What a difference 8 weeks can make!
Posted 06-25-2009 at 09:27:06 AM by oregon
This last 8 weeks has been amazing.
When I started my personal challenge and decided to get serious about couponing, things weren't all that great for us.
It seemed every dime I made went to groceries, and there still wasn't anything "good" in the house. My two teen daughters were constantly complaining. There was always something I needed that was sending me back out for last minute purchases. Without going into great detail, our quality of life sucked.
Since I started doing this:
8 weeks in I've bought $2,177.07 worth of groceries and HBA and saved $1,286.80 leaving $890.30 OOP.
I'm still running about $12/wk over budget. I have to realize tho that when I started this, we had very little in the house. We now have about a 2 month supply of most things, a six month supply of meats, shampoo, and deodorant, and an year's supply of toothpaste.
I can settle down now and really focus on the best deals and don't have to settle for the "get us by" deals. I expect by the end of the year I will be drastically under budget. I would like to use anything I save for new furniture next year.
Thank you to everyone on HCW! This has made a HUGE impact on our lives.
When I started my personal challenge and decided to get serious about couponing, things weren't all that great for us.
It seemed every dime I made went to groceries, and there still wasn't anything "good" in the house. My two teen daughters were constantly complaining. There was always something I needed that was sending me back out for last minute purchases. Without going into great detail, our quality of life sucked.
Since I started doing this:
- My freezer is overflowing with hotdogs, smoked sausages, ground beef, chicken (all kinds), and ham. I still need to build up a variety of beef cuts, and maybe some pork cuts.
- There is a variety of snacks from popcorn to fresh veggies/fruits to meet everyone's taste. There is always something "good" to snack on.
- We are not running out of face wash, shampoo, feminine products, toothpaste, etc. thus sending me out on a spur of the moment shopping trip.
- I have a savings account
- DD's are actually finding Q's for things like haircuts and entertainment BEFORE they let me know they need/want it.
- My house is actually staying clean when I'm at work. DD's know that if they keep it picked up, I will give them $10 plus a 40% off Q at JoAnn's to use on anything they want each week. If they do it for the month, they get a bonus $10 on the 4th week. The 4th week for them = $20 plus 40%. They get their big items on that week. It's a win/win situation. Plus these projects help combat the summertime boredom blues.
8 weeks in I've bought $2,177.07 worth of groceries and HBA and saved $1,286.80 leaving $890.30 OOP.
I'm still running about $12/wk over budget. I have to realize tho that when I started this, we had very little in the house. We now have about a 2 month supply of most things, a six month supply of meats, shampoo, and deodorant, and an year's supply of toothpaste.
I can settle down now and really focus on the best deals and don't have to settle for the "get us by" deals. I expect by the end of the year I will be drastically under budget. I would like to use anything I save for new furniture next year.
Thank you to everyone on HCW! This has made a HUGE impact on our lives.
Total Comments 4
Comments
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Great job! I hope your stockpile keeps growing and growing as your OOP shrinks and shrinks!Posted 06-25-2009 at 04:46:39 PM by BringontheWonder
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Great Job... Keep up the good work.Posted 06-25-2009 at 06:07:26 PM by ELLE-TN -
Way to go!!Posted 06-25-2009 at 08:08:53 PM by mommaof2kiddos -
Excellent work!
I was in that place once too, and I came to a realization that things could only get better!Posted 06-26-2009 at 10:19:10 AM by Cynthiabutterfly
