Organizing: My Coupon Binder

I started using coupons when I moved out (9 years ago) to go to college – the real world, I quickly learned, is expensive! 

I started out using envelopes, graduated to an accordian file, and finally made my way to another unsatisfactory method of using a small 24-page photo brag book.

If I would have known about how to organize a coupon binder, I would have skipped directly to what this post is all about!

So finally, after missing a few good deals because I couldn’t see my coupons, I decided to bite the bullet and make my own coupon binder.  There are many ways to do it , and I chose a combination of the methods that I thought would work best for me. 

The link that inspired me most was one I found on You Tube.  Check out her video below:

I set a budget of $50 (these things can get expensive, or so I hear) and made my shopping list.  It looked a little something like this:

• Zip-Up Binder
• Tabbed Dividers
• Pocketed Protector Pages (9 Slots, 6 Slots, 4 Slots, & 3 Slots)
• Black Card Stock

I found the binder ($10) and the tabbed dividers (2 sets, $3.58 each) at Wal-Mart, and the black card stock at Target (4 packs, 99 cents each), and after having no luck finding the pocketed protectors in any stores, I bought them all off eBay (links above.)

My grand total spent was $45.74.  So I even stayed under budget!

And here’s how I organzied it all:

This is the binder I chose – it zips up and has multiple pockets inside and out for storage.

I store booklets of coupons and sale ads in the accordian file pocket in the front of the binder.

And just in case I should ever lose my binder, I included a contact page in the very front (I blocked out my information for this picture for security reasons.)

I use baseball, photo, postcard, and currency protectors to store my coupons. In a few of the pockets, I’ve inserted black cardstock so that I can utiilize both sides of the pocket.

3 Slot – these are great for the coupons that are printed out at the register and coupons you clip from magazines.

6 Slot

4 Slot

I have 16 sections separated by these bright colored tabs – it’s nice to just turn a page when I change aisles in the grocery store.

These are the sections in my binder:

• Meats
• Condiments
• Dry Goods
• Cereal & Granola
• Snacks & Candy
• Beverages
• Dairy
• Frozen
• Baby
• Health
• Beauty
• Toiletries
• Paper Products
• Laundry & Cleaning
• Pet Supplies
• Misc.

In the front of my binder, I have a 3 slot protector. In the top pocket, I often tuck my shopping list. In the middle pocket, I keep my coupons that I will be handing over to the cashier at the check-out. In the bottom pocket, I put all coupons that I think I might use on my trip. If and when I do find a great deal, I transfer them to the middle pocket as I put items in my cart.

Once a week, I flip through the pages of the binder and pull any expired coupons – it’s so much easier than before, and it was well worth the $45.74!

I would love to hear how you organize your coupons – Fill me in on your tips and tricks!

Spice It Up!

I’ve had some questions about spices and herbs recently, and I thought I’d take some time out to answer them:

• What spices and herbs should I keep on hand?
• How should I store them?
• What herbs are better fresh or dried?
• How do I substitute dried herbs for fresh?

This is where that lovely Culinary Arts degree I spent so much time and effort on comes in handy 🙂 

Q: What spices and herbs should I keep on hand?

A: Well first of all, the answer to this question is really going to depend on what you cook and bake.  I have a very vast spice and dried herb collection because I cook a wide range of ethnic foods.  Below is a list of what I keep in my pantry.  I have two separate “groupings” of spices – one for baking, one for savory.  A lot of spices are used in both, but this helps me stay organized and makes my life easier!  Note: You won’t see Salt and Pepper here.  I keep those out on the countertop because we use those with every meal.  I use Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper.

Savory

• Basil
• Bay Leaves
• Bouillon, Chicken & Beef Granules
• Cayenne Pepper
• Celery Salt
• Chives, Freeze-Dried
• Chopped Onion, Dried
• Coriander (Also for Baking)
• Chili Powder
• Cumin, Ground
• Curry Powder
• Dill, Freeze-Dried
• Fennel Seed, Ground & Whole
• Garam Masala
• Garlic Powder
• Garlic Salt
• Ginger, Ground (Also for Baking)
• Italian Seasoning
• Mustard, Ground
• Onion Powder
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Parsley, Freeze-Dried
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Rosemary
• Saffron
• Sage, Ground
• Seasoning Salt
• Sesame Seeds
• Steak Seasoning
• Summer Savory
• Tarragon
• Thyme
• White Pepper, Ground

Some of these are only used for special dishes, e.g. Garam Masala for Chicken Tikka Masala, Fennel Seeds for a Meat Rub, Saffron for Risotto Milanese, Summer Savory for Mushrooms stuffed with a cheesy filling.  I don’t expect that anyone else has this exact assortment of spices, but it’s what we use in my house.

Some of these I buy in bulk because buying those little containers at the grocery store can really add up for spices like Chili Powder, Cumin, and Italian Seasoning.  I also buy a bulk container of Black Peppercorns for my $10 pepper mill – there’s such a difference in taste when you grind your own pepper.

