Not so extreme couponing

Coupons and saving money seem to be really hip right now.  There's a tv show on TLC about it.  And there are countless websites and blogs about it.  I grew up watching my mom clip coupons from the Sunday paper, and I've actually done it for years.  But now, with all these new sites, many of which post updates on facebook, so I don't have to actually go to the sites each day, it's so much easier!  Thus, I've decided to up my couponing ante.

Courtesy of Color-Coded

As of April 1, I started keeping track (on a spreadsheet--yes, I'm that nerdy) of how much money I was saving by clipping coupons and paying attention to in-store discounts and deals.  I am by no means an extreme couponer!!  I only clip coupons for the stuff I would be buying anyway.  And I rarely buy in bulk.  In my mind, there is no need to continually have 8 bottles of mustard or the like on hand!  Plus, we just don't have the storage space.

Anyway, by the end of April, I had saved $160.47.  That's pretty impressive, if you ask me.

Keeping track of this has really become a fun challenge.  How much can I save in one transaction?  Can I print the same coupon several times?  And at the end of the month, I'm putting half of the total amount saved in the Peanut's college fund, so this fun challenge really does have a purpose.