Why I Started Couponing

I started couponing as a way to lower our expenses in May 2011, and yes, I started because I saw an episode of Extreme Couponing. I thought that if these crazy people were actually able to save some money and buy a huge amount of products, that I would be able to at least save 10% of my current spending. I had no idea that I was releasing a monster. The first 3 months were a little frustrating and exciting. I was spending the same amount of money, but I was purchasing about 6 times as many products as before. Our one bedroom apartment quickly became overrun with toothpaste (I am still not allowed to buy ANY toothpaste unless it is a moneymaker, but more on that later). I was rushing to every store in a 15 mile radius, and not saving any money. I became stressed out over getting coupons, and whenever a store did not have an item in stock, I would get very angry with the store. I started reading online about how to really extreme coupon, not like what the show publicizes. I found out that I did not have to get every deal, and that a healthy stockpile is built up over time (the BEST advice I have ever received about couponing). I began to look for ways to lower our expenses, not just buy more items. I found that I was able to reduce our spending by 50% within the first 6 months, and unless I can save 90% on the purchase price of just about anything, I will not buy it. Many people tell me that they feel that couponing is buying a bunch of crap that they will not use, or it is for hoarders, or they do not have time for it. I can say that I have never donated more items, not had to go shopping last minute for that one ingredient, or not had a way to squeeze in an extra couple of hours over the week for couponing. The more time that a person puts in, the more money that they will save. If you want to cut your expenses by 10%, then grab your coupons during your favorite episode of True Blood. If you want to save 50%, then plan on clipping during the few movies during the week. There is always time to save money! I used an Excel spreadsheet to track and budget every penny of our expenses for 12 months, and we were able to get our expenses (household items/donation items/food items/etc) down to $30 a month for $1300 worth of products, and I can help you to do the same! Because of couponing, we have been able to save thousands of dollars, and drastically changed our finances forever. You must be patient with yourself, as there is a learning curve, and you must decide how much time you are willing to put in, based on how much you would like to save. As for everything else, that is where this site comes in...enjoy!