Baking

• Allspice, Whole
• Cinnamon, Ground & Sticks
• Cloves, Ground & Whole
• Cream of Tartar
• Nutmeg, Ground & Whole
• Poppy Seeds
• Sprinkles!

 

Q: How should I store them?

A: I use a very unconventional method to store my spices and dried herbs.  I use a filing system composed of a snap-close container, sandwich ziptop bags, labels.  I have a large box for the savory spices and a small box for the baking spices.  I don’t know about you, but spice bottles were coming out of my ears before I switched to this method.  I could never find what I wanted and ended up buying more that I did not need.  You can get directions on how to set up your own spice box here.  Keep your spices out of direct light and away from moisture and heat.  Exposure to the elements can drastically decrease the life of your spices and herbs.  Labeling your containers with the date you opened them is a good idea.  If you haven’t done this and need to check their freshness, let your nose do the detective work.  If their aroma is weak, they’re probably past their prime. 

I’ve heard all sorts of timelines for spices – 6 months, 1 year, or 10 years for my grandma’s ground allspice (eek!)  I can honestly say that I’ve had some spices for over 2 years, and they’re still doing a fabulous job.  My advice is to use your best judgement and your senses when deciding whether or not to retire that dried spice or herb. 

 

  

Q: What herbs are better fresh and/or dried?

A: While I use a lot of different dried spices, some herbs are sometimes better fresh.  I prefer fresh parsley, rosemary, basil, and thyme over their dried counterparts.  That doesn’t mean I don’t have the dried version on hand though – sometimes it’s just not cost-effective/feasible to buy fresh.  I do use dried basil and thyme is stew and soup recipes, but fresh is really the way to go for most everything else.  And note, if the main ingredient is a fresh herb, use fresh!  Can you imagine a pesto sauce made with dried basil – that would never work!

  

Q: How do I substitute dried herbs for fresh? 

A: There is a simple rule when substituting dried herbs for fresh.  Use 1/3 of the amount when using dried vs. fresh.  For example, if a recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme (there are 3 teaspoons in 1 Tablespoon.)  When a herb has been dried, it concentrates the flavor so simply swapping one out for the other could leave your dish lacking in taste or overpowering your palate.

 

Take advantage of your annual spring cleaning days to organize and weed through your spices and dried herbs!  Let me know how it goes, and I always welcome your organizing and culinary questions!

I don’t need your stinkin’ credit…

So in order to put a stop to mounds of junk mail from taking over our house, I have adopted a certain practice when it comes to dealing with our mail. 

As SOON as I remove the mail from the box, I sort it. 

One pile for obvious junk that includes no personal information (unwanted ads, flyers, anything addressed to “Current Resident”), one pile for “I need to look through this when I get a second” (includes magazines, grocery ads, personal mail), and one pile for bills and credit/insurance offers.  I recycle all unwanted ads, return envelopes, and “Current Resident” offers immediately – why let them sit around and invoke an OCD meltdown?  Yes, I’m prone to having these – just ask my husband.  That step alone has prevented many a meltdown.

Then there’s the dreaded bills and credit card/insurance offers pile.  I have opted for an easier and subsequently, a greener lifestyle by having the majority of our monthly billing statements emailed to us.  There are a few that I still get, though, for quick reference purposes – utilities and the mortgage are the main ones.  I file those away so if I need to see them quickly, I just pull out the file.  Easy peasy. 

The other part of that pile is the evil credit card and insurance offers.  My most hated offer is from American Express which is what prompted me to take action and make this post.  They send, on average, 2 packages to my husband per week offering credit cards.  When I say packages, I mean multiple inserts with his name and address printed all over the place.  This means, I have to take apart 2 of these packages per week and shred anything with our information on it.  And that’s just American Express.  My shredder can’t handle it – more like I can’t handle it anymore.  I see this as one of the biggest time wasters I encounter.  Soooooo….

I found a solution.  I actually, in a fit of fury, decided to call American Express and tell them where to mail their offers to.  I was ready for some harsh words.  And then, out of nowhere (actually, it was at the very bottom of page 1 of 16), I spotted the answer:

You can choose to stop receiving “prescreened” offers of credit by calling toll-free 1-888-567-8688. 

For more information about prescreened offers, please see the PRESCREEN & OPT-OUT NOTICE in the accompanying Terms and Conditions. 

 

“Has this always been here?” I said.  No one answered of course, but I really wasn’t expecting them to either. 

I frantically called the number and followed the prompts to remove both my name and my husband’s from this evil list.  It did take about 5 minutes for each of us and I definitely do recommended keying in your information rather than letting the system attempt to figure out what you’re saying, but in the end, it worked.

We will not receive any offers for 5 years.  This, of course, does not include offers from companies we already have cards with, and it does take up to 7 business days for this news to trickle down to the mass mailers, but I don’t mind. 

So now I’m curious, has anyone else opted-out of credit card offers?  And if not, do you plan to now that you know how?