Am I Still Alive???

Yes, I'm still alive.

Hard to tell since I haven't posted in forever. Seems like Januaries and Februaries are always slow and boring months for me. I always hate these months, at least until Valentine's Day. But this year has been a bit different. I'm not so sure on the change, other than the fact that I seem to be keeping myself out of the "winter blah" mode somehow and find that I'm being more productive as a result.

Something that I know that has contributed to my upbeat attitude is something that might make you laugh - couponing. I've really been into couponing lately and anyone that talks to me knows that is all I talk about. But the truth is that I really am saving a ton of money, building our storage, and it's even become somewhat of a hobby for me. Now when was the last time you heard of a hobby that saved money???

Now I know that some of you are saying, oh man, I don't have time for that. And it's true, it does take time. But I've found that by putting in a little bit of time, you can save a whole lot of money. Since time is money, I guess it's a fair trade - you can't get something for nothing, so if want to save the money, you have to put in a bit of time. Luckily, there are suggestions and methods out there that help reduce time spent and endless clipping of coupons.

For those of you contemplating the big jump into the world of bargain shopping, I'll just share with you a couple of my recent experiences as encouragement:

- Just 3 weeks ago, Albertson's had a huge sale.
Items purchased = I won't list them all, but it was over 100 items
Total Spent Out of Pocket = $50
Total Saved = $260

- This week at Walgreen's
Items purchased = 5 12-pks of pepsi products, 2 bags of Tostito's chips
Total Spent Out of Pocket = $10.30
Total Saved = $18.63

- Today at Smith's
Items purchased = 10 cans of Hormel chili, 3 bags of Quaker Quakes Snacks
Total Spent Out of Pocket = $2.64
Total Saved = $11.87


So if you're doubting whether this really works, then let me tell you - IT DOES! I've kept my grocery budget as is for the past few months and have really been "stocking up" on things to get our family's year supply completed. Now that I'm completely stocked, I will just be in "refill mode" and need only buy the items as needed when they go on sale. This will be exciting because I'm interested to see how much I save in purchasing groceries each month.

If you are embarking on this whole thing and are interested in any information, let me know. I typed up a little instruction sheet on how I do things for someone who recently asked and I'd be happy to share it with you too! Just email me or post a comment and I'll get it to you.

So this is pretty much what has kept me from keeping up on my blogging. I'm having way too much fun saving money! I promise to take more pictures and share more about the family and kids better in the next little while.