For the past five days, my brand new binder was positioned on the floor next to a muddled mountain of coupons. Whenever I entered the office, my eyes wandered over to the stack of disarray and I would think to myself, “When am I going to organize my coupon organizer?”. This question was posed many times, yet never answered.

On day five, a rare circumstance occurred. All three of my children were napping at the same time. I considered my options on how to occupy my new found freedom, but I knew what had to be done. After a large sigh, I sauntered to the office. My body collapsed down next to the cluttered coupons. I began the arduous task of sorting and arranging each piece of paper. Hours later my laborious undertaking was complete. Despite the tedious nature of the task, I experienced an enormous sense of accomplishment. Let the savings begin!

My babysitter arrived 5 minutes early and I darted out the door. As I drove to Target I contemplated my impending shopping excursion. Which aisle would I approach first? The office supplies or the photo albums? I opted for the office supply aisle due to the broader selection of organizational items.

Upon entering Target, I was confronted with an array of discounted objects, mostly for $1. I can never resist this area of the store, appropriately placed in front of the entrance doors. Jackpot, a small accordion plastic file-folder with the title, “coupon file” was in the first mound I searched through. The price was right at $1 and the size was ideal for placing in my purse, allowing me to transport my coupons. Into the cart it went.

Calendar planners were ubiquitous in the office supply aisle. I began to question my choice of aisle when suddenly I spotted a “folio”. Inside the folio I found, a three ring binder, 5 accordion file folders, a zipper pocket and a calculator. Instead of “folio”, it should have been titled, “The Perfect Coupon Organizer, Start Calculating Your Savings!”. After selecting some photo pages for the coupons, my organizer was complete. Mission accomplished. Now I have to actually use it.

My babysitter is arriving at 10 am and I will be able to have 4 hours of "me time". What am I going to do with those precious moments? Go to the spa? No, I have given up on trying to relax. Spend time with friends? No, all of my friends have children which would negate the need for a babysitter.

I am going to buy a coupon organizer and I am as excited as a child on Christmas morning! Currently, all of my coupons are in piles with paper clips. The time I spend searching for coupons is ridiculous. Once I have my coupon organizer I will be able to see all of my money saving pieces of paper in an organized fashion—can’t wait!