If you’d like to share your story, I’d love to hear from you. Please email me at centsable.katherine[at]gmail.com. More details are at the end of this post.
Frugal living hasn’t always been a way of life for my husband and me. We’ve always watched what we were spending to a point; however, I was working outside the home and used that money for groceries and other items when we were first married. Now we have a set grocery budget each month and do our best to stick to it! Some months are more difficult than others, but keeping within our budget has become a challenge for me, and I love a challenge. Since I started couponing, I actually have started coming in under budget most months. We put aside the extra money to buy other fun stuff or we save the money for a trip!
In May 2007, our first child was born and that meant I was no longer working outside the home. Since we only had one income, we had to take a closer look at our expenses. That’s when we began a monthly food budget. It was a change! Not only was our budgeted amount much lower than what we were spending before but it also included diapers and other baby necessities!
Over the next year and a half I had to be creative, but thankfully we had a store with low prices on fresh produce, dairy, and canned foods. I always thought generics were cheaper and didn’t think I would ever end up buying the items for which I had coupons. Boy, was I wrong!
In February 2009, I was searching for ideas to stretch my dollar. Our second child was born in January so now I had two children in diapers and the same grocery budget. I came across a money saving blog and learned the ropes of couponing. A few months later, we moved to the Denver area and I began subscribing to the Sunday Denver Post. Now I get coupons every week, and I love it. In addition to clipping coupons, other methods I use for saving money are using generics, buying only what we need, and shopping clearance, garage sales, or second hand stores.
I started DenverMetroMoms in hope that I can reach out to the Denver area and other areas and help families save money. I know times are hard for a lot of people and that every penny makes a difference. My goal with DenverMetroMoms is to teach people how to live comfortably and have fun saving money. My husband and I have vowed to be debt free and would love to help others do the same. Bargain shopping and clipping coupons takes me a little extra time before I head to the grocery store, but it’s definitely worth it. By using the shopping lists available you should be able to save up to 50% or more on your monthly grocery bill as I have.
Other methods I use for saving money are using generics, buying only what we need and shopping clearance, garage sales or second hand stores.
What would you do if you had extra cash and less stress about money? Take a look at DenverMetroMoms today!
Each week I feature a different shopper’s story. Centsable Savings Stories are the stories of people just like you who are working toward reducing their budgets, bargain hunting, living a more frugal lifestyle and constantly learning along the way. If you are interested in sharing your family’s successes and struggles, please contact me at centsable.katherine[at]gmail [dot]com. Bloggers and non-bloggers are both welcome to participate. Click here to read the stories of shoppers featured in the past.
