The Crazy World of Couponing: A Series

In August 2009 I decided to try and get some of our finances more organized, namely the areas which I spend most the money: groceries, personal care, household, etc. I did a little (ok, a lot) of research and talked to some people, and dove into couponing and the like. Before I go into what I've done, I'd like to list what I've received since August 2009.

Things I've Won:

- Baby Einstein album download
- Music downloads
- $10 check
- Scholastic book
- Flip Mino HD camcorder

Things I've Earned:- $5 Amazon.com giftcard
- $5 Alice.com giftcard
- $25 Olive Garden giftcard

Free Stuff & Samples (fun stuff I find in my mailbox!): Kashi granola bars/cereal, Dunkin Donuts coffee, Cheerios, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, Emergen-C packets, dog treats, diapers, feminine products, Zyrtec, hand sanitizer, meat thermometer, Oregon Chai mix

All this in just the past 5 months! Granted, it's not like I'm raking in a whole paycheck, but every little bit counts...and I'm starting to realize how it's all adding up to a whole lot of savings. The best part is that we've been able to stay within our budget the past few months. And that is a huge deal to me because I want to be a good manager of God's resources he's given us.

I've had a couple of friends ask me about this whole couponing craziness, so I thought I'd share some of what I've found. I'm still figuring it all out, but I think we can all help each other out by sharing what we're finding. I'm thinking I'll write a few blogs about the following and share what I'm learning and where to find these resources:

- Couponing
- Rebates
- Surveys
- Swagbucks

So, stay tuned! And welcome to the crazy world of couponing :)