Changing Seasons

last weekend I did our bi-annual clothing sort.. Its a big job.. this year it took two days.. How it works is all year I collect clothes that I like that might fit someone.. then twice a year ( according to the seasons) we sort, purge, donate, store, or hang the clothing

First we pull all the clothes out of the boxes and the closet and we make piles.. (r. to l.) Boys pants/shorts, boys shirts, girls shirts, girls pants, and pajamas




then we sort the pants and shorts.. and fold and box up the shorts- we have a box for donations as we purge at this point

then we do the same with the shirts
when its all done we match our fall/winter outfits and hang them. the pajamas, sock. undies etc go in their proper bin


For us stockpiling clothes is awesome. I do not know my exact budget but my guess is we spend less than $200 a year on clothes.. (excluding socks and undies which we buy new). The kids are always excited to do this.. They enjoy seeing the outfits they wore go to the next kid and they also like to see what is new in the pile.. For Abigail, she is glad to finally start fitting into the dresses and sweaters I bought a few years ago..

Changing Seasons

last weekend I did our bi-annual clothing sort.. Its a big job.. this year it took two days.. How it works is all year I collect clothes that I like that might fit someone.. then twice a year ( according to the seasons) we sort, purge, donate, store, or hang the clothing

First we pull all the clothes out of the boxes and the closet and we make piles.. (r. to l.) Boys pants/shorts, boys shirts, girls shirts, girls pants, and pajamas




then we sort the pants and shorts.. and fold and box up the shorts- we have a box for donations as we purge at this point

then we do the same with the shirts
when its all done we match our fall/winter outfits and hang them. the pajamas, sock. undies etc go in their proper bin


For us stockpiling clothes is awesome. I do not know my exact budget but my guess is we spend less than $200 a year on clothes.. (excluding socks and undies which we buy new). The kids are always excited to do this.. They enjoy seeing the outfits they wore go to the next kid and they also like to see what is new in the pile.. For Abigail, she is glad to finally start fitting into the dresses and sweaters I bought a few years ago..

Where to begin..

internet photo

we all want to save money but sometimes where and how to begin is the biggest challenge..

One thing I recommend to everyone is to make a list. Over the next week write down what your household uses.. If you are stuck on a name brand write that down as well. Remember, its going to be a long list.. also add about how much you use

an example for us would be

milk 3 gallons a week
Palmolive dish soap 4 bottles a month
rice 25 lbs 2-3 months
toilet paper 3 rolls a week
cereal 6 boxes week
etc....

Once you have this then you know what items you need to purchase and how much of it you need. For example, if you use 1 box of cereal a week and you can buy cereal at a great price you know that 52 boxes will last one year.. shelf life on cereal is about a year.. ( longer if you are me LOL). If you only eat Frosted Flakes then you can work on collecting 52 frosted flakes coupons..

How does this help.. well if you spend $3.59 a week on Frosted Flakes that's $186.68 for a years worth.. if you spend about $5 on 52 coupons and get the Frosted Flakes for $1 a box then you have spent $57.. you just saved $129.68.. that was pretty easy too!

It also lays your shopping and eating habits out on the table.. You may realize that the 3 bags of chips you eat each week at $3.50 a bag might not be such a necessity.. you may decide that buying 3 bags of pretzels at the dollar tree for $1 each is worth more than the $7.50 you just saved.. you also have healthier eating habits.

..... more to come......

Where to begin..

internet photo

we all want to save money but sometimes where and how to begin is the biggest challenge..

One thing I recommend to everyone is to make a list. Over the next week write down what your household uses.. If you are stuck on a name brand write that down as well. Remember, its going to be a long list.. also add about how much you use

an example for us would be

milk 3 gallons a week
Palmolive dish soap 4 bottles a month
rice 25 lbs 2-3 months
toilet paper 3 rolls a week
cereal 6 boxes week
etc....

Once you have this then you know what items you need to purchase and how much of it you need. For example, if you use 1 box of cereal a week and you can buy cereal at a great price you know that 52 boxes will last one year.. shelf life on cereal is about a year.. ( longer if you are me LOL). If you only eat Frosted Flakes then you can work on collecting 52 frosted flakes coupons..

How does this help.. well if you spend $3.59 a week on Frosted Flakes that's $186.68 for a years worth.. if you spend about $5 on 52 coupons and get the Frosted Flakes for $1 a box then you have spent $57.. you just saved $129.68.. that was pretty easy too!

It also lays your shopping and eating habits out on the table.. You may realize that the 3 bags of chips you eat each week at $3.50 a bag might not be such a necessity.. you may decide that buying 3 bags of pretzels at the dollar tree for $1 each is worth more than the $7.50 you just saved.. you also have healthier eating habits.

..... more to come......

Food Storage

A second part of couponing and running a large family is food storage.. We were unpacking our kitchen and reorganizing yesterday so I prepped for a blog..

I picked up this find yesterday off freecycle..



