Date your staples

I have alluded to this in the past, but since I am going on a coupon spree tonight (more later) I thought this was the appropriate time to talk about staples. You know coffee, detergent, soap, plastic bags, aluminum foil, etc. If you know how often you need to buy these things, you can look for the coupons at the right time and save money.

For example, instead of just realizing you are OUT of aluminum foil, if you date it and get in the habit of knowing the roll you buy will last two months or so, when you are approaching that deadline, you can start scouring for sales and coupons...instead of waiting for the last minute and paying full price.