Coupons

This week I was reminded a few times how important it is to always have your coupons with you when you go shopping. The first reminder was when I found Dawn dish soap in the clearance aisle at Wal-Mart for a $1.00. I knew I had $.50 off coupons but they were at home. When we made it back there a few days later they were all gone. The second reminder was again at Wal-Mart when I found a huge rack of spices on sale for less than a dollar. I knew I had coupons that would take them down to a nickel or a dime.
The reason I did not have my coupons with me is I decided to take on the challenge of trying a new system for my coupons. I spent the past week going through them and organizing them into a binder divided by type. So far I am 95% through getting them organized. I had no idea how many coupons I had accumulated in my prior coupon pouches.
I think it is important to realize that even though coupons take time and energy they can have a huge pay off. Last night we went to Albertson's finally to buy the Kraft food items for the rebate. I sat down the night before for a half hour and mapped out what I wanted to buy to get to $25.00 in purchases. By the time we were done last night I purchased over a $100 in grocery's and paid $22.53 out of pocket. I used a combination of coupons and Catalina coupons from prior purchases for money back. The best part is I received another $6.00 in Catalina coupons for future purchases and can mail in the $20.00 rebate from Kraft. All is all we bought over $100 in food and will end up making money on it.