Day 225

Shopping day! Well, I went a bit over budget but that's alright. I'll do even better next month. I spent $199 and saved over $300. Here are a few of the things I got: upwards of 15 boxes of cereal, salad, organic carrots, 2 gallons milk, 1 gallon organic milk, side dishes, snacks, produce, yogurt, cookie dough, muffin & cookie mix, boxed dinners (I forget exactly, but more than 20), shampoo, conditioner, body wash, baggies, flavored rice mixes, laundry detergent and much, much more. Tomorrow I'm going back for: 2-3 containers of Purex laundry detergent, 15# chicken, 2 lotions, 4 cans snack nuts, 5 1/2 gallons of OJ, 1 loaf of french bread & 60 bags of frozen veggies (yes, 60...about a year's worth for us, maybe not quite a year's worth) all for about $7. WOOT!

How can you do it? Get an awesome friend like Kimber to show you the ropes like she did me. LOL j/k But seriously, thanks Kimber. You rock. Look at your store's weekly ad (I use Alberston's) and gather coupons that match those advertised specials. Newspaper, Ebay, online. Then, use them together as well as be aware (through the ad/customer service people) of the promotions going on. For example, today it was spend $30 (BEFORE coupons) on certain items (which were many) and get $15 in coupons to use on your next transaction. So, I had many transactions and utilized the coupons on the next one. Doing this requires a LOT of time and organization but it's MONEY! (aka - WORTH IT)