Couponing

Hi, my name is Leah.
*chorus of voices* Hello, Leah.
And I have a problem. I am... addicted to couponing!

I know I've mentioned couponing a little bit before in this blog. To be honest, I'm afraid that if I post about couponing, I won't be able to stop. And it would devour Leah's Literature and Coffee. But just one post can't hurt, can it?

I started couponing back in early April. If you remember, I was trying to purchase a house, save up for a car and a master's degree, and Matt was weeks away from moving in with me. There was a lot going on, and money was becoming tight. A coworker told me about couponing. I sat down on a Friday night with a huge goblet of wine and YouTube as my teacher.

Next thing I know, I'm hooked. I love it. Matt loves it. We've managed to save enough money to by year-long memberships at Anytime Fitness. We're also working to chisel away his student debt, save up for a new car for me, and together have a comfortable savings for the future. A wedding would be nice, too. I've been couponing for 8 months now, saving right around 50% with every shopping trip. For the two of us, we now usually spend about $160 per month on health and beauty supplies, household goods, and groceries. Not so bad, eh? This past fall, I even taught a class through Community Education on beginner's couponing.

I can't stop sharing my savings, though! I had a really great "haul" at Albertson's today, and thought I'd share with you:

 

In this trip, I spent $105.40 (way more than normal).  I received a coupon for $5 off my next purchase, too. The price before savings was $236.52. WOW. I saved 56%. This isn't my largest savings, but look at everything I got at such a low cost!

We picked up:

2 bottles of V8

6 different spices (on a 40% off sale!)

4 cans of Dole Pineapple

6 cans of Green Giant veggies

3 jars Heinz gravy

2 jars Smucker's Jam

4 boxes Stovetop Stuffing

1 package Bear Creek soup mix

4 boxes Jello

1 Febreze Noticeables warmer

1 Febreze Set & Refresh

1 container Lysol Wipes

1 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner

3 2-packs Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

2 containers Chobani Greek Yogurt (admittedly, I didn't have a coupon. I just love these)

2 Garnier Fructis hair products (one shampoo, one conditioner)

1 box Theraflu

2 bottles Robitussin cold medication

2 bags Ludens throat drops

5.09 lbs beef (Buy One, Get One Free!)

2.88 lbs pork (also BOGO)

4 containers of Oscar Meyer Lunch Meat

This was definitely one of the more well-rounded trips I've done. My savings is satisfactory and these are all products I use.

I hope this inspires some of you to be creative in your ways to save for your dreams. You can do it! I'm here to help :)

Any other closet couponers out there?