The Method behind my Madness

In 2011 I vowed to be better at where our money was going.  There were several areas where I could assist in saving our family money.  I also needed a project.  Don't get me wrong I adore staying at home and caring for my family.  But it also can drive me insane too.  I needed something other than my to-do list of childcare and cleaning and cooking.

 I saw an episode of extreme couponing and was hooked!  Now this is something I could really get into.  I began couponing in January and love every minute of it.  I enjoy seeing all the things I can purchase for very little money.  It takes time and it takes a game plan.  I will also say it needs to be something you WANT to do. 

As far as finances go we could have afforded to keep doing what we had always done.  But....why pay more money on things you HAVE  to have, when it keeps you from spending money on things you WANT to have?  Now that mentality really appealed to me.  My Ma always told me I had champagne taste on a beer budget.  Now I think beer smells like pee and the top of a champagne bottle scares the snot out of me.  Those suckers fly off at warp speeds!!!  I do get what she is saying however.  I like nice things; I can't always afford nice things.  I CAN afford nice things if I shave money off of the things that we HAVE to have.  Let me break this down for you. 

Spending less on hamburger helper leaves more money available for that dress you've been eyeballing in the JC Penney catalog.  Don't tell me I'm the only one out there who thinks like this. 

My husband likes it when I shave my legs in the winter time...even though I think it's silly.  That means I have to buy razors.  Good razors.  Not the pretty pink kind with one blade.  Those go dull on me before I get halfway up my leg.  With a little time I can get a GREAT razor (the kind with 4 blades and flowers imprinted on them) for less then what I would spend on a razor that barely shaves a portion of my leg.  Listen ladies I ain't skinny and I have a lot of ground to cover.  I neeeed a good razor.  Stores are smart they will almost always run a sale on an item that has a coupon running in your Sunday paper.  It's your job to sniff it out.  Pretend you’re a private detective.  You'll be so good at finding deals you can afford to shave your legs twice a month instead of once.  I currently have 7 different packs of 4 blade razors in my closet.  All purchased for less then a dollar a pack.  SCORE! 

My leg is not that sexy.  Sorry to dissapoint.

I get the best deals at Kroger.  They double coupons every single day of the week and they are wonderful at running sales for things you already have coupons for.  Walgreens and CVS rock when it comes to health and beauty items.  Keep your eyes and ears open Ingles will occasionally triple coupons.  The last time Ingles ran a triple coupon event my original bill was over 300 dollars and I paid around 40 bucks.  Hello pretty JC Penney dress!!!! You’re all mine now baby!

I really enjoy stockpiling.  It has nothing to do with the world coming to an end and living the rest of my days in a make shift cellar.  It's convienient.  I would much rather buy 10 of something when it's at it's rock bottom price.  That way when I need it I have it.  This means I don't have to put shoes on the boys, find coats, wipe snot from their faces, beg them to be good, drag them into the store, use one of those wretched straight from the pits of hell carts that have the car on the front of them,  and dodge the candy isle like its the plague.  I simply pull it out of my pantry.  I like simple.

I HATE these.  Welcome to motherhood, here is a shopping cart from hell as a welcome prize.

Another way I'm cutting cost around here is making my own laundry detergent.  It is safe to say I was very skeptical about this.  I like gain.  No... I love gain.  I still love gain.  I will always love gain.  On my tombstone it will say "She loved...Gain." I thought I would try out the homemade kind.  The ingredients to make it were dirt cheap and had 100 other purposes.  If I hated the homemade laundry detergent I could give it away and use the remainder of the ingredients for other purposes.  Then I could go back to my first love.  Gain.  I've been using the homemade version for a week now and I like it.  I wish it smelled like gain but I just use gain fabric softener and all is well.  My whites are still white.  My stains still come out.  My blights are still bright.  My clothes are clean and that makes this Mamma very happy.  I have 2 little boys.  They do number 2 often.  They don't always wipe the best.  Their underwear always comes out of the washing machine clean.  That is all it takes for me to be happy with the homemade version.  Here is a link for more resources on this subject.  I use recipe number 4. 

The cast of characters in my version of homemade laundry detergent.

Using Gain I spend almost 20 cents a load.  Using homemade I spend 2 cents a load.  I do many many loads of clothes almost every day.  I can now purchase the shoes to match my jc penney dress.  Hallelujah!  I'd speak in tongues if I weren't a diehard Baptist.  Shoes excite me.  So do purses. 

This picture made me laugh.  Maybe you are interested in saving up for a boob job instead of a dress I'm not here to judge what you are saving for.   Just here to help folks. 

I have been told that you can throw away all your household cleaners and use vinegar and peroxide.  I'm not sold on that.  I think vinegar smells like...well...uhm...it smells like vinegar.  Yuck.  I like the way Mr. Clean with febreeze smells better...and I typically always have a coupon for it so it's cheap anyway.  Google it!  Google is a genius.  I love Google and Gain.  Last time I looked vinegar serves over 200 purposes.  Unfortunatly it still smells like vinegar. 

You smell.

There is always something I can do to save us money.  Like I said it may take time, and you may need a get a game plan but you can do it!  Feel free to ask me any questions and I am more then happy to give you a baggy of homemade laundry detergent to see if you like it.  Now, I need to go I got a new JC Penney catalog in the mail today.  I have some shopping to do ;)