I have often had friends ask me if clipping coupons and scouring the internet for the best deal is worth the time I spend on it. I say yes, yes it is. I do spend up to 2 hours a day on this, but as a stay at home parent I feel like it's my job to make our buck stretch as far as possible.
When my husband and I found out we were pregnant we decided one of us would stay home. I made less, so Zach agreed to continue to bring home the bacon while I cared for the tot. Before staying home with Sophie I was an occasional coupon clipper. If we got a Sunday paper I might clip a few coupons, tuck them into my wallet, and if I was really lucky, one or two of them saw the light of day again. After staying home a few months I decided to give couponing a real try. I found a few websites to follow and, with scissors in hand, started clipping.
Almost 2 years later and there's no way I could go back to paying full price again. If I hit the lottery tomorrow I'd continue dutifully clipping. I coupon to maintain our lifestyle. If I can get toiletries for pennies on the dollar that's more money I can save or devote to other categories in our budget.
This year I'm going to track how much money we save. I found a great spreadsheet to track the money I spend and the money I save. I'm really curious to find out how much we're saving in a year.
Couponing certainly isn't for everyone. You have to have patience, time to devote to it and a way to stay organized.
If you think you'd like to give couponing the old college try I'd recommend checking out the following websites. Remember I live in Middle Tennessee, so most of these sites are focused on the southeast region.
There are lots of other sites out there and I do use others, but these are sites I check daily for great deals.
Check back later this week for a 'how-to' guide for Publix shopping!
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