Tuesday's Tip, Saving Money and Eating Good... (at the same time)

“If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can't buy”

anonymous

Perfect shopping purses - Vera Java Blue

For those of you who don't know me this week I will be celebrating my 1 year anniversary.  I honestly can't believe it.  For so long in life everything seems to be so predictable, you go to elementary school, middle school, high school, then you graduate, go to college, graduate college, start a job... you know the drill.  I however, had no clue how fast things would change when you get married.  Gone are the days of predictability now you can't predict how your life (and the lives around you) will change within a short year.  I've watched friends move away, get new jobs, get married, start having children, all within a year.  I can say that this first year was so much better than I expected.  Maybe it is just because so many people freaked me out with the "the next five years will be the worst years of your life" line, but hey if this is the worse I can't wait until the best!  I've been very blessed to have an amazing husband who has made this the best year yet!  Anyway, on to today's tip.  During this first year of marriage I had to learn to live with a budget, which was not a fun thing to do.  Since I love cooking so much it was really hard for me to figure out how to fit the dishes I wanted to cook into my budget.  Thankfully
my mom had heard about this new way of couponing (which I'm sure everyone knows about now thanks to the outrageous TV shows) and she shared some tips with me.  I honestly have to say that using coupons is probably the only way I can afford to be able to cook healthy, fun dishes pretty much every night of the week.   Since it has helped me stay in my budget this year I knew I needed to share as it is probably one of my biggest personal tips I can offer when it comes to food. 

Now before you close out this post thinking I'm one of those people who has an entire room devoted to my stockpile of deodorant and toilet paper I'll never use, let me assure you I'm not.  I only buy what I need or can use within the next few weeks, in fact I don't like when I go to a grocery store to see that someone has wiped out the toilet paper supply because it was a good deal.  I make sure never to have more than 1 or 2 extras of something that lasts a long time (like shampoo).  Honestly, if I did stockpile things I would have no where to live considering our little condo with 2 very large dogs.  I do however, benefit largely from shopping the sales matched with appropriate coupons.  First let me debunk a couple myths that I had about couponing that I'm sure you also have.

Myth 1: It takes too much time 
I will agree at first this was my first concern, I mean lets be serious, I work full time, keep this blog, love to run, mentor several girls, volunteer and manage to spend quality time with they husband.  I did not have time to devote to "couponing", but thanks to some tips (you'll see them below) it doesn't take up that much of my time! 

Myth 2: People will think I'm crazy 
Honestly, I still get nervous everytime I go to checkout at a register if I even have 1 coupon because I know how people who coupon are portrayed sometimes.  In all honesty though I feel like a lot of stores have come to expect it.  I've had a cashier give me an extra coupon, ask me for tips, and even comment on the amount I was able to save.  Of course you'll get those cashiers every now and then who hate their job that are rude but they would be rude even if you didn't have the coupons. 

Myth 3: It's too difficult 
Not if you follow my few tips below!

Ok, so here's the best way I've found to do coupons.  First decide how much you have budget wise to spend on groceries, per week, pay period or month and stick to that.  Don't make the mistake I made at first and buy something just because it's "on sale" when you don't have the money or need for the item. Secondly, be chill about it.  What I mean about this is don't do 

everything yourself!  When I first started I thought it meant I would have to clip the coupons, read every stores add, browse through hundreds of coupons I've clipped to match them up.  Luckily for me, I was able to figure out that there were some amazing people out there that blogged all their match-ups and all I had to do was simply go to their site, follow their suggestions and save money (see below for featured coupon website to help you with this).  Lastly, fit couponing into your routine.  What I mean by this is don't make it more difficult than it is.  For me after church on Sunday my husband and I swing by a convenience store where I pick up newspapers, then we head home for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.  Later that day while we're watching a good TV show or something I'll clip the coupons and organize them.  Then sometime during the week I'll look up the match-ups, print them out, find the matching coupons and go shopping.  It honestly doesn't consume my life and waste a lot of time. 

I can't say how much websites that show coupon match-ups have helped me.  Without websites like the one below I wouldn't have the time or energy to coupon.  Thanks to the fabulous Liza over at Addicted To Saving (you can find it at www.addictedtosaving.com) she's allowed me to feature her blog today and share with you some of the ways I utilize her website to help me save money on groceries.  Liza posts several store/coupon match-ups including Publix, Winn Dixie, Target, and more.  I usually wait until Tuesday or Wednesday when Liza will post Publix deals you can get for a dollar or less (this weeks) for the next week.  Yep, you heard right she tells you how you can shop at Publix and get food for less than a dollar.  I love it.  All I have to do is get the coupons she mentions and go shop.  Also, according to her blog Liza is an avid runner, so she always seems to highlight the healthy match-ups you can get (like produce) even if it is a little more expensive which means you can get healthy, great food for amazing prices.  

Thanks to Liza at Addicted to Saving and other websites like this, I've been able to continue cooking great foods while staying in budget.  What about you?  Any tips you have for couponing or saving money?  I'd love to hear them! Oh and if you have any extras you bought from great deals that you don't really need why not donate them to your local homeless shelter, foster home, etc...? Happy cooking and good luck saving money on your family's meals!  

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