Saving Money

Let me start by saying, I've always been pretty cheap. My parents did a great job of teaching me early on the value of a dollar and how to keep myself out of debt. I worked most of my highschool and college years. When I was 19, I married my wonderful husband and this was an area of strength for him as well (don't get me wrong, he and I both have our weaknesses). We were both working and we lived off his salary and put all of mine into savings. It's a good thing, because by the time our first child was 2 months old and I was a stay-at-home mom, Cory lost his job and we lived off of savings for almost 6 months.

So, we started out being a pretty frugal couple. I thought I couldn't get more frugal. Boy was I wrong. Finances have always been a point of reliance on God for us. These last few months were no different. I was working a very part time job for the last 2 years where I could take my kids with me. It wasn't a lot of money but definitely something we depended on. Well, in September, I was let go. We had already started our remodel project and there was no turning back. So, now we had to figure out where to scrape the budget again.

I was inspired by a friend of mine, Abby, to start getting the Sunday paper and clip coupons and watch the ads. Well, I have tried coupons in the past and did not do a very good job at them but I was willing to give it a shot again. Then, another friend, Jessica, helped me take it to a new level. I especially have found some of my best savings at CVS (I was very surprised). The best way to get started at this is at http://www.moneysavingmom.com/. She gives you a shopping list and easy to understand direction on how to get started.

Well, I am proud to say that our grocery bill for a family of 6 is now close to $50/week. This has been an adjustment to our shopping and eating and we have cut back to bare bones, but I am so excited to see how God will continue to provide for us as we take steps to be better stewards of what he has given us. I am now a little addicted to the coupons and take them with me everywhere I go, just in case. I also consider using coupons and shopping the ads is my financial contribution to our home. It is so fun to walk out of Publix and spend $50 but save $65! I look forward to learning more in this area.
When you have 4 kids and 1 income, saving money is a way of life.

How have you learned to save money?