She Works Hard For The Money (part two)

Sorry for the delay in the next post… My momma took us (hubbs, bro, and me) on a cruise to the Bahamas this past week!  So, I've been away from the technology and soaking in the rayzzz!  

But, more on that on a different post ;)

The second section of time that I spend with couponing is clipping them.  There's really not much skill to this… It's just knowing what coupons you should clip and how to organize them.  I've seen many different ways that couponers like to do this process, and at the end, I will share links to some of them.  For now, however, I will show you what I do.  It's what makes sense to me and works for me.  Same as before… take it, tweak it, make it work for you!

CLIP COUPONS

The first thing I will say is that there is no point in clipping every coupon you see.  If you will never use it, don't waste your time.  Clipping can be monotonous, especially if you get four or more papers each week.  

This is probably to go without saying, but the first thing I do is sit down and pull out all of the coupon booklets.  I don't keep the weekly ads or the paper itself.  (Tip: If you're having a rough week, it may be wise to keep the Comics section.  Always cheers me up!)My recycling bin gets a nice little present every week.

Next, I organize the coupon booklets by type, keeping in mind that a SmartSource from the Miami Herald may be a little different than a SmartSource from the Sun Sentinel.  I go through each booklet and clip ONLY the coupons that I think I might use in the future.  They may not always be the brands I'm used to using, but if it's a good substitute, I'll clip it. Once you've been couponing for awhile, you tend to get used to knowing which products will go on sale regularly, and which ones rarely go on sale.  If I come across a product that I don't usually use, and I don't recall ever seeing Publix having a special deal on it, I don't clip it at that time.  (Y'all, this part isn't rocket science, so I apologize if you're thinking, "Kelsey… we are not first graders, we get it… Clip what you use, don't clip what you won't use.")

Even though I don't clip every coupon, I don't throw away those booklets just yet.  You never know when a great deal might come along for a product that's actually a money MAKER, and you should go ahead and buy it and donate it to a worthy cause.  (Like your husband's intern who eats like a college student… which he pretty much is.  He can use the extra love!) I date the outside and put it in a sleeve in one of my handy dandy binders!

I have two binders.  I keep SmartSource and Publix coupon booklets in one, and RedPlum and P&G booklets in the other.  P&G only has monthly coupons booklets, so there are never more than two in my binder at a time.  Publix has coupon booklets that usually last for a couple of weeks, and there are usually no more than two of them at a time either.  SmartSource and RedPlum have coupons that expire at different dates that are usually a couple of months out.  I keep these booklets until all of the coupons inside have expired… just in case.

These binders are a new development.  They work for me now, but that doesn't mean they are the best solution.  However, it's better to have them in order here than to have a gigantic pile stacked up with them all mixed up!  (Because that's what I had for the longest time… and that was just plain annoying!)

Finally,  I take my clipped coupons and place them in my coupon binder.  The one I use is simple: 1 1/2 inch 3 ring binder, plastic pocket sleeves. Everyone organizes theirs differently.  Here are some options:

-Alphabetical order by brand name
-Alphabetical order by product type
-Categories (frozen, dairy, canned goods, household, etc…)
-Expiration dates (probably hardest to keep track of)

I even know someone who knows her grocery store so well that she organizes hers by aisle!  She knows the exact order of each so that she can move through the store and coupon in order!  THAT'S dedication.

I organize mine alphabetically by brand.  I haven't added the dividers yet… That's my next step.  This way, when I'm looking for the coupons to match my deals, I don't have to think about what type of product it is.  I just need to know the brand.  Once again, it's what works for me.  Your brain may sort items differently.

I don't really keep them in ABC order within the brands themselves.  As long as all of the C's are together… I'm good with that.  Coupons are constantly coming in and out of the binder as they are being used or expiring, so I don't want to be too tedious.  It won't be worth my time, ya know?

Here are some other binder organizing links that may help you:

Penny Pinchin' Mom
Ultimate Coupon Binder
My Coupon Expert

Really, you can just go to Google or Pinterest and type in something like "How to organize a coupon binder," and you will get a bazillion options.  Literally.  A bazillion.

