon is restricted or not

Imagine free range chicken broth and vegetable broth Regular price $2.19 sale price $1.99 $1.00/2 printable
Final cost $.99 each when you buy two with coupon

Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt (3) Regular price $1.75 sale price $1.25 $.50/1 printable, $.50/2 Catalina
Final cost 1 for $.25 and 2 for $.75

Amy’s Burrito Regular price $2.49 Sale price $1.99 $.75/1 mailer from emailing
Final cost $.50

Glaceua Vitamin Waters (4) Regular Price $1.30 Sale price $.99 Buy One Get One Catalina
Final cost $.50 each

So as you can see above I used several strategies, I shopped at a store that would maximize my coupons, I had coupons from the Internet, newspaper, catalinas and from emailing companies. If I shoppe with no coupons and nothing was on sale this is $53.61 worth of products. If I shopped sale items with no coupons I would’ve spent $44.21 saving a little more than 17%. But by getting to a store to maximize my coupons and using them and searching for them I paid $15.29, saving 71%! Now you may not be able to get to a store that can double coupons up to $1. Even without that incentive you’d end up around $25 still saving a little over 50% if the store at leasts doubles coupons up to $.50. So the proof is there! You can save 50% on your groceries if you work a little harder even if you shop organic/natural!

What other tips do you have to reduce your expenses on Organic/Natural products?

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Many of you are familiar with the Bargain Blessings coupon organization method, but I think it is vital to find a system that works well for you. Everyone is so unique in this area and it can really make or break your experience all together. Today, I’m featuring a guest post writing by Kerri over at Save at Home Mommy!

Staying organized is super important in this coupon game! It not only allows you to get the best deals, it also helps make the whole process simpler and easier. You need to have a plan for how you handle the masses of coupons from newspaper inserts, magazines, blinkie boxes, mailers, tearpads and other resources. Below is the system I have found to work best for me. Tweak it, change it and make it work for you but I think the basics should work for most to keep you on track.

1. Have a place to store your newspaper inserts, magazines and weekly store ads. A small hanging file box with file folders should work great for most of you. I have recently moved to a file cabinet in my office since I needed the extra file space anyway. I have file labeled for Red Plum, Smart Source, P&G and Others as well as one in the front for that week’s store ads. I also keep all my All You Magazines in the back instead of clipping all the coupons out of them.

2. Have a system for labeling and organizing your inserts. When I get my inserts from the newspaper on Sundays, I immediately clip any that I know I am likely to use and file them in my coupon binder. Then, I write the date on the front of the inserts with a marker and clip all like inserts together (if I got multiple papers that week). I have found that the small black clips that you squeeze open and closed work better than paperclips that were always falling off. I keep them filed in the appropriate folder with the newest in the front. These simple steps save me so much time when I need to locate a coupon.
3. Have some sort of coupon organizer/binder that will work for you. You can check out the Save At Home Mommy Coupon Binder that is exactly like the one I use! It comes with a guide on how to set it up and use it to make your shopping trips much easier. I have found that a binder is best because I can keep my store ads, shopping lists, coupons and everything else I need all in one spot. I have found that there is not a good accordion organizer large enough to meet my needs and I like that the binder allows me to have as many coupons with me as I want and keeps them all neatly contained. It also gives me a place to keep all my coupon booklets, retail coupons, restaurant coupons and any other coupons I find all in one place. If I have my binder, I am ready to save!
These steps should get you well on your way to keeping all those little money making coupons organized and easily accessible so your shopping trips are well put together and less frazzled.

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