Question #1: Can You Really Save Any Money With Coupons? (Part 2)

Of course not everything is free when you coupon, but below is a picture of the items I got in July for between one cent and $1.00.  These items have an individual retail cost anywhere from $1.06 to $8.99, with a combined retail value of $1,006!  I paid $185 for it all, which is 81% off (or 86% when factoring in the additional $323 of free items from yesterday's post). 

My collection of stuff I got for $1 or less in July!

You may assume I blew my grocery budget as a result of these purchases.  Actually, I came in under budget this month, thanks to the couponing I did in June.  (Please note that unlike on the Extreme Couponing show, I did not get all of these items in one shopping trip, nor did I empty any shelves.  This collection represents shopping trips throughout the month at various stores).

To sum it up, I spent $185 and stockpiled $1,329 worth of free and cheap items in July.  So are you ready to start some serious couponing?

My Cheap Deal of the Day:  Two Head & Shoulders Shampoo (14oz) at Walgreens for .01 cents total!  If you look closely enough in the picture you'll see 8 of them in there!

Question #1: Can You Really Save Any Money With Coupons? (Part 1)

When people find out I coupon they often ask many questions, including, "Can you really save any money with coupons?"  Below is a picture of the items I was able to get for free this month.  FREE!  The items have an individual retail cost anywhere from .89 cents to $12.99, with a combined retail value of $323.

My collection of stuff I got for FREE in July!

Now, I cannot say that I saved $323 last month, because of course I would not normally buy these quantities all at once.  I can say, however, that I have already seen my grocery expenses go down based on my couponing, and I expect it will remain lower than normal during the upcoming months when I don't have to buy items already in my stockpile.

Clearly, a large collection of personal care items, office supplies and candy is not going to sustain my family, but keep in mind that this is just the free stuff.  Tomorrow I will post about the items I've gotten for $1 or less.

Welcome To Coupon Madness!

I have recently starting couponing again after a 10 year hiatus.  I blame my husband because he is the one who got me hooked on the show Extreme Couponing on TLC and caused me to develop Coupon Madness once again. 

Why did I stop couponing?  I didn't think I had time to do it while working and raising a family.  Well, I am still working and raising a family, but have now figured out how to fit couponing back in and still balance everything.  I'm enjoying the madness all over again!!

I had the website, www.CouponMadness.com up and running back in the day, but it, too, has been on hiatus.  At this point I am resurrecting my site as a blog with information on how you, too, can fit couponing into your busy life and benefit from it greatly.