So that's step two!  It is really very simple once you decide what system you want to use.  I still don't have it exactly how I want it, but I'm still getting great deals and saving money… Soooo, it can really only get better from here, right?!

She Works Hard For The Money (part one)

I am SO EXCITED that there are so many people out there who are interested in couponing!  I have to say that I never really thought that this would be something that I would get into.  Honestly, I didn't even really think it would work.  Fortunately, God brought me down to Florida and humbled me by showing what it looks like to NEED to learn how to coupon in order to put food on the table.  Then, He blessed me with a new friend named Shannon who took the time to teach me her tricks.  My grocery shopping habits have completely turned around, and I'd like to help you make the same thing happen for your home.

By no means will this be an exhaustive solution, especially considering that I am still learning so much myself.  Annnd… this post will only concern shopping at Publix.  There are plenty of ways to save at other grocery stores, but Publix is the most prominent store where I live, and therefore, the one I devote my time to.  (I just ended a sentence with a preposition, and it's killing me, but I don't feel like taking the time to reword it.  So…. deal.)

Okay, so every week is broken up into four sections of time:

1. Acquire coupons
2. Clip coupons
3. Match coupons to weekly ads/deals
4. Apply coupons at the store

I think the best way to show you my "tricks" is to walk you through my week.  In order to not be COMPLETELY overwhelming, I'm going to break this up into 4 posts… one for each of the above sections of my week.  See what applies to you. Start small, and work your way up to the more complicated deals.



ACQUIRE COUPONS

There are numerous ways to gather coupons: on-line, newspaper, etc.  It takes time to build up your coupon volume.  When I first got started, I was frustrated because all of the deals I saw required coupons that were no longer in circulation.  When you first begin to collect your coupons, don't lose hope that your deals aren't the best.  It will get better over time.

I get coupons through the newspaper every Saturday (Yeah… our Saturday papers have Sunday coupons).  I buy 2 Sun Sentinels and 2 Miami Heralds.  Each paper may contain different coupon booklets, so that's why I buy both.  I get two of each paper because I want to ensure that I'll have two of each coupon.  (That will make sense when we talk about matching coupons.)

In the newspaper, I am looking for these coupon booklets:
-SmartSource
-RedPlum
-P&G Brandsaver
-Publix Green and/or Purple Advantage flyers

Some people keep the weekly ads.  I find them excessive since I can just find the deals on-line.

I am also signed up for several e-mails that give me links to on-line coupons that may or may not be in the newspaper booklets.  Here are links to some of the sources that I use:

Grocery Coupon Cart
-a large inventory of the available on-line coupons
Target Coupons
-exclusive Target coupons that are considered "store" coupons and accepted as a competitor coupon for many Publix stores (more on that in the "Match coupon" post)
Best Meals At Home
-exclusive Publix coupons that you won't find elsewhere
Kellogg's Family Rewards
-exclusive Kellogg's brand coupons and a way to earn rewards when you buy their products
Betty Crocker
-exclusive Betty Crocker brand coupons

There are many more you can sign up for, but these are the ones I use the most.  Keep in mind, when printing coupons on-line, you can only print two of each per computer you use.

When you find a good coupon on-line, print two of them ASAP.  Most coupons have a maximum limit, and once the limit has been reached, they will no longer be available to print…  and that is a BUMMER when I see a deal and go to look for the coupon and get a "no longer available" message.  Super lame.  So, I look at the coupons when I have a moment throughout the week and see which ones I think I might use.

Do not feel like you have to print every coupon.  Even if a great deal comes up, there is absolutely no reason to worry about coupons for an item you will never use.  Don't let couponing become a reason to buy things you wouldn't buy already.  That is silly and the complete opposite of the point of saving money!  (Unless, of course, you want to create a stock pile of items that you choose to donate… In which case, you are a rock star, and that is awesome.)

Okay… this is the easiest step!  It seems like a lot in the beginning, but this has become my favorite part.  I just love seeing what coupons are coming in because it's like a get a sneak peek at what awesome foods are about to hit my pantry!  Right?!  Right.

It's the simple things, folks.

Next up… Clipping!

You Have Called Me Higher

"And I could hold on

I could hold on to who I am and never let You

Change me from the inside

And I could be safe

I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave home

Never let these walls down..."

