Organization

Hey Everybody!

I know there are a few of you out there genuinely interested in couponing. This is really exciting for me! I feel like a little teacher =] 

But I know that one of the most annoying things about couponing is trying to keep everything organized. So, I knew this post, which you can access at any time at the link on the top of my blog, would be really helpful. I'll be covering three topics today: Coupon Organization, Stockpile Organization, and Pantry Organization. Every couponer has their own opinons and ideas about the best way to stay organized, but from my personal experience, these methods work the best for me.

We are currently living in a tiny 2 Bedroom apartment. The living room area is pretty small, and our room is tiny. So organization is not easy. But we make it work. Therefore we added some really important storage to the bedroom, kitchen, and living room. Let me start with the coupon organization!

 When I started couponing I tried EVERY method imaginable to stay organized. I bought 4 papers, cut out ALL the coupons, and filed them in tiny coupon holders to take to the store. But not only is this time consuming, its annoying. So now I have what I like to think of as the best method possible for beginners and even serious couponers like myself.

So here it goes! What I do now is look at Sundaycouponpreview.com every week before the paper comes out Sunday. If I know I'll be using multiples of certain couples, I'll buy multiple papers, always in even numbers. So some weeks I buy 8 while others I buy 4. Then, I bought a filing box system at Target for about $10. It holds letter and legal sizes hanging folders. I use the letter size. Here's a picture!

What I do next makes my life so much easier! I label the tabs with the date of the coupon insert, and by brand of insert. For example, since we moved to Miami, all my coupons from before January were left in Tampa! So I started fresh. The first tab says " 1/2 SS" this means January 2nd Smartsource Insert. 

Sometimes there is more than one insert of the same brand, such as RedPlum. So I will label them RP1 and RP2! Here's a closer look...

 

Next, I follow websites such as Iheartpublix.com and Totallytarget.com, and Iheartwags.com where they match up the sales with coupons. For example it might look like this:

Colgate toothpaste $2/5 at Walgreens

$1/1 Coupon in 1/16 SS

Now I now that if I'm buying Colgate toothpaste, I will be looking in the smartsource from January 16. Then I'll take it out, cut the coupon, and put the insert back in its place. It's really simple. 

I'm also a pretty organized person so I have a lot of fun with this! I buy the colorful-pretty tabs and my coupons are so organized!

And this method is really not very expensive. Yesterday I found a 25 pack of the green hanging folders plus 50 regular manila folders for only $2.48 at Target. 

So far I have everything from January through part of February. I even have enough room for probably all the inserts through March. At that point, many of the January ones will be expired and get thrown away.

Now lets talk about Stockpile Organization.

If you read the "How to Begin" section, then you should understand the basic idea of stockpiling. What this means is that, as a couponer, when you find an amazing deal on a product, then you will buy multiples of that item. This way, you do not have to buy it again until another great sale comes around. A simple example is how a few months ago, the P&G had a coupon for $1/1 Gain dishwashing liquid. At WalMart, these are priced at $.97. So I bought about 20 newspapers, and got 20 soaps for free. We've been using soap from this stockpile for months, and still have a ton left!

Again, we live in a small apartment, and we have the smallest bedroom. So we don't have a lot of room to work with. But I finally found the absolute best storage method for my stockpile! 

We share the apartment with my husbands parents. Sure its not ideal, but its what is best for us. Why? We don't have to pay rent. =] So we are able to save all of our money, which we are going to put towards a house. Yay! 

So to be generous, I make sure to buy things his parents can use. And we decided on this storage method for the living room. It basically holds all of the items we can share as a household.

It doesn't look awesome, especially because I think the drawers are ugly. But they will soon be changed to more attractive colors! Each drawer holds more than you can imagine. Here is an example of our stockpile in this furniture.

Here is that soap I was telling you about! We have enough to last us a few months. Hopefully by then I will find another great sale. By the way, the red Gain soap smells SO GOOD! 

And here is a bird's eye view of another drawer. This one is full of razors for both men and women. I'd say they all cost about $9-11 each regular priced. I got them for anywhere from Free-$3 each. There are also a few shaving creams, again for men and women. These razors will last us a good year.

Here is enough deodorant, both mens and women's to last for over a year! Not to mention the fact that I've donated and given away probably 20 more. There are many different brands, all of which are high quality. Right Guard, Sure, Dove, Secret, and Suave. All of the men's deodorant was free! There was a B1G1 free sale, and a B1G1 free coupon. When you match them up, everything is free! I also got the Dove free at Publix last week. 

