52 OHC: Week 7

This week's challenge was dealing with coupons.  I am a frugal grocery shopper and have always used coupons.  I clip them from the Sunday paper, print them from online, peel them from packaging and sometimes get them from check-out lines or other random sources.  There are certain products that I know usually have a coupon available, and it drives me nuts to buy it if I don't have a coupon with me or the one I have has just expired.  That being said, I am FAR from ever being an extreme couponer like on T.V.  My time is worth way more than that to me.  I usually only clip coupons for specific products that I know I buy regularly or new products that I really want to try.

This challenge was pretty quick and easy for me.  The only thing I really did was splurge on a new 7-pocket organizer from the dollar bin at Target since the closure button on my old one broke off months ago.  I used the same categories and just did a purging of all the expired ones.  I have a system in place to clip coupons on Sundays before planning my menu for the week.  However, I don't always do a good job of purging the expired ones or filing the new ones in the correct category.  I really need to start following the rule of "one touch" and put everything away in the proper place the first time I touch it.  This especially needs to be true of the coupons I print online.  Sometimes they can sit on the printer for days before I actually cut them out and put them in my purse.  I've gotten burned more than once standing in the check-out line of the grocery store with something in my cart when I realize the coupon is still sitting on the printer.  The Dutch in me cringes when that happens. :op

P.S. Remember when I made the comment about never deep-cleaning that fridge again?  Well, I had to do it again this week after I knocked over a half gallon of milk on the top shelf.  Sigh.  At least it gave me another chance to throw out that jar of pickles!