6 Weeks of Organization: End of Week 2

For those of you new to my blog, I am working on a 6 Weeks of Organization Series that I just started this month. My goal is to try to get things in our house organized so I can spend less time picking up "clutter" and more time with my kids (and blogging, too!) :) In the end, I truly believe being organized can become a huge money saver!

Well, let me tell you that I completely forgot just how much fun it is to coupon clip--when you have lots and lots of them! I've switched from every couponing method now. And the only reason I haven't liked any of them is because I haven't diligently kept to the time any of them needs to "work"--and there really isn't a one-perfect method. Each has it's disadvantages.

But after "deal-finding" for over a year now, I realized that I've learned most of which coupons to keep that might turn into "frees" or "money-makers." When I decided to continue blogging, one of the sacrifices I had to make was making any type of multiple shopping trips during the week. Those trips would result in extra things for me to donate. But here's how I rationalized it--I'm still helping those in need. By me blogging, I am able to share deals with so many who can save $ and they can also learn to donate whenever possible and teach others. In the end, I'm helping more in need by skipping those trips and being "here."

So I took this into consideration when I decided which couponing method to continue with. And then Glowgirl sent me a complimentary coupon organizer, which only clinched my decision--I would clip what I need and those that might help and then give the others away to friends/library etc.

But...up until this point, I'd been doing the coupon insert method. And let me tell you, it's no fun switching from that to having to find ones worth clipping! :) We are talking hours going through hundreds of coupons. And I had them all saved from *January!* Yikes!

So are you ready for my before/after? (Note: The bucket of what looks like "crumpled" coupons wasn't my disorganization but my 10 month old got into them when I was trying to take the picture!) :)

Here's Before:

The larger bucket holds my bulging expanding folders which weren't prepared to hold 3 months of inserts, as I once thought they could! :)

Here's After:

Isn't the organizer Glowgirl gave me beautiful? I love it! :)

The one thing I never considered with the insert method is how many coupons could go to "waste" that I could have passed on. Trust me when I tell you that it was sickening to see! I have no advice as to how to tell you to avoid that unless after a month you do a search on a coupon database to see what's soon expiring and clip them to keep/giveaway? It seems like it could entail the amount of work you were trying to avoid! (Those of you that use this method, what do you do?)

I am soo excited to have my coupons finally organized and ready to use on my next trip! I also worked on a few other things this week but haven't completed them enough for an "after" picture. I need my hubby's assistance hanging a few things up!

So moving on to Week 3....here are my new goals--I'm mixing around a few weeks from my original plan:

Week 3: Pantry/Freezer - I'd like to inventory my pantry, weeding out expireds and taking note of what I need or am running low on inventory. This way, I can make my "look for deals on" list. I'll also try to work out a menu planning system. And I need to inventory my freezers because I have no idea what's in either of them.

This is going to be a great week as knowing your inventory levels and being able to watch for deals and plan shopping lists around menu plans is a *huge* money-saver. Honestly, if you don't want to coupon, these are great ways to save big!!

I hope your organization is going well! Do any of you have any new organization questions to share with me/my readers? Thank you to those that emailed me with some. I hope I was able to help!