Renew for You

Remember, Renew for You is all about doing things that work for you or help you live a little better.  We have already discussed organizing your coupons, organizing your email, and organizing your shopping trips.

Are you ready?  This a post that I said I would never do…

Organizing A Price Book

Ahem.  I have to admit a deep dark secret to you.  I never kept a price book.  *Ducks her head…*  When I first started serious couponing, I subscribed to a paid service that matched coupons and told me the best deals.  Yes, there are paid services out there like that.  (I now know better than to pay for what I can get for free.)  I learned a lot about the rock bottom prices at my stores from using that service.

You know that I am all about keeping things simple, so this is how I would keep a price book, if I had to.

1. Carry a calculator with you to the store, unless you are really good at coupon math. You are going to need this to calculate price per ounce or price per diaper, etc.  In case you need a little refresher, to calculate price per ounce, you take the price and divide it by the number of ounces in a package.  That gives you what we call the unit price or price per ounce.
2. Print a single page to carry with your coupons or coupon binder to track unit prices paid on your top 25 items. On this single page, make a list of the top 25 items you buy. You will write the unit price in columns beside the item.  After you have purchased the item several times over a period of time, you will begin to be able to see what a good, great, and rock bottom price is on that item.
3. When you fill the first page up, analyze the information. Look at each item.  What is a good unit price?  That is what you would use to purchase a need item. (Usually a good price would be considered around 50% off, but it varies item to item.)  What is a rock bottom unit price?  That is what you would use to stock up on that item, so you don’t have to buy it at a higher price. I would usually consider 75% off to free a rock bottom price, but the price per unit is important too!
4. Take that information you analyzed and make yourself a little cheat sheet. Make 3 columns: item, need price, and stock up price.  So when you are in the grocery store, you don’t have to guess whether you should be stocking up or staying away.  You may think of laminating this page, but I wouldn’t.  I would want to be able to write on mine, in case I found a new rock bottom price!

So there you have it.  This is the price book method that would work for me. As a matter of fact, with ever changing prices, I may just start one, just for you!

Renew for You is all about finding something that works for you!!  Your price book method may not look like mine and that is ok!

Need some additional encouragement this week?  Please check out the following articles by some wonderful bloggers.

• Family Budget: Tricks to Make the Belt Less Tight – Kansas City Mamas
• Maven of Savin’ with
• Give Me Neither with Care for Yourself: Art of Saying No
• Detox Your Body – Stockpiling Moms – A Guide To Frugal Living

So, do you use a price book?  Have you found it helps you know your stock up prices? Any advice on what works for you?

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We are over halfway finished with our Renew for You series.  In the first two parts, I discussed finding coupon organization that works for you and a simple way to organize your shopping trips.

Organizing Your Email

Ok, I know email can be overwhelming, but email can be a wonderful communication tool and money saver!  With so many great offers out there, your email can overflow quickly!

Trust me.  I didn’t know what overwhelming email was until I became a blogger.  Today I wanted to share some tips with you about organizing email that I have learned along the way.

I actually have four email accounts.  That’s right, four.  For me it is easier to keep things organized in the separate accounts. Here is how I deal with more than 200 emails a day!

1. School is business. I keep my school (work) email account separate from any deal emails.  I know when I check that email, it will be pertaining to school.  Some need to be read, some require responses, and some require action on my part.  The ones that require an action like a meeting reminder I write on my calendar immediately before deleting.  I check this account several times a day at school and at least once during the weekend.  One final word of caution here and the main reason I keep my personal and work email separate, your workplace can and will monitor your work email.  Unless you want your boss knowing every detail in your life, keep your personal email and work email separate.
2. Blogging is blogging. If you aren’t a blogger, you can just skip this one, because it is a world of it’s own!  I keep a separate email account for doing my blogging business.  I get 50-100 emails in my blog email account each day (some days more).  I have a four choice system: reply, delete, archive, or leave in my inbox for action.  I do this so that I can keep up with all the best deals and do my best to respond to your questions/emails!  I check this one throughout the day, especially when I am not at work.
3. Sales and Surveys are fun! I have a third account where I get my blog email subscriptions (yes, I subscribe to other blogs), sale newsletters (like Home Depot and Harris Teeter E-vic), online bill pay, and surveys.   Here are some tips for saving the most money with this email account:*Choose no more than 10 blogs to follow via email and read each day. Any more than 10 can get overwhelming.*Think about the 5 stores you shop at most.  Sign up for their email newsletters, so you can get sale notifications and coupons.*Be choosy about what other companies you give this email to! If you are choosy, that will keep this email from getting full of spam.

   I check this email once in the morning and once in the evening to look for coupons, read great articles, and take surveys to earn a little extra money!

4. Samples, Free Offers, and Click Through Sites Oh My! Remember how I tell you on my free samples posts to use a separate email?  That would be this email account.  I keep this email account for just that kind of offer.  (You know the kind of offer, the one that is good, great, or free, but might produce some email spam.)  I get my Click Thru site emails there too.  By Click Thru, I mean sites (like My Points and Inbox Dollars)  that send you offers that you click on and earn points.  I only check this email once a week. I spend about 20 minutes deleting spam and clicking on the emails and earning points.  That is that!

For me, it is so much easier having separate accounts for separate purposes. When I check that email, I know exactly what to expect.  I can organize, respond, and enjoy checking my email a little bit more! Need some more email tips?  Check out this great Email Management Series from Blogging with Amy.

