My New Daily Mantra

Several years ago during one of my crazy busy "seasons" of life, someone told me that when you don't have time at home to deal with much else (usually this is because of work), to focus on "Dinner, Dishes, & Duds." I quickly adopted this little saying to make sure that in spite of what else is going on, we always eat, have a clean kitchen, and clean clothes to wear.

In light of trying to form a new habit by the end of the year, I've modified it. Now it's:

Dinner, Dishes, Duds, and DESK!

21 Days to an Organized Desk - Coupons

Thanks for following along with my goal of 21 Days to an Organized Desk.

First item to tackle are the coupons. You probably already know I'm an avid couponer. I'm definitely not an Extreme Couponer, but coupons are part of my shopping routine.

With our busy, crazy life, I don't have time to clip and file every single coupon from each Sunday's paper. I used to, but years ago realized a better system for my limited number of hours to utilize coupons. I file my Sunday inserts in a plastic file box. Each Sunday gets its own file folder.

I make my shopping lists (for sale items to stock up on) from browsing blogs that highlight the sale items with matching coupons. These lists will tell you from which Sunday paper to find the coupon. Two of my favorites are Passionate Penny Pincher and Faithful Provisions since they both highlight stores in my area. It definitely helps to follow a blog that covers the stores and sales in your region. If you're new to couponing, the lingo might be a little foreign. Take the time to check out online tutorials to help you learn quickly.

So then, what about coupons that come in snail mail? Or printed online? or Store Catalinas? or Walgreens Register Rewards and CVS Extra Bucks? No doubt, these present more of an organizing challenge for me. If they can only be used at a particular store, I will keep them in an envelope designated for that store. These envelopes reside in my purse, so I always have them with me when I'm out shopping. If they are for items that could be purchased anywhere, I keep them in a separate envelope. I don't print every single coupon available, only ones I think I might use. And if I'm regularly (i.e. weekly) purging my expired coupons, I have a pretty good idea of what coupons I have in case I see a new deal for that item.

How do you organize your coupons?

21 Days to .... a More Organized Desk

They say it takes 21 days of doing something repeatedly for it to become a habit. I've decided to take the last 21 days of 2011 to try to develop the habit of cleaning my desk off daily! As you can see right now, my desk is one HOT MESS!!!

• Unprocessed mail
• Grocery lists
• Receipts
• Coupons
• Some Lego pieces (I promise, those are NOT mine!)
• Who knows what else is lurking in there that needs to find a home

So, starting today....I put all incoming papers (mail, papers from school, receipts from my purse, coupons and other things I've printed) in that basket in front of the lamp. By the end of the day, the basket needs to be emptied and each piece of paper needs to have found a home.

If I can make this a habit in the next 21 days, I'll be starting the New Year off on a good note!

Is there something you'd like to focus on for the next 21 days?

Another Gift Idea

I've decided to pass along deals I find as I'm still in shopping mode....and always on the hunt for a bargain price.

Here is one I snagged this morning:

$14.99 (including shipping) for 10 Classic Hardcover Books

My kindergartener will be reading VERY soon. The books in this set that we already have will make great contributions to the school or to my "gift stash." The rest I'll put under the tree for him to expand his library.

Sweet Deal at Amazon - HURRY! Today Only!

I'm not nearly finished shopping, but I did get my daughter's big gift knocked out of the way tonight. I had already decided to get her a Kindle Fire. I had $48 in unused gift cards from Swagbucks so I knew I didn't have to shell out the entire $199. Then, I found out about the promo good today only for $10 off any $100 electronics or toys purchase if you use Mastercard. To get the discount, use the code ZKGYLEBT at checkout. For more details, check out Moms Need to Know.

I got my son's big gift yesterday. He had been asking for a 3DS and I was so hesitant. Until I remembered a $40 gift card from Best Buy that's been sitting here since last year's Christmas shopping.

Hopefully, the spending will slow down now. Even though I have the money saved for Christmas, it always makes me a nervous wreck when I start spending so much in such a short amount of time.