A year of thrift

One year ago this month, I stumbled upon a website that has literally changed the way our family functions. I have always been a bargain shopper, but Money Saving Mom takes thrify to a whole new level, and one that I never knew existed. Within a few weeks, I had subscribed to the Sunday paper to begin adventures in couponing, including learning how to get all of our toiletries for free by CVSing. I was hooked.





I have to admit that the process isn't always fun for me. There have been several times this year that I have been in tears of frustration because of the amount of time and effort it takes to do all of this. Brian has even started teasing me because about once a month I tell him in almost the exact same words: "I'm not sure if this is worth it."





But it is. You should have seen how giddy I was when I came home from the grocery the other night. My first transaction was entirely diapers. Having 2 kids in diapers gets quite costly, so you have to strike while the bargain is hot. Through a combination of deals, discounts, and coupons, I bought the following:

The total cost of these diapers without discounts would be: $169.42.

I paid: $56.75 - that's a savings of 69%!!!

(and technically, I didn't pay anything, because I had rebate gift cards that paid for them, but that's another story)

Some of these diapers will be gifts for new babies arriving soon, and many of them will be for our family.

So then I went back into the store to get the groceries that we needed for the next week or so. (Some people go to the store methodically every Saturday, but I'm not that organized. I go when I feel like we don't have any food left.) Again, through a variety of deals and coupons, I got a cart full of groceries worth $137.92 for $58.05. That's a savings of 58%!!

Overall, even though we've added another child to our family that eats 6 jars of babyfood per day and goes through a lot of diapers (related?), I am spending less per month on groceries and toiletries than I was at this time last year. My CVS receipt says that I saved over $2,000 in 2008. I feel so fortunate that blogging has helped me in yet another way!!

And if you think that any of this is impressive, you should see my friend Beth! She is completely incredible. She walks out of stores with a bunch of stuff and pays like 30 cents. She has launched a new blog, where she's sharing some of her secrets: Coupon Coach.

If any of you live locally and are interested in this, let me know. I am thinking about having a Money Saving Party (you know, like Pampered Chef, except instead of spending money, you learn to save it?), hosted by our very own Coach.

So how about you, what has been your best money saving strategy this year? I want to learn more, more, more!!