Couponing!

This last year I have started to dip my toes into the waters of couponing. For those of you who have not heard of this, there is a TV show called "Extreme Couponing" and in this show they feature real, everyday people, who save HUNDREDS of dollars by couponing! It is almost an art form! You combine coupons with sales and store policies to achieve great savings and your ultimate success is when you manage to find deals that make your items free! In this last year, with the exception of a few months when I was really sick from being pregnant, I have saved tons of money each month! You can buy coupons from people that gather them up, or you can collect them up yourself, and watch the savings start to roll in. I have several large storage tubs in our garage filled with nothing but things I got for free by couponing! My husband has not had to buy deodorant or body wash all this last year!! Bathroom and Beauty products are the most common freebies but we also have over $50 worth of pasta in food storage that was absolutely free! :) There are a few great websites that help you to get started with this, my favorites are www.grocerysmarts.com and www.capriservices.blogspot.com both are wonderfully helpful! I see this as a sort of game to see just how much I can bring down my total by using coupons! :)