What's this coupon thing all about anyway?!

As economic times get harder, people are constantly on the lookout for ways to save money and cut corners. In the Patterson home this takes many shapes and forms, but the method that has stayed constant is the use of coupons. When Chad and I first got married times were tough for us! We were a young couple hit with the reality of a mortgage, car payment, utilities, home expenses, gas for our cars, and groceries. We both had decent jobs, but this was all new for us and so I made it my job to do all I could to stretch our money the best I could. The easiest way I knew to do this was to cut down on our grocery bill each week. I was probably like a lot of you at that time. I would clip the coupons that was sent to my mail each week and maybe cut the coupons off the back of the cracker box from time to time, but that was the extent of it. If I was able to save $20 or $25 each week then I was excited! Over the course of the month that $80-$100 would...well....pay another bill! As I got older and Caeden came along I became swamped with the monthly expense of formula, diapers, wipes, baby Motrin, teething tablets, and all the other necessities that a baby requires. It was at this point that I started to really look for coupons. I would go online to the manufacturer websites and sign up for their mailing lists to get coupons sent to me. It was at this time that I discovered printable Internet coupons and coupons that you could load directly on to your shopper card! My addiction for coupons grew and it has now evolved into a situation where my husband and I were able to go to Kroger and have a $230 grocery bill that we only paid $65 for! Coupons work and they can save you a lot of money! I have told you about a lot of different forms of coupons, but do not get overwhelmed! That's what this blog is all about. I am going to break couponing down to it's simplest form so that ANYONE could save money on their grocery bill. So how do you get started? Get out there and collecting some coupons! If you want to save BIG like we have....you will need lots of coupons. So start today with creating a stockpile of coupons. It's Sunday night so hurry out and grab a Sunday paper (or 3 or 4 like we do!) and snag those coupons out of it! I also ask around and gather coupons from people who don't use them. Ask your family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to save their coupons for you and then get to clipping! We also get coupons on a weekly basis in the mail so start saving those as well. If you buy a box of cereal and it has coupons on the inside of the box...cut it up and get those coupons! Chad is the best at going through the grocery and snagging coupons off of food boxes or out of the blinkie (little coupon dispenser). Whatever it takes...collect those coupons. In the next post I will talk more about online printable coupons and how you find those. What are you waiting for...go find some coupons!! They are money in your pocket :)