Saving Moola

Daddy C and I try to save money whenever we can. One of the ways I save money is shopping with coupons and taking advantage of store loyalty programs. I heart CVS. It's where all my fabulous deals happen. I go there weekly and rarely spend more than 2 or 3 bucks. Today, I managed to come out like a bandit once again and spent 24 cents. I bought a big bottle of men's body wash- it was on sale for $4 and I got $4 back in a store coupon to use next week. I paid with my coupons earned last week, so I only had to pay tax. Happy me!

I also save money shopping at thrift stores like Goodwill. Growing up, I didn't have much money, so I used to do most of my back-to-school shopping there. People thought I was crazy, but where else could you get a new-to-you wardrobe for under $50?! Today, I hit up our local Goodwill (which isn't nearly as nice as our old Goodwill) and managed to snag a few items- a nice work shirt for Daddy C and an elastic waistband, knee-length summer skirt for myself. All for under 5 bucks! You would be amazed at the things you can find at Goodwill. Once, Daddy C and I found 3 brand-new Banana Republic dress shirts with the tags still on them. They were regularly priced at over $100 each but we bought them for a dollar!

My final adventure of the day included making a price book. I've never seriously price-booked at my grocery stores before, so it's really interesting to see the differences. I made a list of all the common items we buy (rice, beans, canned and frozen veggies, pastas, flour, yeast etc...) and wrote down their prices at each grocery store (Kroger, Wal-mart, Whole Foods). I was shocked to discover how much bread flour was at Kroger compared to Wal-mart and how drastically the same brand of baking soda differed at each one. I've seen Arm & Hammer baking soda priced as low as 47 cents and as high as a dollar. You might not think those little price differences matter much, but little things add up!

Why the focus on saving money everywhere we can? Well, Daddy C and I took out some student loans like most average Joes, and now we have to pay them back. We're trying to do it quickly so we can save for a down-payment on a house. Dave Ramsey is our financial guru of choice, and if you've ever heard of him, you probably know how much he hates debt. So we hate debt too. And getting rid of it is priority. That's why every penny counts! Plus. I consider it good stewardship to make the most of what you have.