Couponing: Bonus Tip #3 - A Super Easy Way to Organize Your Clipped Coupons

When I first discovered "savvy couponing" I was ready to jump right in and get started.......but I didn't have any coupons! I wanted coupons, and A LOT of them!

So, I decided to go on Ebay and get a whole bunch of coupons for an "instant coupon stash." I got 3 lots of 100+ coupons for less than $2.00 per lot, including shipping. Not bad, eh? But, since the coupons came already clipped, I needed a simple way to organize them all so that I could easily transfer them into my binder (which I hadn't even bought yet!)

At first, I was thinking I would just make some labels for categories out of masking tape and stick them to my coffee table. But then I realized that 1.) I will probably need to organize coupons on a regular basis, and 2.) I didn't want to always have masking tape on my coffee table, nor did I want to have to set up the system each and every time I wanted to organize my clipped coupons. I needed something permanent. It also needed to be handy and easy to take out and put away.

Then I remembered we had a very old Candy Land game board collecting dust in our basement since the kids have long grown out of little kid games, and we no longer had the game pieces anyway...they had been using it to play with clay at the kitchen table for the last several years.

So I got the board out and using my handy dandy label maker (you could also use masking tape) I created labels that would coincide with the main categories in my coupon binder.

Now that I've graduated to "savvy couponer" status, and I'm getting 5 Sunday newspapers per week, that  means I have a lot of coupons to clip and organize. Using my coupon organizing board, I can just sort the coupons as I clip them.

If you don't happen to have an old game board lying around, you can always buy used games for next to nothing at garage sales and thrift stores.

I hope this idea helps to make your coupon clipping and sorting go super fast!

I also have a trick to clip coupons faster.

Or jump to another section in couponing lessons.

Simple & Cheap Purse Organizer

Purse organizer

Bad breath? Breathe easy. Oily face? Gotcha covered. Got a headache? Relax. Something stuck in your teeth? Smile! Need a pen? Right Write away! Greasy cell phone? No sweat. Chapped lips? Pucker up.

Sure, these are all great items to have in your purse, but what good are they if they get lost in The Blackhole the very bottom of your purse where you can never get to them, or maybe you're just afraid to dig down there? {guilty}

Well, here's a simple and easy solution! I picked up a clear make-up bag from Wal-mart for around $1.97, I believe......it's been a few years but I remember it being super cheap. And I LOVE having all of these items within easy reach! They're all the things I seem to need in a moment's notice.

While driving in the car I can easily reach into my purse and pull out the pouch without ever taking my eyes off the road. While sitting in church, I can quickly reach for a piece of gum when I start to wonder if I have Cheerios breath.

The blue cloth on the upper left is actually meant for cleaning eyeglasses. I personally don't wear glasses but I use it to clean the oil, make-up and smudges off of my sunglasses and cell phone; and it stays nice and clean inside the pouch.

It also makes it very easy to switch purses, and your purse stays neater too!

So what other items would you keep in your nifty little purse organizer?

"My Child Has Diabetes......Where do we go from here?"

The first time you actually utter these words out loud, it doesn't even seem real. So many questions run through your head....

"How could this have happened?"

"Did he/she eat too much sugar?"

"Will he/she eventually lose a limb?"

"Did I not breastfed long enough?"

"How will I be able to give my child shots every day???"

"Will they live a normal life???"

When Brandon was diagnosed just 4 weeks after his 6th birthday, we didn't know any other kids that had Type 1 diabetes. No one else in his school of 600 kids had diabetes. Brandon would be the first. And for the next few years, we would never meet another type 1 kid. We were the only family we knew that was dealing with this. Oh, how I wish we would've had more support in the beginning. Looking back almost 9 years later, there are some things I wish someone would've told me............

Diabetes is not a death sentence. Forget all the stories you've heard about so-and-so's grandmother having diabetes and going blind and losing all her limbs. In fact, learn to become immune to this kind of talk. You will hear it a lot more now. It doesn't pertain to you. Medical advances have made huge strides over the last 20 years and people with diabetes can have a long, wonderful, fulfilling, HEALTHY life. Even though there is no cure as of yet, we are getting closer every day and hope is on our side.

You are not alone. There is a whole world of PWD (people with diabetes) waiting to talk to you and connect with you and offer unconditional support. One of those is the D.O.C. (Diabetes Online Community). This is one of the greatest groups of people you will ever come to know. You can connect with them through websites like Twitter (#diabetes), Facebook, DLife.com, childrenwithdiabetes.com, type1parents.org and many others. They are there to listen, offer advice (when asked), sympathize with you, relate to you, share tips & experiences with you, and just be there for you. They will get you through the bad days.

Learn to be your child's advocate from here on out. There will be times when you will be confronted, in front of your child, by people who want to give you unsolicited, unwanted advice & comments about how you should be handling your child's diabetes. They will tell you things like "You fed them too much sugar," "Won't they grow out of it?," "I could never give my child shots every day," "Should they be eating that?" Empower yourself with the words and confidence to speak up & defend your child. Be ready to counteract these stereotypical attitudes. These people just need to be educated on diabetes. Don't be afraid to ask them to speak with you privately and NOT in front of your child.

Your child has rights. Don't be afraid to let teachers know that your child's medical needs come FIRST, then their school needs. Remind them as often as needed. There are plans you can put into place that back this up. Ask the school nurse or counselor about them.

