See that pile in the picture?
Do you know what it's a pile of?
That's the pile of EXPIRED COUPONS I pulled out of my coupon binder last week!
In preparation for a NEW Year of Couponing I finally got around to weeding out my binder.
And folks, I'll tell you it was NOT a pretty sight.
Some of those coupons I pulled out had expired 2 MONTHS ago, or MORE!!
What.
A.
Mess.
That's right....My name is Sluggy and I am guilty of Coupon Neglect.
Over the past year, the year I began to coupon with intensity, I have used just about every filing/storage system out there.
I went from no system, to an envelope system, to a series of wipey boxes system, to a binder system, to a hybrid of binder and wipey boxes.
I also went from clipping ALL coupons to clipping what I'd probably use and filing the unclipped inserts to use later if needed.
I've also gone from buying a couple of Sunday papers for coupon inserts to buying 10+ papers for the inserts to buying 1 Sunday paper for inserts and buying individual coupons I'll use via a clipping service.
And you know what?
I haven't found the perfect system for me yet. The reason is as I've moved through this year of coupon-ing, I've changed what I buy and how much I coupon.
I am going to sit down this coming week, before the new year begins and rethink my couponing methods and madness. I'm hoping this will help me figure out the right method for me.
I have gone from buying everything I could get for free or almost free, no matter if I can/will use it, to buying a lot less in the last few months.
Buying all these things I didn't need, left me with tons of things that I ended up selling at a flea market a couple of months ago just to get it out of my life.
True, I spent very little money out of pocket and ended up with a 2 year supply of toiletries for my family and enough leftover to make $900+ at a flea market selling the excess.
The money I made was nice but it couldn't give me back all that time and energy expended to gather all those things I didn't need/want.
I also ended up with piles of diabetes meters that I can't use. These were bought just to get something else for free or get ECBs or RRs to buy things I could use. Though I have found homes for almost all of them now, these meters have taken up room in my home for many months and have taken up my time and energy as well--between collecting them, storing them, and rehoming them. Time and energy that could have been used more constructively in my life.
Now I'm not saying that chasing after every deal is a bad thing. It's just a matter of where you place your life's priorities. I'm realizing that I need to be a little more choosy in the deals I spend my time and energy on.
Clipping and filing that pile of expired coupons took a fair amount of time and energy. Though I did use a lot of what I clipped and filed, look at what a waste of my time and energy it turned out to be for that pile!
Is clipping and filing and using coupons and hunting down deals worth your time and energy?
You bet!
You just need to step back now and again and see where you can make changes to how much couponing you do & what you coupon on versus what and how much you should do!
So tell me....do you have a coupon storage system that works for you?
Are you a 'no holds barred' couponer who goes after all the deals? Or are you selective?
Do you buy things you won't use if that thing will help you get something you can use for free? Do you think that that is a good reason for buying something?
Do you buy lots of Sunday papers for the coupon inserts or do you use a clipping service and just get the coupons you will use? Which do you think is more cost effective in the long run--buying papers for inserts or using a service?
Do you need to rethink your coupon storage system and/or what deals you go after as I am doing?
Leave a comment and let us all hear where you are in your 'coupon-ing journey'.
Sluggy
