Addicted

Back in February/March, I read a couple of blogs that went on and on about this blog called Southern Savers. I looked around the site a little bit at the time, but didn't want to dive in and become a "couponer". Come April, however, I really started to give this thing a go - in fact, I blogged about it here.

Fast forward three months and now I am a complete and total addict. Seriously. I started with CVS and now do Publix and Kroger too. I love, love, love the way Jenny at Southern Savers sets up the grocery lists every week - I have no idea how she has the time to do it all - I hope she is making a lot of money!

Over the last 3 months, I have shaved $25-$50 off our weekly grocery bill (that's $100-$200/month!). Don't worry, we still eat out a lot...couponing hasn't turned me into a cook! It isn't something I "have" to do, but I've found that I really do enjoy it!

True, it takes a lot of time (especially in the beginning), but I love finding new deals every day! Yes, I buy stuff that I wouldn't normally buy, but my rule is I usually only buy it if it is under $1 (and most of that is free!). Hey, if they want to give it to me free, I won't deny it! For everything I know we won't use, I have a big box of stuff to donate. We have also really enjoyed trying new foods and products all the time. It seemed like we had been in a nine year rut and all of a sudden, you never know what you are going to find in the pantry!

To give you an idea of how well you can do, here are a few of my recent CVS trips. I do the best at CVS, but I usually save about 40-60% at Publix & Kroger.

I got all of this for $10.37 (it would have been less, but two unnamed kids were pulling candy off the racks and I couldn't get to my last transaction). Note that this includes a package of diapers! Last week, I spent $4.51 on all this (includes 4 12-packs of coke!). I would have spent that much on the batteries alone 6 months ago!

If you all know of any other great sites out there, let me know!