Sunday, July 26, 2009

My Coupon Binder

By Erin on April 22, 2009

I have received MANY inquires about the now famous coupon binder that was seen in the Rachael Ray segment.

I used to house my coupons in an accordian folder. I had it divided into several categories like food, household products, toilletry items, organic products, child items, as well as separate folders of specific store coupons. I got tired of leafing through the mound of coupons in each category looking for the ones I wanted, so I switched to the coupon binder system.

In the front of the binder I keep all of the “must use” coupons. For all my favorite products!

The rest of the binder is filled with “baseball card inserts.” I put coupons of similar category on each sheet. I have organized it into sections with dividers. I have similar categories/sections as my old accordian binder. If you wanna get “super Type A,” you could arrange the sections in order of where you would find the products in the store. I generally pull out my coupons before I go to the store. But I do carry it with me in case I need to quickly flip through to find a coupon for an unadvertised sale item.

A few questions I get asked all the time.

Is clipping coupons worth it? Well, you saw in the segment that I saved $73! So yes, it’s worth it!

I never see coupons for the products I buy? Yum, who doesn’t buy toothpaste. Or deodorant! Or mustard!!! True, you might have to be a little more flexible and not too brand picky! Let’s take that mustard coupon for example. I clip it because I might use it. I will hold onto it until the mustard goes on sale for $1. My store will double coupons, so I will end up paying $.40 for a bottle of mustard that originally cost $2.19. Yes, please!

Back to the binder…

Where did you find the baseball card inserts?

Walmart. In the front section by the baseball cards. Can also be found at baseball card shops.

How long did it take me to put this together?

However long the commercial breaks are during 24! So…15-20 minutes.

How do you then keep it organized and cleaned up?

Each week I add new coupons to the pages. Each month when all the new coupons and electronic coupons come out (stay tuned for a post on May 1 with all the details!), I go through and pull out expired coupons.

Are there any disadvantages to this system?

Yes. Sometimes the coupons don’t fit well into the baseball card holders. I try to fold them so I can see the exp. date, product name and coupon amount. Solution to this: Look for some scrapbooking inserts that have different size photo slots.

If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments and I will answer them there! (More on the newspaper insert concept, plus coupons and where to find them coming later in the week!)

Because there is not just one way to organize coupons, I thought I’d put a Mr. Linky. I know there are other ways, tips and tricks for organizing coupons. If you have a post on your blog with that deals with “Coupon Organization” and what works best for you, please leave it here! (For those of you reading in a reader or email, click here to look for more great ideas on how to best organize your coupons!)

Posted in Coupons

Posted by ibecookingaprons at 7:40 AM
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Recipes 4 u

Cupcakes

Cupcakes
Clown Cupcakes

Clown Cupcakes

Clown Cupcakes Ingredients 1 pk Yellow cake mix* 12 Scoops vanilla ice cream 1 pk (12) sugar ice cream cones 1 cn Refrigerated whipped cream Colored decors Candies for eyes, nose, mouth Clown Cupcakes Directions Preheat oven to 350 F. Place 2 1/2 inch paper liners in 24 muffin cups. Prepare, bake and cool cupcakes following package directions. To assemble each clown, remove paper from cupcake. Place top-side down on serving plate. Top with scoop of ice cream. Place cone on ice cream for hat. Spray whipped cream around bottom of cupcake for collar. Spray three small dots up front of cone. Sprinkle whipped cream with assorted colored decors. Use candies to make clown face. Note: This recipe makes 24 cupcake, 12 to make into clowns, and 12 to freeze for later use. Cupcakes will keep frozen in airtight container for up to 6 weeks. Tip: For easier preparation, make the ice cream balls ahead of time. Scoop out balls of ice cream, place on baking sheet or in bowl and return of freezer to firm.

Going to Buy Coffee Beans? Read This First!

People who don’t know the many benefits of coffee beans often want to know why people buy coffee beans in the first place when you can purchase a jar of ordinary coffee. A can of decent coffee is just as good, they say. But is it really? What many people don’t know is that there are more than twenty different kinds of coffee beans all with differing tastes and flavors. However, coffee beans can divided into two main types. Avid coffee drinkers might already be familiar with the many different kinds of coffee beans that can be purchased. Coffea Arabica is the scientific name of a type of coffee bean that makes up between sixty to seventy percent of the world’s consumption. This is also the type that most people like out of the many other types. This type of coffee bean is also very expensive largely because of the strict growing conditions required to grow this type of coffee. Coffee Arabica plants need a certain altitude in which they can thrive which should be at least a few thousand feet above sea level. These plants should also be grown in a temperature between 65- 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Coffea canephora, commonly known as Robusta, is the less popular of the two coffee beans. It makes up only 30%-40% of the world’s coffee consumption. It is considered to be of an inferior quality when compared to the more popular Coffea Areabica and more times then not it cannot be bought separately. The Robusta coffee bean is grown at around the mid eighties Fahrenheit and will grow practically anywhere. This type of bean is also a bit bitter and the majority of people don’t like it as much for this reason. This lower quality, somewhat bitter coffee Robusta is often used as filler coffee beans with coffee Arabica to reduce the overall cost of the better tasting and more expensive Arabica coffee. A majority of times when you do purchase coffea Arabica it is mixed with Robusta. Regardless of which you prefer, the Arabica based coffees or if you prefer the Robusta varieties, the freshest and best tasting coffee is always going to be achieved by grinding up fresh coffee beans. When you buy coffee at the supermarket you can either buy ground coffee by the can or bag or more times then not you can buy coffee beans and grind them right there in the store. However, even when you buy coffee beans that you ground up in the store they will start to taste stale within the first week. The best alternative is to purchase only small batches of whole coffee beans and grind them at home as you need them. Coffee grinders are widely available and fairly inexpensive, so it’s worth the money to buy coffee beans and grind them yourself. About the Author: Are you ready to buy coffee beans? If you buy coffee beans make sure you buy them in little amounts to make sure they are fresh. Buying small quantities of coffee beans is a great way to be able to experiment with different gourmet flavors without getting stuck with a coffee you truly don’t like.

Places I belong........

advertise at The Posh Market

advertise at The Posh Market

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The Hills Lauren Conrad

The Hills Lauren Conrad
Mtvs Lauren Conrad

Favorite books

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad Unashamed are we to admit that Monday nights used to be dedicated to Ben and Jerry's and The Hills. Lauren Conrad and crew provided some of the most dramatic (staged) and juicy scenes we've seen since Dallas and in past weeks, we've hung on to see if Speidi would accidentally fall off the Earth or not. Much to our dismay, they still exist, but the show is not going to be starring our fav LC any longer. Her latest conquest, L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad ($17.99), is a novel loosely based on the pop tart's personal and professional life. Sure it'll stall for us for a few Mondays, but nothing can ever top the ridiculous magic that is The Hills.

New Moms Show Aprons Are For Bathing, Not Cooking

Leave it to a mom to come up with a way to make bath time easier. The Babywrapper is such a simple concept, you will be asking yourself why no one thought of it earlier. read more »Tech-norati Tags: Baby News Parenting Products baby towel bath bathtime new mom pregnancy baby shower gift christmas present

Moms Aprons for Bathing

Moms Aprons for Bathing

Make A Apron From Old Jeans

The idea behind this is the fact that next week, the 12th May to be precise is National Wear Your Apron Day, so naturally we though that it would be nice if you made your own apron from an old pair of jeans. What you will need for this task: Supplies: Pant leg Bias tape binding 1″ twill tape ...