Saving Money

If you have talked to me in the last couple of months you have probably heard about my new hobby, coupon shopping. I love to shop. I love to shop for all kinds of different things and there is a community of women out there who love to shop too, and they find amazing deals. I have always loved to bargain shop, but these women take it to a whole new level. I did my usual Sunday afternoon CVS and Walgreens trips. I wanted to show you all that you can save money on the things you use everyday. Yes, it takes time, and you have to find a system that works for you, but I love it. It is such a challenge for me to see how much money I can save and how much good stuff I can get that we actually use.
I went to CVS first. Here is a pic of everything I left with.

I spent $3.80 for everything in this picture, and I still have $13 in Extra Care Bucks to use next week. I used a combination of manufacturer's coupons, store coupons, and extra care bucks that I earned last week.
Then I went to Walgreens

I spent $.87. That is right, not even a dollar. Today's paper has the gillette coupons that you can combine with a deal on the body wash and I had Register Rewards from last week too.

I first got into this when I stumbled on a website called www.Moneysavingmom.com. My friend, April, had the link on her blog. I spent some time looking around and realized these ladies were on to something. Money Saving Mom had some links on her blog that led me to www.myfrugaladventures.com. Those are still 2 of my favorite blogs to check. There are other store specific blogs, www.totallytarget.com and www.wildforwags.com. They don't just talk about couponing either. They give links for freebies, free magazine subscriptions and a lot of great deals out there on the internet. There are hundreds of different money saving blogs out there. Depending on where you live and what you are trying to save money on there is a blog for you. These ladies can be a little crazy about 'stock piling' and buying coupons, but after reading their blogs for a while you will see that they have good hearts. Some of the families have been able to pay cash for their house, manke it through law school with no debt, and they all donate a lot to their communities.

I know this post is a little different than what I normally do, but I was so excited about today's trip. They are not always this good, but if you keep up with your coupons and the sale flyers you can find some great deals. I hope you are all having a great weekend. We are going to take the kiddos to our church for a carnival, our church is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
And here is a picture of the kids, because I don't think I can post something with out a picture. We went to a local fountain with some friends. The kids had so much fun playing in the water.