Keeping your food storage organized just take a bit of creativeness

I found these organizer bins at the dollar tree


I have taken items out of the original box and stored them in here.. the jello has been labeled.. I have decreased storage space quite a bit..







You can also re use items in your home.. For example
these are empty baby wipes tubs

Buying in bulk is great.. but in most cases we buy multiples of regular size items.. on sale with coupons we save more money that way

For example.. the stove top.. we paid about .70 a box for these.. not the best deal but a good one still.. The canned veggies were 3/$1. the pasta .50 a box and the peanut butter were .25 each.

Now if you dont have a large family to feed, dont give up on food storage.. many of these items have a shelf life of several years.. and why pay $2 for a jar of peanut butter later when you can get it for .25 now.. if it will be used in its shelf life... its a good deal.

Food Storage

A second part of couponing and running a large family is food storage.. We were unpacking our kitchen and reorganizing yesterday so I prepped for a blog..

I picked up this find yesterday off freecycle..



Keeping your food storage organized just take a bit of creativeness

I found these organizer bins at the dollar tree


I have taken items out of the original box and stored them in here.. the jello has been labeled.. I have decreased storage space quite a bit..







You can also re use items in your home.. For example
these are empty baby wipes tubs

Buying in bulk is great.. but in most cases we buy multiples of regular size items.. on sale with coupons we save more money that way

For example.. the stove top.. we paid about .70 a box for these.. not the best deal but a good one still.. The canned veggies were 3/$1. the pasta .50 a box and the peanut butter were .25 each.

Now if you dont have a large family to feed, dont give up on food storage.. many of these items have a shelf life of several years.. and why pay $2 for a jar of peanut butter later when you can get it for .25 now.. if it will be used in its shelf life... its a good deal.

Canned Food Storage

Canned Food Storage~ Dry Goods Storage ~Canning How much to store~

Canned Food: tin cans (source:Clemson Univ.)

Product Dating: Dates on product packages recommend purchase or "use-by" dates. They are not safety dates. Product dating is voluntary and not required by federal regulations (except for infant formula and some baby foods).

Types of Dates:

1. A "sell-by" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires to have sufficient time to use it at best quality.
2. A "best if used by" date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
3. A "use-by" date is the last date recommend-ed for the use of the product while at peak quality and has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.
4. "Closed or coded dates" are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer to rotate the stock as well as to locate their products in the event of a recall.

The best temperature for storing canned foods is between 50 °F and 70 °F

A bulging lid or leaking can is a sign of spoilage.

Recommended Storage for Unopened Canned Foods in a Cool, Dry Pantry:

High-acid canned food: 12 to 18 months
Juices (apple, orange, tomato, etc.), tomatoes, grapefruit, apple products, mixed fruit, berries, pickles, sauerkraut and vinegar-based products.

Low-acid canned foods: 2 to 5 years
Meat and poultry products, vegetable soups (except tomato), spaghetti products, potatoes, corn, carrots, beans, beets, peas, pumpkins, etc.

Home-canned foods (all types): 1 year

Opened canned foods (store tightly covered in a glass or plastic storage container in refrigerator):

Baby food: 2 days

Meat, seafood, poultry: 2 days

Vegetables: 3 days

Tomato sauce, fruits: 5 to 7 days

Pickles and olives: 1 to 2 months

When in doubt you can always call the product mnf and read the code to them

Canned Food Storage

Canned Food Storage~ Dry Goods Storage ~Canning How much to store~

Canned Food: tin cans (source:Clemson Univ.)

Product Dating: Dates on product packages recommend purchase or "use-by" dates. They are not safety dates. Product dating is voluntary and not required by federal regulations (except for infant formula and some baby foods).

Types of Dates:

1. A "sell-by" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires to have sufficient time to use it at best quality.
2. A "best if used by" date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
3. A "use-by" date is the last date recommend-ed for the use of the product while at peak quality and has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.
4. "Closed or coded dates" are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer to rotate the stock as well as to locate their products in the event of a recall.

The best temperature for storing canned foods is between 50 °F and 70 °F

A bulging lid or leaking can is a sign of spoilage.

Recommended Storage for Unopened Canned Foods in a Cool, Dry Pantry:

High-acid canned food: 12 to 18 months
Juices (apple, orange, tomato, etc.), tomatoes, grapefruit, apple products, mixed fruit, berries, pickles, sauerkraut and vinegar-based products.

Low-acid canned foods: 2 to 5 years
Meat and poultry products, vegetable soups (except tomato), spaghetti products, potatoes, corn, carrots, beans, beets, peas, pumpkins, etc.

Home-canned foods (all types): 1 year

Opened canned foods (store tightly covered in a glass or plastic storage container in refrigerator):

Baby food: 2 days

Meat, seafood, poultry: 2 days

Vegetables: 3 days

Tomato sauce, fruits: 5 to 7 days

Pickles and olives: 1 to 2 months

When in doubt you can always call the product mnf and read the code to them