Things I cant believe I ever paid for...

No I'm not a shoplifter these days. As you know, Mike and I are in super saving, don't spend any money mode. It won't always be this extreme, we fully plan on still living frugally after we buy another house, but our goal is to have enough money to have 6 months of Mike's salary in savings in addition to a healthy down payment on our next home we plan to purchase in January. The only way that we can accomplish this is to be extremely budget conscious and  well, even cheaper and bigger tight wads than we normally are. I'm not saying everyday is a great budget day, but most days are. We have dramatically reduced our monthly bills. But really the biggest difference is cutting back on the unnecessary things we thought were necessary. Second, is our grocery budget. I went from spending about $600 a month on just food groceries, and about $200 on other necessities, like toiletries, paper towels, cleaning supplies etc. Now I spend on average $400 for both. That includes my Costco trips. And stocking up on several things whereas before I only bought enough for the month. Thank you couponing. I know, I said I'd never do a single post on it, and now I'm on like my third or fourth one. Sorry.  So my list of things I can't believe I used to pay for... or pay more than $1 for.

#1- Toothpaste. - I am a loyal Arm and Hammer toothpaste customer. I watched the sales, and found coupons, and came out with 14 tubes of my favorite toothpaste, and Publix owed me money. I don't think I have to buy toothpaste until next year.

#2- body wash - Not so loyal here. I do only like the sensitive skin stuff, I bough several bottles of Dial body wash at Publix today and made $.09 for every 2 I got. In addition to the kids natural johnsons and johnsons that I stocked up on at target when I paid $.25 for the other week, we won't be smelly anytime soon.

#3- hair spray. - I am addicted to and will only use Aussie non aerosol hairspray. I used to seriously spend $20 bucks a month just on hairspray. {I have a lot of hair and I like hairspray, don't you judge me} However, I watched the sales, and you can ALWAYS find coupons for Aussie hair products, and SEVERAL bottles of those for $.35 cents each.

#4- Mikes hair gel. Mike only likes one brand of hair gel, and its normally only like $2.89 for a huge bottle of it, but Target had a coupon for it online for $1 off and I had several manufacturer coupons from Sunday papers for $1 off, and then Target put it on sale for an extra 30 cents off. (It may not sound like a lot, But it adds up fast) So I ended up paying $59 cents for mike's favorite hair gel. Which I would have had to buy anyways!

#5- Contact solution. This used to cost me an arm and a leg! Not anymore. You just have to put a bit of time and effort and research into what the best deal is. And you can't really be brand loyal.

#6- Lotion. There are always coupons for it. And it's always on sale.

#7-Razors. - It's almost always cheaper to buy a full set of new razors than it is to buy a refill package. Finding out about this little secret has saved me TONS of money.

#8-Laundry detergent. I can't tell you how easy it is to find laundry detergent for $1 or free. My favorites are Gain, Tide, All, and Woolite. Go get coupons and for the love of Pete stop paying for Laundry soap. Don't you want to spend that money on something you really want?

#9- Hair dye.

#10- Zip lock bags, garbage bags, saran wrap and aluminum foil. They give this stuff away! As long as you know watch the sales and clip the coupons.

#11- Dish washer soap.

#12- All purpose cleaner. I only use J.R Watkins. I couldn't find any coupons so I e mailed them and they mailed me vouchers and coupons.

Okay, So I know I'm a hypocrite, Saying I'd never coupon and now LOVING it. But I don't care. I save a lot of money on the things I was already buying, and all that money is going to a bigger goal! Do I HAVE to coupon? No, I could comfortably live within my means without doing it. Will I ever pay full price for any of these things ever again? Heck to the no, Not even if I were a millionaire. And if you're saying to yourself, I don't have time for it, Neither do I. I MAKE time for it. And if you're wondering if I drag all 3 of my kids with me through a store while "couponing", Yes, I do. And it's a pain in the butt. But it sure is worth saving $100 bucks. And No, I do not go to every store in town. I ONLY go to Publix and Target. If I can do it, You can do it. Stop wasting money.