This drawer has a variety of cleaning supplies and air fresheners. I know I never pay more than $1 for Glade and Lysol fresheners. The orange things are Pledge Dust Wipes. They are usually about $4 each. I remember getting them for about $.25 each! So I stocked up.

I think you guys get the idea! With this storage furniture, I'm able to stay really organized, and have space for all of my stockpile. My guess is it measures about 3 ft X 1ft X 3 ft. It's really not that big. But it holds so much!

Now on to the bedroom! This one is definitely more attractive. But I also put much more effort into stockpiling this one!

This furniture is actually two pieces next to one another. You can use these, plus the one I have in the living room and put them in various combinations. I chose a 4 X 4 for my room because it fit the best. I actually just recently bought the second piece, so the 8 drawers on the right side are still empty. But that only means I have room to grow! By the way, the storage device costs about $50 at Target. Then the drawers are 2 for $13. So for this entire piece, including drawers, we paid about $200. But considering how much storage it provides, it is definitely worth it. And its so easy to put together.

Here are a couple of the example drawers in my room. 

This drawer is full of shampoos, conditioners, and hair products such as hairspray or gel. I absolutely love this drawer. Like I said in the Beginners section, couponing allows you to get the brands you love! I personally love Herbal Essence, and Fernando can only use Head and Shoulders. I got the Head and Shoulders free on Black Friday, as well as some of the Herbal essence. So I stocked up. Then I found a deal a few months ago where Herbal Essence was on sale for about $2.50. And I had a coupon for B1G1 free. So I stocked up again. They are usually about $3 or more. And the Head and Shoulders is usually $4-5. So we love this stock! I've been using it since about August. And we still have a ton left! Not to mention all the stuff we've given away. And in a drawer in the living room, we have about 15 different body washes for both men and women. The good stuff! Like dove, olay, and caress.

I bet you're thinking "Wow. You can coupon for candles too?". Well yea. You really can. I remember when I got those Air Wick Candles. They went on sale at Target for $2.99. I had $3 coupons. I bought about 8 for free and left some coupons for other people. Then I gave a few away to friends because they smell so good! And the Febreze Candles are usually about $7 each. They had an amazing deal at Publix a few months ago, and I ended up actually get $.25 of overage for each candle I bought! Meaning, I got paid. I even got the Bic Lighters for about $.25 each. Usually they cost more than $3.And the Sense and Spray go on sale all the time!

And finally, this drawer would make every woman happy! This drawer is for me alone. I have an entire other drawer for friends and family, and I have donated at least 10-15 boxes of pads. I find a great deal, and I spread the love. It's an amazing feeling. These here are U by Kotex which is usually about $4.50 a box. I got them for $1.25, but I have gotten them for free before. I've been going off the same stock for a few months now. I probably have enough to last me for another year.

I LOVE being able to practically shop in my own home. Out of deodorant? I just walk to the living room and pick on the scent I want! It takes a lot of work, but I built this stock up in less than 6 months! So it is very possible.

And now to finish, here is our kitchen pantry organization tips! Our apartment comes with a pantry so small and ugly, I don't even use it. We bought this one at Target, for about $70 bucks. Its sturdy, easy to clean, REALLY easy to put together, and it holds a lot of stuff!

It is about 6 ft tall and 3 ft wide. 

The inside, I must say, is beautiful! 

Only 2 months of extreme couponing filled this pantry right up, for probably under $200.

Here is a closer view! I try to keep things organized and neat, but as you can see the pantry is running out of room. What this means is we'll be sending some stuff out for donation to make room for things we really need. 

Tons of vegetables, soups, and cereal.

Even though you can't see it well, we have about 12 cans of Tomato and Alfredo sauce. Enough to last a year or so. Plus a stock of mayonnaise, pasta, tea bags, macaroni, and other condiments.

I don't think I paid more than $2 for all of this pasta. Pasta is always very cheap and/or free with coupons. You can't see it all but we have so much!

And no worries, all the veggies, fruits, meats and other healthy foods are kept fresh in the refrigerator and freezer.

I hope this helped give you guys some ideas and motivation to start couponing. I've been doing this sine July 2010. That's less than a year. And in 2 months I stocked a pantry. Imagine what you guys could do with a home, let alone a tiny apartment. You can be a world changer! At first you may not imagine being able to give anything away, but then you start to see your abundance, and it becomes a joy. 

Thank you for bearing with me! This page is available for viewing at all times. Comments are appreciated!