Big Pink

I consider grocery shopping to be one of my "jobs" in the household and I take it seriously! I make a game out of saving money with coupons and sales. Since it can be time consuming I have worked out a plan that works for me, saves time and lessens the stress of misplacing coupons. I would like to introduce you to "Big Pink" -my coupon system. It has many good qualities- a zipper to keep coupons from slipping out of place, many pockets, a cheerful color, and room to organize. Yes, my family does make fun of it......but, they like the snacks that I get for little $$$$.

It has many pages of photo organizers that make the coupons easy to find, labeled and arranged by the aisles in the grocery store.

Pockets for each store I use to keep ads , store specific coupons and lists I plan to buy that week.

Finally, there are more pockets for rebate information.

As I have become more organized I really spend less time working things out. Here are my steps each week:

1. Sunday -buy at least 2 newspapers, cut and organize coupons, plan purchases for CVS, Walgreens, Target, Kroger. Other stores I plan whenever I see the info.

2. Check coupon blogs twice a day, morning and before bed. Add deals to store lists and pull needed coupons.

3. Shop as many stores as I can on one trip. Combine shopping with any errands that I can to minimize gas usage.

4. I carry "Big Pink" in the car, but I only take it in for big grocery trips. I take out the pocket for the store, list and the coupons I have pulled for smaller trips.

5. Celebrate saving money when I get home!

Another benefit of "BigPink" is that I have eliminated the piles and piles of coupons I used to leave sitting around the house! To prove to myself that this is worth it I have kept good records for the month of June to compare money spent and money saved with coupons. I am planning to try to work out a new grocery budget after I see how well I did!