COUPONING!!!

I have discovered the joy of couponing! Not only do you save significant amounts of money on groceries and other items but it's a lot of fun! Yesterday I did my major grocery shopping for the month and saved $98.27! I love BOGO's and thankfully our grocery chain does those weekly and our other local chain has 10 for $10 sales weekly as well.

I'm not as crazy as some of the ladies on extreme couponing, but I do enjoy saving money on what we use. I can't see myself stockpiling three years of toilet paper, in the first place I'm not sure where I'd put it, but I don't see the need for anyone having three years of toilet paper or 150 bottles of body wash. I also do not spend 60 hours each week cutting, planning, plotting and shopping. I spent about an hour cutting, searching and planning and saved almost $100, or 50% of my shopping costs.

When you watch extreme couponing you'll notice they seldom buy big ticket items, fresh vegetables or meats. That's where anyone spends their money. I've started buying my meats at our local grocery store's 5 for $19.99 counter. That generally provides us with almost 2 weeks of meat.

We also participate in the Angel Food Ministry where you can purchase boxes of restaurant quality food for a limited budget. We purchase the $46 a month box. If you've never tried it, go to www.angelfoodministry.com and check on the menu for May. There are several different price options/box contents. I like the $46 a month box as it has the best variety for the money. May's box even includes 4 New York strip steaks.

This has become a new way of life for me and I find I am truly enjoying it!