Coupons and Clutter

Last week, Tommie at My Crazy Chaos wrote Coupons vs Clutter. She questioned whether someone who is clutter prone should be couponing. She also showed us her coupon book and how she got it reorganized by getting rid of old, expired coupons.

Confession time: I am also a couponer. I am trying to balance couponing with my new mission of de-cluttering and also staying with in my budget. This hasn't been difficult so far, but I could see how it could be in the future.

I am currently well stocked on pet things (food, cat litter, treats) and non-perishable items (paper goods, toiletries, feminine products, and non-perishable foods) and so my budget reflects low spending in many of these categories. I only budgeted $15 to use on household goods each month! (basically anything you can get at Walmart or a grocery store that isn't food) My monthly food budget is used for FOOD ONLY and is mostly being spent on fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products that can't be bought in huge quantities without a lot of spoilage and waste. I do some stocking up on meat when its on sale for a really good deal. But, once my "stash" of these non-perishables is gone, what am I going to do?

 

Here's my "pantry". My kitchen is quite small and lacks much cabinet space, so my pantry shelves are in the office closet. (For reference, the office is right around the corner from the kitchen.) On the left there is my "paper towel tower".

 

This is more of my "stash". The bottom is cleaning products, etc.

 

 

This is my stash of extra cat food and litter. This is the biggest it has ever been! I will not be needing to re-stock on food or litter for quite a while.

I plan on looking for good coupon deals just prior to my "stash" of different products being used up. After finding a good deal, I will buy the large quantity of the coupon item and then be back to bare bones spending in that area. This will require self-discipline along the way. I am hoping to use less than the budgeted amount on household supplies and food each month, thus building up the excess for my larger purchase with coupons.

What are your thoughts on couponing? Where is the line between beneficial and over board?