-All Sons and Daughters

These words hit me hard.  Change is hard.  Truth… is hard.  But breaking down the walls so that my Heavenly Father can prune me and peel away the dead parts of my soul… it's necessary.

I've been away for awhile, and there is a heavy, looming reason: my pride.  

How many people have read my blog today?  Have they seen how crafty I am?  Do they know how witty I can be?  Will they see that I have it all together??

Those are questions I have asked myself far too many times, and enough was enough.  

Several months ago, I had a conversation with someone that broke me to my core.  It hit all of the insecurities that I face daily… all of the doubts I have about myself… all of the fear that lies deep within my being. 

 If you are reading this, that means you probably know me decently well… well enough to know that I am a pretty open person.  I don't really have a difficult time sharing what's really going on in my life, even with someone I barely know.  That personality trait has allowed me to ease interactions with strangers and build a state of open trust with friends.  In the same breath, it causes me to shut people out.  Too many times it seems that my mouth is open instead of my ears. Somehow the conversation continues to come back to me and my experiences… me and my opinion… me and my big mouth.  

This conversation was led by someone that I trust as a mentor.  They knew what they were about to say to me was going to cut deep… So much so that they were a little hesitant to go there.  But it came from a caring heart to "faithfully wound" me.  You see, there is an aspect of me that feels the need to perform.  I have the neurotic tendency to perfect anything and everything I think that I can.  But coming down to South Florida has stripped away those comforts in areas that I know can be perfected.  We are here to plant a church with the faith God provided.  We came down here without family or familiarity.  We left behind all of the basic comforts we had been blessed to enjoy for so long.  And suddenly, I was left with this daunting fear:

"What is my purpose?  Who am I supposed to be?"

I've been asking myself those questions since I've been down here.  I took a break from teaching because the stress had become overwhelming to me, and I didn't want to add to that down here.  But that left me feeling like a failure and wondering what on earth DO I do?  If I'm not a teacher, what am I?  Then, as the church has been growing and stretching its limbs, I began to question my part in it all.  Where do I belong in this?  Does the church even need me?

Let me tell you, this is a dangerous place to be.  I have begun to dwell in the world of comparisons.  

They are better at this than me… This person is stronger in faith than me… Look at that family that has it all together… All my friends are becoming moms and I am once again behind the curve… I wish I could go on a shopping spree like those women…

Dangerous, I say.

WHAT ON EARTH, PEOPLE?!  

What is my purpose??  TO BRING GLORY TO THE SOVEREIGN LORD!  

Who am I supposed to be??  A CHILD OF THE ONE TRUE KING!

Well, let's just say that there is a difference between your head that knows the truth and your heart that believes it.  And that is what God is revealing to me.  I have wasted so much time trying to reconcile my unbelief.  There is a battle that then ensues between TRYING to be a better Christian and actually BELIEVING that I am already righteous in the eyes of my Savior.  My husband reminded me that once my soul was claimed for the Gospel, Jesus Christ implanted ALL of himself within me, so that all His characteristics are already a part of me.  Instead of trying to make myself into someone greater, I need only seek to become who I already am.  

"I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."  -Galatians 2:20

You see, the more I sit here and worry about becoming a better version of me, all I'm doing is focusing on me… which is the complete opposite of the point.  This life I live is not for the sake of my name, but for God.  You would think I would have that figured out before moving to another state to start a church.  But this is a process.  I will not be fixed by tomorrow simply because I've acknowledged the truth.  My flesh continues to whisper lies of conceit in my ear.  However, I pray that the Lord will persist in breaking me so that I no longer reflect myself.  

If you have set yourself to reading this entire outpouring of my weaknesses, I pray that the Lord has reached your own heart in some way.  If you feel so led, please lift up my heart that I would seek to be less of myself and more of Christ.  

"He must increase, but I must decrease."  -John 3:30

Please pray for the hearts of South Florida that will be reached through the sharing and spreading of the Gospel by the disciples of Desire Church and the surrounding brothers and sisters with the same mission.  

"But You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You will lead me Lord
You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You lead me Lord…"

-All Sons and Daughters

Olson, Gibbs, and Herron families at first preview service for Desire Church!