This past Monday, I sat down with my bills, and after wondering where all of my money went, decided that I should start managing my money better. To really get an idea of where my money was going, I pulled my last 3 months of bank statements so that I could have a snapshot of my spending habits. I was alarmed at the amount of money that I had been spending on FOOD; eating out and groceries. It's no wonder I was living close to, and sometimes beyond my means! Yikes!
So...
I decided to make a budget for myself, start clipping coupons, and force myself to stay within my budget by using cash for almost everything. Easy enough, right? WRONG. I sat there a minute and realized that I'm a good lookin' single lady with a full time job, people to see, and places to go! There's no way in the world that I would have that kind of time!
Shortly after my revelation, I purchased Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace, set up a debt snowball calendar, set up a budget which I began to live by, and started using cash. The only missing component was coupons. I found out about a Coupon workshop provided by my employer, learned a lot and enthusiastically began clipping coupons for about two weeks. Guess what? I got busy; life happened. Months went by, and I had collectively saved less than 10.00 with coupons, so I decided that I was over it.
At the end of 2010 I watched a show that would change my life and my purchasing habits. The name of the show was Extreme Couponing, and after I watched these people get groceries for pennies on the dollar, and sometimes pennies on the tens of dollars, I made up my mind. I made a 2011 New Year's Resolution to never pay full price for anything ever again.
I got in my car, went to Staples, and purchased a binder, and photo sheets, and used my knowledge from the Coupon Workshop to put together a Coupon Book. To make sure that I would continue my Couponing, I decided to "make an appointment" to clip coupons each week. I picked Saturday Morning. So each Saturday Morning, I grab a Sunday Paper (more on that later), and I clip coupons while watching my favorite Saturday Morning Television and drinking a Dr. Pepper.
As a result of my couponing, I had my biggest savings to date. I saved $47.11 today with manufacturer's coupons, store coupons, and in-store sales.
The typical "couponer" is married with children. I'm single, and I NEVER thought in a million years that I would be a "couponer". This is how I got here, and the following posts are tips I've received from other people and my ideas on many different ways to save money. Ready to save? Put your seatbelt on...HERE WE GO!!
Love,
The Single Lady
