Want to make a dent in your financial situation?

"Many of us are feeling the squeeze at the supermarket these days. The official USDA cost of food has risen to $600 a month for a family of 4 on the "Thrifty Plan"!

I read the previous statement on another website and thought, "this is crazy, how high are food prices going to go? And how are my husband and I going to be able to afford to feed our family of 5 with our budget?"

Does this sound familiar? You need to start using coupons!

Using coupons will help you reduce your grocery bill. It won’t solve all of your financial problems, but it may give you some breathing room so you can make a dent in your debt or help you start to save for "a rainy day". Want to know more? In the following weeks and months, I will post definitions, rules, resources, and tips on how to use coupons to get the most for your money. Plus good deal alerts that I and others have found. Come join me and we'll see how much we can save together.

How did I start using coupons?
My husband and I needed to cut down on our grocery bills in order to save towards items that we needed for our home, and also have a desire to be good stewards of the money that God has blessed us with, and to bless others who are struggling in this economy. My new favorite Scripture is found in The Open Bible, New Living Translation, Romans 12:12-13, "Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night." Many people are struggling right now, and we feel convicted to help.

We didn't know what to do in order to save money, so at first we just cut our budget down by $20 a month and lived on bologna sandwiches and chili, with vegetables thrown in once a day or so. We cut almost all meat out of our diet in an effort to save. My poor husband is a meat-and- potatoes type of man, and frankly, he was starving. One day I stumbled across a news story about 2 women who were having "coupon parties" and teaching people how to use coupons to save money. These women were saving thousands of dollars a year using coupons and I was determined to learn how. After doing a lot of research and joining a forum full of what I refer to as "coupon divas", I began to learn and save. My very first trip using coupons, I purchased $124 worth of groceries and household supplies for $19. Yes, I said nineteen dollars! I was instantly hooked. My first goal was to save $50 a month on groceries and I have far surpassed that now. It can be done, and I am proof of that.

If you have any questions you can email me at couponsavvymom@yahoo.com. If you want to know more, you're gonna have to read my posts in the coming days.