Financially - Are you doing better than before?

[hotcouponmama]

I can't complain right now. We're both blessed with good jobs, insurance, and I've got the couponing thing down, so we're not out tons of extra cash for things we want/need. But I hadn't shopped in a while and I went this week and about fell over at a few of the prices. I don't know how a non-couponer makes it quite frankly. If I had to buy just what we used each month, even with hitting some sales, it would still be 800-1000 a month just for food if we didn't coupon and shopped normally. Then add in gas and everything else, and it's no wonder people feel the pinch.

I do wish more people would give couponing a real try and see what kind of difference it can make in their lives.

[luckycharms288]

We are struggling a little bit but then again we always have since we have been together the last year and half. My Boyfriend is on Disability because he has a Eye problem called Stargarts so he is considerd legally blind and he gets $656 a month and I work but I only get about 24 houres a week and make about $500-$550 a month after taxes. Our Bills are about $550 a month so that leaves about $650 a month for Everything else like food,Household,gas, paying off a little debt that i have and stuff like that. I gusse we arent THAT bad off but it sure feels like it most days and we live paycheck to paycheck. Luckily we live right next door to his mom and she helps us out ALOT. I have a really old crappy car and I live 30 min from walmart and walgreens so she lets me use her car about every two weeks to go shopping and she "loans" us money whenever we need it. I say "loan" because she never lets us pay her back even though we offer. She is the type of person that only buys something at full price when she is out of it so I give her a lot of stuff from my stockpile. She shops at our house lol We would be really bad off if it wasent for her. Then again my boyfriend is her only Kid so she spoils him lol I forgot to say that with out coupons we would be really bad off!

[lisa10091963]

Like others have said, couponing has saved me so much! Last night's dinner was 2 Farmland Ham Steaks (.15 ea after cpn), Scalloped Potatoes (.35 after store sale and cpn) and brussel sprouts (unknown price cuz they were in freezer since last winter so b4 couponing.) The Ham Steaks and Potatoes I used to buy anyway but the reg price on the Ham is $2.15 each and the potatoes are $1.50 at SWM. I saved $5.15 last night alone !!!

[Cynthiabutterfly]

We are doing well overall.

It's such a relief to be able to say that.

3 years ago after we had DS I was putting our groceries on a CC at the end of the month, even with DH and I both working.

Couponing has allowed us to have another baby, and DH stays home with them. Also I am paying the credit cards off instead of buying food and diapers with them.

I am so grateful to everyone here, you have all made this possible. My life is changed.

[tbz0232]

I wish I would have found HCW sooner. I have been on here for about 6 months now and it has changed so much stuff in our lives. We have a freezer stocked, pantry stocked... well every space space in our house is filled with something. With the extra money I have from not spending 400 per month on food and house hold items has helped us pay off 2 credit cards in the last 6 months. We have 2 more to go. I am really seeing a change in our bank account and things are really starting to look up. Give it another 6 months when those other 2 cards are paid and I will be really happy. So overall, yes we are doing better.


I would like to add the past 2 years of our lives alot has happend.....
11/11/06-we got married
2/23/07-bought our first house
3/28/07-found out I was pg
11/24/07- DS was born.

So we had a crazy 2 years and that has set us back some.... But we are doing great!!

[extechy]

We are doing just fine but I can't help but wonder 'what if'? My field is named as one of the recession-proof areas but I still worry just a little. I've heard of people showing up to work after many years of being there, only to be fired or laid off. All due to the economy. How sad is that?

If you are doing fine, please be thankful for it. Trust me, it's probably not because of something you are doing. Most likely, it's because you happen to be in an area that isn't as affected (that's me, too) or you are fortunate enough to be in a recession-proof career.

[couponmom2008]

We are doing ok. 2 months ago my husband returned back to working full time (from being pt for a little over a year). He wanted to take the time to start his own business but it didn't go so well. After a year I could not take it anymore. Even though I was working full time and he was working pt we were struggling with the bills, our car got reposessed and we were scrapping up money for food. We were literally surving off of $40 for 2 weeks.

Now that my husband is back to working full time we are doing much better. We both can afford to go back to school. I have always used coupons but not to the extent that I have been using them now that I've found HCW. I have learned to stockpile (this best thing that I could have ever learned). Before my dh and I would spend a lot of money on H&B products and food (even with me using coupons) but now we spend much less. Granted I am shopping more often but it is worth it if what I am going to get will cost me next to nothing oop. Besides I love to shop and this keeps me occupied from shopping for clothes, shoes, and other things that I don't need.

A big thanks to everyone at HCW for making using coupons soooo much fun and cost effective!!!

[shetlandponyluvr]

We personally are worse off financially, but it has nothing to do with the economy. DH quit his high (to us) paying job and is now the pastor of a small, but wonderful, non-denominational church. However, though we're not bringing in as much money as before, the bills are getting paid and we're doing alright.

[latte]

we feel the crunch EVERY single day.........some days are worse then others......with frankensteins checks being garnished out @ close to 450 a paycheck, and me not being able to get a job (not from this area so people look at me like i have 3 heads for wanting to work because i dont wanna be a welfare mommy)

[berlinsmommy]

We are fortunate that I ditched commission jobs a few years ago, so DH and I have salaries at our jobs with no variance. DH got a raise in July, but the increase in our health insurance ate up his raise plus $20 of his paycheck.

We are definitely seeing rising costs around us on food, gas, health insurance, utilities, etc. Fortunately we have been able to combat those increases with our own budget decreases - such as saving up and paying DD's tuition in full in June instead of monthly and getting a discount for that, and I'm 1-2 months away from kicking his $462 truck payment to the curb.

Also, we are HUGE fans of pinching pennies before its really necessary for our budget. For example, in August when gas was at an all-time high we found out that DH can get a free bus pass through his job and there is a "fast bus" (kind of like express, much fewer stops), that picks up about a block from our house and drops off in front of DH's work. Although we could reasonably afford for DH to drive his truck to work and back every day (about 40 miles round-trip), we'd rather free up money for other things, so he's been taking the bus. He just filled up his truck with gas this week for the first time since mid-July! He use to fill up about twice every three weeks at $80-$100 per fillup!