Monday Money Saving Tips

Shortly after hubby and I were married, I took a leave my from my job, so I could put 100% of my time into writing.  Since we were going to have to live on a 'smaller' budget, we were trying to come up with even more ways to save money.  One day we were flipping through TV channels, and we came upon the TV show Extreme Couponing.  Both of us were a bit astonished at how much money these determined ladies were saving, if not a bit skeptical.

 I can still remember hubby looking at me and saying, "Now that you have a little 'extra' time on your hands, you could do that!"  I didn't have an argument for that.  He was right.  I was no longer putting in 60 or more hours at my job.  So, with scissor in hand, I began clipping every coupon I could get my hands on. I organized them accordingly, and cross referenced them with our local grocery store ad.

Finally, after all my hard work, I was ready to prove that indeed I could do it.  I could be a coupon clipping, money saving, diva, and boy was I going to make hubby proud!

By the time I reached the check out, I was sweating profusely, and felt giddy with excitement.  I waited impatiently as the elderly lady rang up my purchases.  And then.....it was time for the BIG finale-those wonderful pieces of paper that would save me so much money!  My hands gripped the grocery cart tightly, as the first handful of coupons was swiped through without a hitch.  Then, to my horror, the cash register beeped loudly, not once, but several times.  "I'm sorry," the checkout gal said, as she glanced at the latest stack of coupons.  "It looks like these are all expired."

EXPIRED!!!  What!!!!  Who said anything about coupons expiring?  Surely not those amazingly organized folks on Extreme Couponing!  But, there it was, in the tiniest print known to man-right at the very top of each of my precious, money saving coupons- an expiration date.

I saved a whopping $20.15 that day.  A savings, yes, but nowhere near what I had planned for.  Nor, did I think, worthy of all my hard work.  Needless to say-my latest savings bubble had blown up in face.

Today, I still collect the odd coupon-(mostly off the web), but I realize I'm just not organized, or determined enough, to be the ultimate extreme couponer!  Instead, I check out all my favorite stores ad's online, and plan my shopping trips accordingly.

Two of my 'go to' sites are Target Samples, (I love Target), where all you have to do is answer a few survey questions and they send you a sample of some pretty awesome products!  I also love Hip2Save.  It is an entire blog devoted to coupons, free samples, and money saving ideas.  Kudos to Collin for doing all the work-and work she does!

Since our house is, and will probably always be, a 'work in progress', I am always looking for ways to do DIY projects on a low budget.  In my quest to do so, I found the web site, this old house and their article
50 Nifty Tricks for DIY savings! 

My final money saving tip for today is related to my blog.  If you haven't already noticed, I have a brand new header at the top of my page!  I wasn't all that excited about my previous header.  I'm not the best photographer, and since blogging is just a hobby for me, I don't have the budget to pay a professional to create one.  Thankfully, because of Shabby Blogs, I didn't have to.

That gorgeous header you’re seeing was 100% free.  Not 'free', as in, the credit report commercial, where they 'say' it is free, and then they charge you later.  No, no!  This is FREE! ( The best four letter word I know)!  But, it gets better!  The creative gals over at Shabby Blogs have been very, very busy!  Not only do they offer free headers-they also have free backgrounds, free buttons, free post dividers, and free pretties. There are many designs to choose from, and most of them you can personalize to make them yours!  (I added my two favorite vices-coffee and lemons-but I can change them out whenever I want!) 

Happy Savings, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!