Frugal Living Challenge

Just found this wonderful challenge on another blog!! Check it out!

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I consider myself, my husband, and my children to be fairly frugal people, and sometimes I admit we take it too far; for example, our couch has a hole in it and we still refuse to buy a new one, I used my old running shoes until the soles were bare, and our truck has 140,000+ miles on it but he still runs like a charm.

In no way am I recommending this to others. Nor am I saying that you have to live with holes in your furniture! However, I will suggest that there are many other ways to scale back spending and live a more frugal lifestyle.

Join me in a 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge!
Why attempt a frugal living challenge?

1. First, because living frugally allows for you to spend less than you earn. And the benefits from this are endless. You can use the difference to: get caught up on late payments, pay off debt, save, and potentially invest.
2. Second, because the less you spend, the less is required for you to earn. The benefits of this one mean: you and/or your spouse have the potential to work less, you obtain freedom from a wage, you may have the opportunity to pursue your true passions, and you may be able to retire early.

Frugal living is not suppressive! Quite the opposite, it means breaking free of the chains that bind us to unfulfilled lives.
It means spending more time with the people that mean the most. It’s having conversations, reading for leisure, growing in knowledge, enjoying nature, doing things that you think are fun, exercising, being a slave to no one, and focusing on what truly is important. The good life is waiting!
So…together let’s see how many people we can get to commit to living frugally for 23 days!
We could change the tide of society! Or, at least encourage each other along the journey. Obviously, there is a broad array of things that could happen!
The Ground Rules:
You are not committing to the implementation of all 23 ideas for living frugally. I should admit that I do most, but not all, of the tips that will be recommended and discussed. My commitment to you is to be honest with you as we move along.
I ask no more from you that I ask of myself.
Simply commit to the process and to openness.
Be willing to change, take baby steps, or jump on the path of frugality for the first time! Where ever you are on the journey, don’t be afraid to join in. We will challenge ourselves to:

• Redefine “enough”
• Learn how to use a 30-day list
• Stop the impulse buys
• Grow a garden
• Cook ahead
• And much more…

Let’s do this!

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Anybody want to join me?!?!   Its a great way to start a new year!

Recent Coupon Runs!!!

Just wanna post some recent deals!!!!

I made 3 grocery trips today - Hen House, HyVee and Price Chopper. By the last store I had had it....and I messed up a deal too! UGH! Oh and I hit CVS, too.

Anywhoooooo..... here is my first share: Hen House
Gotta love that they double coupons up to $1.00!!!

My items:
3 Life Cereals
4 Jello Tempations
2 Roberts Sour Cream
2 Roberts Cottage Cheese
3 Kraft Shredded Cheese
1 Kraft Chunk Cheese
Celery
Texas Toast Croutons
2 Taco Bell Seasonings
2 Taco Bell Salsas
2 Taco Bell Taco Shells
2 Power Bars

Grand Total: $29.57
Saved: $40.08 = 60%


Highlights:
Jello Temptations - $2.39 originally. Used $1 clipless HH coupon, $1 manufacturer coupon = .39 each!!
Cheap Celery - .99
Texas Toast Croutons - $1.00 originally. Used .50 manufacturer coupon doubled = free!
Robert's Sour Cream - $1.50 originally. Used .30 manu coupon doubled = .90

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Next share: HyVee
Items:
2 Dole Salads
2 Dr. Pepper 6pk
Bread
Wheat Things
Coffeemate
2 V8 Splash
Bird's Eye Frozen Fruit
2 State Fair Corn Dogs
Wholly Guacamole
2 Hershey Drops
2 Oreos
1 Farmland Deli Meat
1 Uncle Ben's Rice
4 Power Bars

Total: $38.68 (good but not amazing)

Highlights:
Dr. Pepper 1.99
State Fair Corn Dogs - 2.50 originally, used $1 manu coupon = $1.50
Dole Salad - $1 originally, used $1 off 2 manu coupon= .50 each
Oreo - 2.49, used $1 manu coupon = $1.49


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The last share has no photos. We were in a huge hurry to get all the items scanned and put away and then run to soccer practice. (which was then canceled as soon as we showed up due to a downpour!!!)

Price Chopper
I bought 44 items.
Spent $88.58.
Saved $59.71 = 67%
This included $22 in meat!!!


Highlights:
Homestyle Mac N Cheese - $1.49 originally, used $1 manu coupon = .49
Yoplait - .39 originally, used two .40/6 coupons & bought 12 = .32 each
Yoplait Kids Packs - $2 originally, used two .75/2 coupons = 1.50 each
Palmeros Pizza = $2 originally, used 2 BOGO coupons = $1 each
Propel 6pk - $2 orignally, used $1 coupon = $1


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I used to try to write out all my lists and coupon match ups on a small paper. It didn't work so well because I would always change things and scribble stuff out and make a general mess of it. So this week I developed my own little template and typed it all up! I still marked all over them but it kept me organized and I knew if my total was correct at check out or not!!! This is what it looked like when I got home!!!Oh, I also got paid to buy toothpaste at CVS! Gotta love it!
What deals did you get this week????

Couponing!

Now that I finally have some local friends that have joined me in couponing, I feel "safe" to share my crazy shopping trips! Even a year ago, I thought most people would think I was crazy for the time and effort I put into saving and couponing. But with the new show "Extreme Couponing" and a local woman who runs a rockin' deals blog, many of my friends have jumped on board! Yippee!!! Now, if you have seen the TLC show you will likely think those families are a bit, well, EXTREME. And yes, I totally agree! I don't have a stockpile in every room of my house, I don't have 3 yrs worth of mustard or spend 3 hours in the check out lane. I do my best to get deals that we will actually use in the near future.

So, here are 3 trips I made yesterday!

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TRIP #1: Hen House Supermarket
2 artichokes
2 Kraft Mayo/Miracle Whip
3 boxes of Puffs
1 box of brownies
3 containers of Philadelphia Cooking Creme
8 bags of shredded cheese

TOTAL: $21.01
SAVED: $39.46

This store doubles coupons up to $1.00, they had a special deal where you buy 10 Kraft items, you save $5, they have their own coupon book not found in the newspapers or online.

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TRIP #2: Walgreens

2 Skittle Easter Eggs
2 M&M Easter Eggs
1 Enfamil Formula
1 Gatorade Fit Perform
1 Gatorade Fit Prime
1 Gatorade Fit Recover

FIRST TOTAL: $26.08
$10 in Mail in Rebates
NEW TOTAL: $16.08

I was disappointed in this run. I have enough coupons to get 2 formulas but they only had one container left. So I had to get a raincheck. Also, this store has its own coupons - one specifically for infants. It had another $2 off the formula but this store was out of the coupon booklets. Finally, the formula was on sale but rang up full price and I wasn't paying close enough attention to notice until I got home. Live and learn. I should have saved another $4.

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TRIP #3: WalMart
2 Powerade Zero
2 Similac Sensitive
1 Aquafresh toothpaste
1 Reach floss

TOTAL: $2.56

I accidentally grabbed the wrong floss and spent $1.08 more than the cheaper version. My total could have been even less! Walmart has a new coupon policy where they give you any overage from your coupons!!!

What do you think? Have I convinced anyone to try couponing?! :)