She knows how many cans of corn are in her pantry, her bathroom supplies are organized by order of the date purchased, a coupon never expires on her...

How does she do it?

Ok, maybe perfect organization does not exist but you can become less frantic and less cluttered in your life. Let's talk about the steps we can take to get there.

This is how I manage my pantry, grocery shopping, and coupons...

I have a word document for each month of the year. Each document has a calendar on the first page and a pantry, freezer, fridge inventory list on the second page. It took some time, but typing up the inventory of the pantry, fridge, and freezer was well worth it. I cut/paste the inventory list when we finish a month and move onto the next...

So for a given month, I start filling in meals (mostly dinners, as our breakfasts and lunches are the same). At the end of each day (or beginning), I update the inventory list with what was eaten or used up that day. Stuff that needs to be used up soon, I change the font color to red! So when I make my shopping list for the week, I look at both the menu plan for the week and the inventory list. The menu is constantly tweaked based on what needs to be used up. Also, I pull out any coupons that are going to expire before my next shopping trip or for things I need to buy and paper clip them to my shopping list so I know to use them. I keep all my coupons in an envelope in order of the store layout. That way as I'm going up and down the aisles, if I see a sale for an item that I have a coupon for, I'll know to buy it.

Since I started this method, I almost never throw anything out and we save a ton of money by not eating out so often. Oh, I also have a pasta meal that we always have the ingredients for. That way if I miscalculate how much food gets eaten/used up I have an extra meal to fall back on. Less trips to the store means less money spent!

I wll be taking a FREE class in couponing at my library in September and I will be getting a new coupon caddy.

I will try to organize my pantry, fridge, and freezer contents so that I can keep up with the inventory.

I have just realized how I can use up pasta, etc. I can make myself casseroles similar to what my hairdresser made me, but I'll be using different shape pastas because I have them in the pantry. They will make nice meals for cool weather and will be wonderful with garlic bread.

I write down when all bills are to be mailed in my purse calendar.  I have written down all bills due, separated by the first & second half of the month. All statements are kept in one drawer, in order of when they are due to be paid. I keep all coupons in order of expiration date in my purse & look through them at least once a month to trash those that have expired. I keep a running grocery list in my purse, only going to the store when it's necessary. I stopped shopping in bulk because I have no place to store lots of extras & I'm saving money too. By writing all checks at one time (twice a month), I know how much is left for gas, groceries, insurance, extra cc payments. I only put gas in the van when it gets to a certain point & I put in $25 each time.  Each weekday morning I wash dishes, each afternoon I do laundry & iron for 15 minutes (depending on my mood & how I feel). Every Sunday morning I iron clothes for an hour before everyone else gets up.  I might get totally caught up on laundry twice a year!  Now DH has agreed that I can keep a menu calendar so we don't eat out as much & he is enjoying grilling this summer.  Yeah!  Of course if we decide to eat out, we can.  We'll just adjust the menu calendar every week as needed.  Organization is my thing & unorganized people drive me crazy, just as I'm sure my clean desk makes them crazy.