They arrive stuffed in my mailbox on an almost daily basis. One coupon offers me a buy-one-get-one-free rack of ribs entree at the local BBQ place. Another one offers me 15% off a “revolutionary” new fat burning supplement (which I’ll need if I take advantage of the free rack of ribs coupon). There is even a coupon for 50% off housekeeping service (which I’ll also need to help me remove all the bags of coupon clutter from my house).

They are everywhere. These little gems that help us keep more money in our wallet, or save for that special trip to the Caribbean. However, once upon a time, even the pull of the Caribbean couldn’t get me to use coupons. I was embarrassed to use them. Even the ones you shell out $50 for, like the Entertainment book. I would always find the coupon but then get my husband to do the actual transaction, so I didn’t have to.

I was a closet Couponista.

Fortunately, I am no longer like this. Now, I proudly embrace my inner Couponista and I have gotten some really great deals because of it (we recently bought a $350 car seat for $170 after coupon stacking and it was easy peasy)! So, now I wonder why I was so stupid for so many years. Manufacturers print those coupons for a reason! They want you to buy their stuff! What’s not cool about getting a deal? That’s just savvy, right? And what’s not cool about savvy? When did “frugal” become another bad “F” word? Many couponistas and frugalists are looked down upon: “Coupons?! Recycling?! Discount designer store? How mortifying!” I know this attitude well…because I had this attitude once! I went to a highschool and university where if the tag sticking up from the back of your designer clothing had the tell-tale slash of the outlet mall, you might as well drop out and homeschool.

A couple years before I had kids, when I was working full-time and earning a great salary I recognized the error of my ways. Now with two kids, and being a SAHM, I embrace my inner frugalist even more. I think it’s important to teach my children the value of being smart with money. Of course, for the Frugalist and the Couponista it can be a slippery slope between getting a great deal on something you need or want, and getting a great deal on something you don’t really want but, “Hey it’s such a great deal, I can’t pass it up.” The recovering shopaholic in me must make a conscious effort to steer clear of that trap! Especially when it comes to cute shoes.

Mmmmmmm, cuuuuuute shooooooooes…

For those of you who are Closet Couponistas, like I once was, online shopping with a coupon is a great way to be gentle with yourself while still getting that great discount. Now, whenever I am looking to make a purchase online I google a coupon code before I push that checkout button. I almost always find one for the major stores. I am often able to save an additional 15-30% and/or get free shipping. I also sometimes shop online through the cash-back sites. Ebates and Fat Wallet are a couple of very popular cash back sites.

So there you have it! Next, I’ll share how to get over the embarrassment of buying toilet paper. Either that, or just show you where to score the motherlode of Kleenex coupons. Boy, I used to have some issues! Like I don’t poop! Thank God I’m out of my insecure twenties and so “normal” now. Okay, well, at least the thing about my twenties is true.

Some days I want to just throw my hands up and send everyone out naked. Laundry sucks. When I was working outside the home, my husband was The Laundry Fairy. Now that I am a SAHM the tide has turned. Gone are the days when I could put my dirty clothes in the hamper and they would mysteriously reappear nice and clean. Oh, how I hate laundry. Nevertheless, I have resigned myself to the fact that I am now The Laundry Fairy of our house. I suppose being the Laundry Fairy, has it’s advantages. I now know some secrets about laundry. Brace yourself for the exciting money-saving revelations about to come your way.

1) Wash the laundry in cold water.

2) Cut dryer sheets in half.

3) Wear jeans more than once before washing (this one I write with much reluctance as I have a thing about washing things immediately, which is evident by my never-ending laundry mountain).

4) Use less detergent.

5) Line dry your Laundry. By line drying you save money on electricity, which is frugal and green. You also save wear and tear on your clothes. The dryer actually beats fibers out of your clothing, causing them to wear out sooner. That’s where all that dryer lint comes from! Dryer lint is the kryptonite of The Laundry Fairy.

Which brings us to…

6) Keep your dryer lint free!!! A full lint trap doesn’t allow the moist air to escape properly, which slows down the drying cycle and uses more energy. While you’re at it, check your belly button too.

Okay, so maybe these aren’t really earthshatteringjumpupandkissme secrets…this is laundry we’re talking about, after all. Sheesh!

Early last month I wrote about a goal I had set for myself to keep to our food budget in February (preferably coming under budget). For the past few months we had been running WAY over budget in the grocery category. We track all our expenses and so we are able to easily see where we are at any given day in the budget. I’m a bit of a data freak (and by ‘data freak I mean ‘control freak’). Anyways, it’s kind of a fun game for me and it also helps keep our spending in check. So, last night we looked at the expense sheet and…(insert drumroll)…I did it! We have budgeted $400 per month in groceries (not including diapers) and our spending in that category reached only $302.87. That’s $97.13 under budget! Yay! Of course, it’s a bit of a cheat because February is a short month and we also had Dr. CutiePant’s father visiting for about 4 days of that, during which time he treats us to dinners and lunches and I never have to cook. Regardless, I do think we still would have come in a little under budget. Goes to show that I have to start paying better attention to the numbers throughout the month and not just at the end of the month.

I started doing this a little over a year ago. I got the idea after staying at a vacation rental in Lake Arrowhead where the owners had done this. Very smart because the sponge is being changed every time the rental cottage changes over. I really liked the idea because I’m germ-phobic, so I like to throw away my sponges very often. Yes, I know you can microwave them but that still grosses me out. By cutting them in half, I can change my sponges often and do not have to increase my sponge budget (no I don’t have a dedicated sponge budget). Your dishes and your wallet will thank you. Your sponge, however, will want you dead.

I recently discovered Groupon.com, which is a site featuring deep discounts on fun things to do, good restaurants, and services in different cities. The discounts are generally quite huge (recent deals have included, $49 for 6 Pilates Reformer classes (reg $180), $50 for a photo shoot with a professional photographer (reg $500), or for those of us who want to go bare we can buy 3 laser hair removal sessions for $149, original value of $465!). How can they offer such deep discounts? “Collective Buying Power”, hence Groupon. Geddit?

If you like the day’s deal, just click on the “Buy” button! All offers end at midnight unless a limited number are available. If enough people sign up to buy the Groupon, the deal is on! If not enough people want in on the bargain, no one gets it – but no one is charged. Sometimes you’ll see a side offer available. Sporting events and theatre tickets might be featured as side offers.

Check it out. Sign up and get some great deals!

Some good resources for budget planning are:

Ideas from $5 Dinner Mom on how to make $5 dinners at $5Dinners.com.
Learn coupon advice and tips at A Full Cup. They make couponing a sport!
To compare advertised deals in one spot to maximize savings before you go out visit My Grocery Deals.
Looking for online printable coupons? Visit Coupons.com. They have a new batch every week.

I’m curious how much everyone else spends on groceries per month. Send me your stats!

Enter here at $5 Dinners.com. Good luck!

I went to San Diego Jewelry Buyers and they were really nice and professional. The owner is Carl Blackburn and he seemed very honest and the business is reputable. Check them out here:

San Diego Jewelry Buyers

Extra cash goes into savings!

I’ll blog more about my good finds, but I just found this one site yesterday called Mommy Savers. It’s got lots of coupons right there without having to search, so it’s really quick, as well as some Freebies, like coloring books, Aveda stuff, etc..

If you want to save money, go to Mommy Savers!