Do what's right for YOUR FAMILY. As long as you are doing all you can to keep your child healthy and safe, don't worry about what others think or say. If this means giving your 10 year old a cell phone so they can reach you no matter where they are, or homeschooling them to closely monitor their needs, or implementing a morning snack in their classroom, or calling places ahead of time (like summer camps, coaches, etc.) to make sure everyone in charge knows the situation, or getting a special pass at an amusement park to avoid long lines and low/high blood sugars.......SO BE IT. You are trying to do what's best for your child and maintain their quality of life. Don't let dirty looks and snide comments get in your way.

Teach your child an elevator speech. People are very curious. They want to know what that meter thingie is for, or why you wear that little machine on your waist, or why you get to eat candy now, or why you can't have a piece of birthday cake. Help your child come up with some simple answers to these questions. Depending on the age of your child, he/she can say things like:

- "I have diabetes. It means my pancreas doesn't work so I always need to make sure the sugar in my body is balanced - Not too much, not too little. Your body does it automatically."

- "This is called a meter and it lets me know how much sugar is in my blood right now."

- "This is called a pump and it delivers the medicine into my body when I need it."

- "I didn't do anything to get diabetes. It just happens sometimes. And it's not contagious."

- "Yes, it is okay for me to eat this."

You will find a new normal. The first few weeks are very tough. Know that you will get through it and eventually settle into a routine. Your child has diabetes, diabetes does not have your child. Continue to encourage him/her to live life & follow their dreams. They can do anything and be anything they want to be. Diabetes doesn't control them, they control it. So live. And let them live.

I hope after reading this, you are able to breathe at least a tiny sigh of relief, knowing that you WILL get through this. Take that first step and start connecting with others who are going through the same thing. They're waiting to hear from you.

If you are NOT new to this world of diabetes, what advice would you share with someone facing a new diagnosis?

Couponing: Bonus Tip #2 - How to Figure Out Percentage Saved

Hopefully, by now you've gotten a handle on where to start, or maybe you've already made a few trips. But do you know whether you've saved at least 50%? Here's an easy formula to help you figure out the percentage saved: 


Savings total / Shelf total = percentage saved 


Example: 


Shelf total - $87
Paid - $25
Saved - $62


$62 divided by $87 = .712 or 71% (move decimal over 2 places to the right) 

So now you can go grab any of your store receipts from your coupon shopping trips & figure out how much you've been saving! Don't worry if it's a small percentage right now. You will get better with time and before you know it you'll be consistently saving 50% or more almost every time you shop! 

Lunch box Round Up #2

Here are a few more lunch ideas!

Cheese Quesadilla, salad dressing, kiwi,

plain yogurt, salad with sunflower seeds

Peanut Butter Balls, Leftover chicken, triscuits, dressing,

applesauce, strawberries & grapes

I believe in creating a lunch with a variety of tastes and textures. It keeps them interested in what they're eating. One of my kids' all-time favorite lunch box ingredients is peanut butter balls. They add a fun element to lunch and also a bit of sweetness since they're made with honey. For an easy recipe, you can try this one. The ranch dressing is to dip the chicken in; another favorite of my kids', not that my chicken is dry. ;) The chicken can be easily popped into the microwave for warming, right inside the silicone cupcake liner.

This particular lunch was packed for my older child who is 14. My 10 year old couldn't possible eat this quantity of food in the time they're allowed to eat at school. She would be chewing for an hour! But for my teenage son, it was the perfect amount to fill him up and is actually quite low in carbs. (good for his diabetes.) 

PB&J Roll-ups, Annie's Cheddar Snack Mix,

grapes, vanilla yogurt w/sprinkles

I'm not sure why my kids get such a kick out of pb&j roll-ups, but they do. I just flatten out the bread with a rolling pin, spread on the pb& j, roll it up like a tortilla, then slice. They love 'em!

Finger Food!

Ham & Cheese wrap, Dry-roasted Edamame, Nutter-Butter cookies,

watermelon (with toothpick for eating) 

What kid doesn't like not having to use a fork?! I just add a toothpick so they don't get their hands too messy. If I buy an entire watermelon, I usually slice it into fourths & wrap it with saran wrap to store in the fridge. When packing the lunches, I just use a melon baller to scoop out the servings. No chopping board needed, & they make the perfect bite-sized pieces. ;)

Leftover pizza, salad dressing, dry-roasted edamame,

strawberries, salad with sunflower seeds

They do have use of microwaves at school so they could heat the pizza up if they wanted to, but they don't seem to care either way. Pizza is still good eaten stone cold! I like to use Tupperware smidgets for the salad dressing. I bought a few sets of new ones on Ebay in colors that my kids like. For my  teen-aged son I use black and silver ones. 

I hope I have given you a few new ideas for what to pack for lunch! To find out where to get those nifty containers, check out EasyLunchBoxes.com. They come with tight-fitting lids & are very sturdy. They hold up extremely well in the dishwasher & microwave. They're also BPA FREE! 

Happy packing!

Lunch box Round Up #1

Make Ahead Smoothies

Make Ahead Smoothies with carb counts

I was delighted when I was asked to do a guest blog post on smoothies over at D-Mom.com (before I was even a blogger!)

Click on over to grab some easy recipes and start whipping up some delicious smoothies today! They can be made ahead and frozen for quick and healthy  grab-and-go treats or to throw into the lunchbox!

(Thanks, D-Mom for the honor!) She blogs about living with a young child with diabetes. She shares lots of great info on this topic!