It's ALL Ways a learning curve...

EVERYDAY in couponing is a learning experience! I used to use a little accordian coupon holder, now I use a full size Foray binder/attache/portfolio kind of thing. HOWEVER... If I could have learned *this* lesson first I would have sure appreciated it!! Keep your receipts organized from the begining! As you can see by the picture, I have a big pile of 3 months worth of receipts that I now what to itemize and add up... *sigh* I think I'll make that number 1 for now.

1. When you are ready and start saving, Organize your coupons from the start. Envelopes with the dates and even better the store they are from and the date. So I would have 4 envelopes for each month. One for Homeland (DOUBLE COUPONS!), one for Walgreens (You can stack 2 coupons here for XX savings), one for the other grocery stores I got to and... uhm I guess one for everywhere else. Khol's, Gas, Eating out... Is there anything else?

	UPDATED today 03/26/2009 at 3:51 pm... I've calculated 2 months, one store... and here are the totals... this store doubles coupons to $1.00. March 2009 $142.32 Manufacturer Coupons (inserts & internet printed) $76.80 Bonus Coupons (the coupons my store doubles) $205.75 One Card Saving (sales/savings you get w/ the store card) $424.86 TOTAL Saved (Coupons, store coups, 1 card sav) $404.78 Total Spent (excluding taxes that equaled $109.90) 50.60% TOTAL % SAVED $829.64 Would have paid no coupons, no bonus card and no sales.
	Febuary 2009 $335.28 Total $ Saved $380.08 Total Spent 45.33% Total % Saved $715.36 Would have paid January 2009 coming soon...