A Lovely Life, for Less

A few months ago my best friend changed my life when she sent a link to the blog MoneySavingMom. Prior to reading that blog, I had always followed the conventional couponing wisdom: only use coupons on items you were going to buy or had wanted to try. But now I know this advice is sooooo 2005!

Until I became my own type of Money Saving Mom, I never realized all of the products you could get for free. Since employing some of the strategies I have shaved 1/3 off my grocery bill and have not paid for toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, shampoo, conditioner, feminine products… plus MANY other items… in months. In fact, not only have I not had to pay for them but I have them by the dozens in my makeshift pantry downstairs.

Now that we are on one salary, every little bit counts. Truth be told, my husband and I haven’t yet sat down and discussed how much should be budgeted in each area of our lives. We haven’t had time since Noodle arrived since we’ve been so focused on keeping her healthy (I will reveal some of the details on what we face with her, just not in this post). 🙂 Until we can come up with a concrete budget, I know that saving money every place I can is the best plan. And now I have a way to do that!

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in all the loot you can score for free. In my opinion, taking part in “couponing” this way gives you an extra responsibility to share. You’ll find MANY couponers sharing their strategies, match-ups, and advice. It’s what we do! But another, very important way to share is to pay forward some of the spoils of your riches. Each time I get a toothpaste for free I know it will likely go to a homeless shelter. Free dog food coupons turn into free dog food for animal shelters. And all those back-to-school freebies mean that I have a sweet pile to donate to a local school!

In a nutshell, that’s my philosophy on couponing. In terms of how I will share it on my blog, I am still trying to mesh that out. For right now, I think I will:

::: share my favorite websites and pass along links to weekly match-ups
::: if a great deal comes along that I think my readers would like then I’ll post it ::: write about tips and strategies that help me keep it all organized
::: each week I’ll post photos and details about any good shopping trips– hopefully you’ll be encouraged to do the same!
::: periodically organize Donation Days to remind us to gather up some of our loot and share it!

If you get any hot tips about great deals, be sure to email me! Couponing both for myself and to give away is just one of the ways we can turn lemons into some super-sweet lemonade! {{and big hugs to my BFF for getting me set on this path! I love ya!}}

In what ways do you live lovely, for less? Do you coupon, or save in other ways? If you are new to couponing, do you have any questions? Spill it below in the comments!