***After writing this post, I realized there are just some things that I now do that I never would have imagined myself doing...when I was single...or even before kids. SOOOO...it's time to come clean...I have a few more 'confessions' in my cluttered brain that I'll write about soon. I think it's kind of silly and I giggle when I see the title...and now on with Part 1 of Confessions of an Urban Housewife...he he he****
If you know me pretty well and have talked to me in the last few months....you'll know that I'm a Clipper Chick a.k.a. one of those crazy coupon ladies. YES, I am coming out ...I am a coupon clipper!! Really, isn't it pathetic...I'm such a... MOM ...now.
And after reading this, you'll want to be one too(a clipper that is). And you too will ramble on and on and on about saving money. It actually kind of turns into a game once you've done it long enough and you don't even want to think about stepping into a store WITHOUT A COUPON (for shame!). :)
OK...let me tell you...I started doing coupons when I was pregnant with Emerson just by reading all kinds of money saving blogs and using internet printable coupons once in a while. I thought it was a great grocery trip when I would save $10 or maybe $20. I did it for a few months and then Emerson was born so like everything else...my clipping time went by the wayside for a bit.
THEN....My friend Teri started gushing to me about all her great deals and how she's saving more than 50% of her grocery bill and getting TONS of stuff for FREE!!! I was so amazed and so were lots of other folks. Since there was a great deal of interest she started up a local coupon clipping club called the Clipper Chicks! We meet once a week to review deals, but mostly it's to stay excited about couponing and share our great savings stories.
NOW... I'm saving like MAD!!! Check out a few of my great deals I did last week.
First off....Publix!
Publix (a Florida grocery store chain) is the bomb when it comes to coupons. Mostly because they take competitor's coupons and you can use two coupons on their BOGO(buy one get one) specials.
Here's a great shopping trip(all items pictured above).....$88 worth of groceries for $25!! That's almost a 70% savings folks!
Look...
Just buying the three pork tenderloins at full price would have been more than ALL the groceries I bought using coupons!
Secondly, I went to KMart.
(sorry no pictures) KMart is holding a double coupon promotion right now and I got 3 big bags of stuff equaling $28 worth of items for (drum roll please) $4.43!
YES, FOUR DOLLARS AND FOURTY THREE CENTS, AMAZING, I KNOW!!! 85% savings!
And just to further convince you that couponing is where it's at...
...I went through some of my old receipts and found some other great transactions.
Publix
5/08 saved $69.91... paid $46.08 (59% savings)
5/18 saved $54.83... paid $51.72 (51% savings)
9/14 saved $41.05...paid $29.49 (58% savings)
KMart (during the last doubles event...where I was able to get some great x-mas toy deals)
in 3 transactions $142 worth of toys, cleaners, batteries, juice, baby wipes and soap ... for $50! (64% savings)
even... WHOLE FOODS
$27.35 worth of groceries for $15.35 (44% savings)
Now that you're convinced....here's a start...
Go to the Clipper Chicks website and review and subscribe to the money saving blogs in the right hand column.
Also, Hip2Save has been doing a fun video series called "Follow me Monday" all about couponing. (find it in the right column of her blog part way down) Check it out.
OK, now that I've rambled far far far too long. GO, CLIP/PRINT, and SAVE!