An update on the "Big O" month of April

Coupon Reorg – Follow Up!  

It’s been an incredibly full Easter weekend – even so, when opportunity arose, I tackled part of the long overdue “coupon reorg”.    The initial goal was to obtain order and organization with the new 3 ring binder system - but related smaller projects were completed too.  (Again, every day this month – the ultimate goal is that SOMETHING, no matter how small, will become better organized.)  

End Result:

The 3 Ring Binder is filled with clear baseball card pages – making it easy to locate and consider coupon purchases

Each “category” is indicated by a pocketed tabbed divider – appropriately labeled for my family’s shopping habits

Coupons in each category are filed by expiration date

The completed binder is very secure - much easier to manage and far less frustrating than the small "accordion files" that have been around forever. 

Since a few minutes on the weekend is all that's required to "maintain" order, the binder will stay in my "errand basket" in the trunk of my car.  (It's frustrating to make an unexpected stop at Publix only to get home and realize you could've saved $) 

Like many projects, this one took a while on the front end, but a test shopping experience on Saturday revealed the time was well invested.  With 15 minutes of “management” on Sunday afternoons, this initiative will prove to be cost effective and simplifying for the long term.  YAY! 

One bonus project was weeding expired coupons from the “Restaurant Box”.  (Any lidded box would likely work well, but ours was a gift from a friend  - years ago.) It’s been helpful in reducing “kitchen drawer/refrigerator front” craziness and can easily be accessed and managed in only 2 minutes a week or less. 

For several years, we’ve been void of questions like: “where’s the take-out menu for Magic Wok? What's the number for Pizza Hut, etc." 

The final “small” organizational accomplishment was cleaning out magazine baskets throughout the house.  While organizing grocery and store coupons, all magazines were quickly scanned to ensure there weren’t any overlooked savings opportunities.  While checking - I discarded magazines that have served their purpose and moved into the “unnecessary” category. 

What projects are staring at you?  What areas have you organizationally mastered and simplified?  A couple of regular practices I'm content with are: the aforementioned "errand basket";  books and movies inventory; greeting cards; gifts; toiletries; and daily mail. (Actually, you'll get to see my organizational "piece de la resistance" in the next few days!  If your family is like ours and watches a lot of movies - you'll like this suggestion!)

There are at least 21 more endeavors in my near future: pantry, master bathroom, several  bedroom closets, basement storage, my son’s “now vacant” bedroom, linens and more.  As April moves forward –  and progress continues I’ll share a few more tips that work well for our family….and would love for my friends to do the same!    T.