Couponing... I get it.

Up until a few months ago I thought that couponing was for little old ladies or obsessed soccer moms.... not that I have anything against soccer moms... I fully intend to be one. Anyhow, it was certainly never anything I thought I would take part in. Then one day I watched Suze Orman on Oprah telling America how stupid we are with our money. She really got me thinking of ways that I could cut back. Not long after that I watched a special on couponing and thought maybe I should try it. That same week my sister-in-law, mother-in-law and several friends tried it for the first time. It seemed like EVERYONE was doing it. I felt a little overwhelmed by all the strategies and strange lingo so it took me a few months to actually try it. But this week I finally succeeded! Most of you know how AMAZING Albertson's sale is this week. I went twice and spent $160 for $500 worth of groceries! And I'm not even that good at this. This picture doesn't do it justice. It was impossible to fit everything on the table without hiding half of it. There are boxes and boxes of stuff under all that. My favorite parts of the sale were the baby wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, and laundry detergent. Pretty much half off everything before coupons! That's not to mention all the cake mixes, frosting, cereal, shampoos and conditioners, yogurt, all-purpose cleaner, dish soap, soup, granola bars, muffin mixes, frozen vegetables, fruit snacks... the list goes on and on. I can't tell you how good it feels to know that we have some food storage.

This amazing lady in our area teaches a class on couponing. The one thing that she said that stuck with me was that she felt like saving money on groceries was her part time job to help out her family. It's so true. My husband works too hard for me to be irresponsible with the money he earns. I love him for his sacrifice and commitment to helping me stay home with Jay. A little bit of time and headache (no really it hurts sometimes) is well worth the end reward.