Great tips on the non-food items too. That’s an area I need to work on for sure.

Great tips on the non-food items too. That's an area I need to work on for sure.

Last night my son & I built a HUGE shelf. We organized all our stuff. I discovered that my plastic storage tower makes a great organizer for the extra medicines, chapsticks, cough drops, etc. And I took my yaffa blocks apart (yes, I still have my some college dorm room stuff!) and they make amazing organizers for the tall tops. I put the shelf against our open basement steps so I & the kids can reach the top. the blocks make a great containment & wont’ let things fall off the sides or back. All the toothpaste, toothbrushes, pads/tampons, shampoo, soap, conditioner are on the top & even my youngest can reach it from the steps without an danger of falling. No more trips running wet through the house to get shampoo/conditioner/soap! I can now safely send someone else!

Also, I wanted to share I am an organic gal, but when my neice & 2 nephews came to live with us funds were tight. Walgreens often has great products for less than a dollar. I noticed that the coupon section would have 1 dollar off coupons. I bought many big name brand products that normally cost 4-5$ for only the tax. I also bought 10-20 papers to get the coupons to take advantage of those sales. Sometimes there was a limit but with the 6 kids I gave each a basket with their coupons, money & items, let them purchase a pack of gum for the few people who had an issue with me utilizing the multiple deals. I never did this if the limit was per family only per person. Boy, some people REALLY get mad. I really thought is was jealousy though! But, keep your papers/coupons in a baseball card organizer for easy findings by type (face, meds-tummy/first aid, soap, shampoo, condit. Walgreens will also do mail in rebates & you can get an extra percentage if you let them send it to you in a gift card instead of cash. I just used the card for items needed/ran out of but not on sale cause they won’t let you use rebate/register coupons with the gift card. I normally bought vitamins since there were so many of us.

Honey

Last night my son & I built a HUGE shelf. We organized all our stuff. I discovered that my plastic storage tower makes a great organizer for the extra medicines, chapsticks, cough drops, etc. And I took my yaffa blocks apart (yes, I still have my some college dorm room stuff!) and they make amazing organizers for the tall tops. I put the shelf against our open basement steps so I & the kids can reach the top. the blocks make a great containment & wont' let things fall off the sides or back. All the toothpaste, toothbrushes, pads/tampons, shampoo, soap, conditioner are on the top & even my youngest can reach it from the steps without an danger of falling. No more trips running wet through the house to get shampoo/conditioner/soap! I can now safely send someone else!

Also, I wanted to share I am an organic gal, but when my neice & 2 nephews came to live with us funds were tight. Walgreens often has great products for less than a dollar. I noticed that the coupon section would have 1 dollar off coupons. I bought many big name brand products that normally cost 4-5$ for only the tax. I also bought 10-20 papers to get the coupons to take advantage of those sales. Sometimes there was a limit but with the 6 kids I gave each a basket with their coupons, money & items, let them purchase a pack of gum for the few people who had an issue with me utilizing the multiple deals. I never did this if the limit was per family only per person. Boy, some people REALLY get mad. I really thought is was jealousy though! But, keep your papers/coupons in a baseball card organizer for easy findings by type (face, meds-tummy/first aid, soap, shampoo, condit. Walgreens will also do mail in rebates & you can get an extra percentage if you let them send it to you in a gift card instead of cash. I just used the card for items needed/ran out of but not on sale cause they won't let you use rebate/register coupons with the gift card. I normally bought vitamins since there were so many of us.

Honey