Roll Call...New Let's Introduce ourselves

[cecismom]

We have not done this for quite awhile. Please introduce yourself, what got you started couponing, and anything else interesting!

I will start:

I am cecismom (Colleen), I have always used coupons to some degree. My mom has always been frugal and passed her ways onto me. When DD was younger, I suddenly had to switch daycares due to a dire situation. All the daycares near my new house cost a ton more than I had budgeted for. I found HCW, and the rest is history!Even if I won the lotto, I could never go back.

Edited to add...I am 35 years old, been married for 9 years, live in Maineville, and am the mommy to a very precocious redhead named Cecilia (Ceci for short.) I work full time outside the home as a sales consultant for 401k.

[SavinginOhio]

Hello from Dayton! My name is Suz and while I have always used coupons here and there, I just started "seriously" couponing around the first of the year.

I am couponing for several reasons. One is to stay on a budget of $300 a month for my husband and I (and our dog) - includng HBA, cleaning supplies, food, pet supplies, basically everything.

The second reason is to get as many free or nearly free things with coupons to donate to local shelters and the food bank.

Finally, I love couponing because it is so much fun! There is no better feeling than paying a ridiculously low amount at the cash register! My first trip to Walgreens I got a crazy amount of BOGO cleaning supplies (w/coupons of course) and paid $0 for it because of a prescription transfer gift card. I was hooked.

I am so glad to have found this great resource and look forward to learning from you all!

[LadyBeBop]

Hi. I'm Kathy, AKA Lady BeBop. As with most, I've couponed somewhat, but it seems as though the store brands are always cheaper than the national brands, even with coupons. (And since I'm in the Krogers forum, please allow me to give props to them. Their ads are true...Kroger store brand items are just as good as the national brands.)

I also started couponing out of necessity. Prices have gone up and salaries have remained stagnant. I thought I'd be an empty nester by now...instead, I still have both daughters living with me (20 and 21)...along with my granddaughter. DGD gets free formula...however diapers and baby food still cost a lot.


I've always been jealous of those who say they spent 39 cents for $150 worth of groceries. I've already learned to stock up on meats when they are on sale. However, I'm now learning that sale items, along with coupons, do equal up to tremendous savings. Last month, I did the Mega sale a couple of times. Both times, I bought over $60 worth of groceries (usually GG Steamers)...and walked out with change from my $20 bill. Needless to say, I'm hooked.

I love HCW. I learn so much from y'all...especially how to get free shampoo, toothpaste...and especially toilet paper.

[cecismom]

Originally Posted by LadyBeBop Hi. I'm Kathy, AKA Lady BeBop. As with most, I've couponed somewhat, but it seems as though the store brands are always cheaper than the national brands, even with coupons. (And since I'm in the Krogers forum, please allow me to give props to them. Their ads are true...Kroger store brand items are just as good as the national brands.) I also started couponing out of necessity. Prices have gone up and salaries have remained stagnant. I thought I'd be an empty nester by now...instead, I still have both daughters living with me (20 and 21)...along with my granddaughter. DGD gets free formula...however diapers and baby food still cost a lot. I've always been jealous of those who say they spent 39 cents for $150 worth of groceries. I've already learned to stock up on meats when they are on sale. However, I'm now learning that sale items, along with coupons, do equal up to tremendous savings. Last month, I did the Mega sale a couple of times. Both times, I bought over $60 worth of groceries (usually GG Steamers)...and walked out with change from my $20 bill. Needless to say, I'm hooked. I love HCW. I learn so much from y'all...especially how to get free shampoo, toothpaste...and especially toilet paper.

Stick with it! Honestly I used to buy mostly store brands. You will find as your stockpile grows, that most times you will do better with name brands/coupons combo buying at the rock bottom time of their sales cycle! Welcome!

[jmwilliams3130]

Hey all!!!!! I am Jessica. Yes, I too have always used coupons, but I never ever thought about using them in the way everyone one this site (and others) have taught me!!! It actually all started when I saw a couponer on the local news. I saw her total go down and was like are you kidding, she did that with coupons. It was like ahhhhhhhhhhhh, I opened my eyes and then I saw the light!. I wrote down the name of every website she mentioned and I believe I actually started researching before the segment was even over!!! Before I knew it I had a stack of notes I had taken from all the sites I visited and as Cecismom said,"the rest is history" Someone should have stopped me because now I am addicted, I surrender !!!! There's no stopping me now!
Thank you to everyone.
The most interesting part of my life is with out a doubt the joy of my world, Nevaeh Grace-Ann, my 17 month old DD. IMO she is the most precious girl in the whole wide world :bgirl1:

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[sweetmommy]

Hi everyone! Y'all know me as bluebonnet on a local website. I've been couponing for over a year now, and would never shop my old ways again! I think it was Cecismom who recommended HCW on the old website!

[beckymik]

Hi, I am Rebecca. I am 34 and have been married for 10 yrs this July. We have 5 kids. 1 14 yr old daughter, and 2 sets of twins. Boy/girl 9 yrs old and boy/boy that are 7!

I started seriously couponing around this time last year. I kept searching for something I could do to bring extra money into the house without working outside of the house. I like to be here for the kids when they go to school and when they come home. My husband and I were talking and he said "instead of you bringing more money in, why don't we just hold onto the money that we have"???? Smart man he is! I started researching and talking to my mom since I remember her couponing when I was a child....so here I am.
I am hooked and I love the rush of free!

[MoDo84]

Hi everyone.
My name is Monica. I've been married for 5yrs, and we have 2 little boys. We live up in the tippy top of the region in St. Marys.
We started couponing (yes, my husband helps me!) when we had our second son in 2007. He was born a little early and I had a lot of problems during my pregnancy. We knew we had to change something in order to be able to afford the hospital/doctors bills. My first big "score" was at Target when I walked out with over $600 worth of babyfood, diapers, wipes and soda for less than $90. It was amazing and I literally felt like I was on top of the world. Before coupons I can remember paying over $120 a week in groceries/HBA just for my husband and I. Now I rarely buy store brands.
Thank God for couponing and stockpiling! My husband was laid off earlier this year and because of HCW we've been able to basically live off our stockpile.

[trainingnan]

Hi I'm Nancy! I've been married for 21 years and have three kids (19, 15, 14). Between college and private high school tuition, I turned to couponing so that money didn't seem so tight all the time. I've been couponing since about November, and I can honestly say that we've cut our grocery budget by a little more than 50%. The longer I do this, the more the grocery budget shrinks! We went from about $1,000/month to just under $500. I started getting all of my info on the same local website that bluebonnet/sweetmommy, but recently I've been reading HCW much more. I was kind of overwhelmed by HCW when I first checked it out, but now I read daily. Not a big poster, but definitely a big reader!

[XUfan]

Hi Everyone! Dayton area here too. For those of you who don't know me...I'm XUfan, also known as Carol. I'm 51 years old, and have two grown kids...a 30 year old son and a 29 year old daughter. My son lives nearby and has my two beautiful grandchildren, who are 9 and 5. My daughter lives in Texas, so I spend a lot of HCW time, finding deals for her! I have been married almost 7 years to the most wonderful man in the world...and we have full custody of his 13 year old daughter.

Almost 3 years ago, the company my husband worked for, downsized and he was left without a job. We had a severence check, and I vowed to make it last 2 years, while he went to school to learn heating and air conditioning. With the help of HCW, I made it last, and he finished school. Unfortunately, the economy got worse, and people are spending money on sweaters and blankets instead of furnace repair...and are buying window fans instead of fixing their ac units. So, HCW is an even bigger part of our lives!

We've learned so much from this site, that I wouldn't know where to start.