My Hidden Talent

My hidden talent is actually a little embarrassing to Josh. Truthfully, I was a little embarrassed of it at first, too. But not anymore...I am sort of proud of it, now. So, what is this secret trait that I posses, you ask...saving money. I'm really good at it. Ridiculously good, actually.

Now I guess anybody could be good at 'saving' money....simply don't go shopping. But I shop. A lot. We all do, and often times its for things that you don't even think about - shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lotion, OTC meds, shaving cream, razors, face wash, soap, household cleaners, toilet paper…things we just put in the cart and not even think about…things you are constantly running out of. And when you really sit down and think about all of those little things that you buy and add it all up….its actually not little at all…it’s expensive. And for the most part, I don’t pay for any of it. For instance, on Saturday I went to W@lgreens rang up $345 worth of merchandise, and walked out the door for $6.20. Seriously. The same applies for groceries. This week, our grocery bill was $9.71. A year ago at this time, Josh and I were spending about $100/week on groceries. Now we average $15-25.

So, how do I do it? Coupons. I watch the sale adds in the Sunday paper, and I match the sales with the coupons. Then I go online and order multiples of the coupons I need. This is the clipping service that I use – the coupons typically range in price from $.10 to $.25 each (usually the $.25 coupons are for really good deals like BIGI Frees). I also check online for coupons – sites like this, or check forums like this for manufacturer coupons that can be printed out. Note: the forums also typically have great info on other great sales or online promotions as well. Then I go to the store and amaze the cashier (and Josh) by ringing up sometimes $250 worth of merchandise and then actually walking out the door for $15 (most of that tax). For the first few months I was saving my receipts to track how much money I had saved...it was over $2500.

I think that everybody likes to save money, especially those of you with kids. So from now, on I’ll be posting the really awesome deals/coupons/sales that I find in my blog – hopefully some of you find it useful. If not, well, my secrets out anyway…

Here's a few recent ones:

Free Kraft LiveActive Coupon
$5 Off Tylenol Coupon
$2.25 Off SilkMilk
$2.00 Off Scott TP