{[Coupons]}

Retail: $103.61 I Paid: $16.45

As most of you know, I'm into using coupons. Like, REALLY into it. I'm not a freak like some of the people on TLC's Extreme Couponing, but I do go shopping every week and I refuse to pay retail. Retail: $66.70 I Paid: $20.30

A lot of people ask me why I do it and my answer is that I have to. It's not something that I can just turn off. Now that I know that I don't HAVE to pay the prices stores want me to pay, I simply can't go back.

Retail: $26.28 I Paid: $6.30

Growing up, we always had a fully stocked pantry, refrigerator, freezer, toiletry closet, etc. We never had to worry about not having anything to eat or having no shampoo and conditioner because my parent's made it a priority to have an over-abundance of the things we needed. I am simply doing the same thing, only I'm paying a fraction of the price to do it!

Retail: $50.00 I Paid: $11.78

This is the reason why I use coupons: I love saving money, A LOT of money. I love the thrill of getting $50 worth of groceries for just $5. I also love the fact that my stockpile keeps growing week by week with only a little effort on my part.

The concept and idea behind using coupons is that when something is really cheap or free, I "stock up" on it by using coupons. I stock up enough so that I won't have to buy any more of it for 3-6 more months.

Here's a scenario: Let's say that pasta sauce is $.25 this week by using coupons and a store sale. I go in and use my ONE coupon and go home with one bottle of pasta sauce. How long do you think that pasta sauce will last me? One meal, maybe two. Now, if I go to the store and use 10 coupons, and "stock up" on that pasta sauce. I'll have enough pasta sauce to last me at least 3 months. The next time I need pasta sauce, rather than running to the store last minute and paying $3.00 a bottle, I simply open my cupboard and "shop from my home". I will save myself $2.75 every time I need pasta sauce.

Since I began using coupons, my weekly grocery bills have went from $70 to $5-$20 depending on the week. That's a savings of over $200 per month. The best thing about it is that I come home with MORE than I ever did before I started to use coupons. I have laundry soap, deodorant, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, etc. to last us 6 months to 2 years.

If you want to know how to properly use coupons, just ask! I'd be happy to help you get some great deals, too!