Remember, I am only sharing my tips in hopes that you can find something that works well for you. Renew for You is about simplifying your day and life!

Need some additional encouragement this week?  Please check out the following articles by some wonderful bloggers.

• Monthly Budget – Kansas City Mamas
• Maven of Savin’ with Self-Esteem: Take the Leap and LIVE
• Care for Yourself: Guilt – The Unwelcome Tag-along
• Sleep and Stress Management:  Stockpiling Moms – A Guide To Frugal Living

Does your email overwhelm you or do you have a special organizing technique to share with us?

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Remember, Renew for You is all about doing things that work for you or help you live a little better.  Today I wanted to share with you about how I get ready for a shopping trip, but keep in mind, what works for me might not be what is best for YOU.

Here is something I have heard a lot lately, “It takes me forever to hunt for deals, clip coupons, and look for sales in the store. How do you have time for this?”

This example is for those of you who already have an established stockpile.  If you are currently in stockpile mode, this may take longer in the store.  Plus, I don’t have any children to entertain or keep up with.

I am lucky to live in an area where I have all three drug stores and three or four grocery stores within a 10 minute drive.  Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Harris Teeter are all on the same corner, so I end up there most often. So I will walk you through a typical shop for me at those three stores…

1. Check the lists for each store. Yes, I actually use my own printable list feature.  It is just so neat! (10 minutes)

2. Clip and print any needed coupons. As I told you last week, I file by insert, so I clip coupons only when I need them.  It is nice to be able to pick up the scissors and only clip a few. (10 minutes or so)

3. Fold my list and my coupons together for safe keeping. I tuck the whole in in my purse, so I don’t loose anything. I also keep my small coupon file in my purse. (1 minute)

4. Drive about 10 minutes to the store. I use that time to think about my scenarios or what I plan to buy.

5. Stick to my list. Because I don’t carry all my coupons with me, I don’t wander around the store too much looking for unadvertised deals (I do usually check the clearance meat). Rite Aid usually takes 10-15 minutes.  Walgreens is even less, unless I run into one of my friendly cashiers to chat with.  I can get usually into and out of Harris Teeter within 15 minutes, if the lines aren’t too long.  (Yes, I said 15 minutes in the grocery store.)

6. Keep my receipt in a safe place. I use my receipts for rebates and to enter into my savings tracker.

7. Drive 10 minutes home and unload. (20 minutes unless I take a picture for you all…)

So, I can shop at 3 stores and put away all the goods in about 1 and 1/2 hours.  It works for me.  It allows me to maintain my stockpile, and not spend tons of time shopping.  It actually doesn’t take much less time to go to fewer stores, because my stores are so close by.

I did the same type of shopping trip when I used a coupon binder.  The only step you skip then is the clipping.  (You will have to have done that ahead of time!) I usually pulled the coupons I knew I wanted to use out at home, and moved them to the front of my binder.

I hope seeing my way of doing things can help you discover an easy way for you!

Need some additional encouragement this week?  Please check out the following articles by some wonderful bloggers.

• Family Budget : Part Two – Where Did It All Go? from Kansas City Mamas
• Maven of Savin’ with Self-Esteem: Stripped Naked
• Give Me Neither with Care for Yourself: Perfectionism to Grace
• Frugal Weight Loss – Stockpiling Moms – A Guide To Frugal Living

How do you organize your shopping trips?  Does it work for you?

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I am excited to be joining some other bloggers on what I will call an excursion.  We are heading back to some basics.  These are things we all know about, but throughout the year, forget or neglect.  Hopefully our posts will help you get back to feeling good about yourself.  In couponing. Eating. Budgeting. Taking Care of Yourself.  And more.  Every Tuesday in January, we will be featuring a topic that can help you feel renewed!

Renew Your Coupon Organization

Come on, admit it.  If you have been couponing very long, coupon organization starts to feel like an oxymoron.  You have coupons on the table, in your purse, in your car, and who knows where else.  I have been there, and unless you are an organization queen, I bet you have too.

Ask yourself, “Is my current method of coupon organization working for me?”

I did the coupon binder thing.  It did not work for me. I spent too much time trying to stay organized and never quite succeeding. I have tried lots of ways and have finally landed on filing by insert.  HOW you organize your coupons does not matter.  IF they are organized is what matters.

My coupons get tucked away still in the insert.  I clip them when I see them on my grocery list.

Filing by insert is not for everyone.  My stores don’t have a ton of unadvertised deals, so I don’t miss out on unadvertised sales. Also, when you file by insert, you still have to have a place to put those clipped coupons, catalinas, and printable coupons. My file is sometimes thin and sometimes overflowing!

If your current method is working for you, weed out the expired coupons. A ton of coupons expired on December 31st. Put all the leftover coupons in their place and breathe a sigh of relief.

If your current method is not working, research some other methods like a coupon binder, box, paper file, baggies, and inserts.

Remember, it is your time and money.  You will save both if you have a good method for your own organization!

Need some additional encouragement this week?  Please check out the following articles by some wonderful bloggers.

• Kansas City Mamas with the Family Budget
• Maven of Savin’ with SELF-ESTEEM: What’s your Style
• Give Me Neither with Care for Yourself: Lessons Learned from Postpartum Depression/Anxiety
• Frugal Weight Loss – Stockpiling Moms:  A Guide to Frugal Living

How do you organize your coupons? Is it working for you?

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