When I first decided I wanted to stay at home, I knew there’d have to be some major cutbacks in our spending.  This was 4 years ago, so the economy was different, but the concept was the same-we were going from two incomes to one and didn’t know if we could do it.

When I was 4 months pregnant with my first, I took a leave of absence from my job.  I wasn’t making that much and we figured the best way to find out what our budget would be could be best found out BEFORE the baby came.   We knew this was a big chance to take but we wanted to set a budget and see what we could afford without the added stress of taking care of the baby.

This is what we did- (more…)

The Cool Mom Guide welcomes guest poster Briana Carter, otherwise known as the famous ‘Bargain Briana‘ to give us tips on couponing.  Thanks to Briana from the great advice!  If you have a thrifty post of your own, add it to the  Mr. Linky below!

Don’t just use a coupon, use it effectively.

Before I started “hard core” couponing, I used coupons but never understand how to use them effectively. I would get to the store with my coupons and then realize the generic item was still cheaper even with a coupon. Now, as an effective coupon user, I know if I’m patient with my coupon until the best possible rock bottom sale occurs, I can get name brand items for a fraction of the generic counterparts. By practicing effective coupon usage, you can cut your grocery bill in half or more!
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Jenn from The Coupon Coup is back again this week with her final tip for gather and collecting coupons.  Be sure to visit her site for a chance to win a coupon binder like the one in her video!

ORGANIZATION

I quickly had to come up with a solution so as not to bury my house in little paper cutouts. I looked around and found some ideas that were helpful…. I ended up with a fantastic coupon binder.

Getting the Most for your Coupon Buck

You’ve got ‘em…they are organized…. now USE ‘EM!!! (more…)

Jenn from The Coupon Coup is back this week to share more thoughts on how to get yourself started in the coupon game.

Since I’ve started clipping coupons and shopping deals…I talk about it constantly to anyone who will listen (thus, the blog!). I hear very often from people, “I clip coupons but I can never find anything I can use”, or “I clip coupons but it doesn’t seem worth my time for $0.50 off”. I used to think the same thing! Today I am going to share some insight on gathering your coupons.

1) You can order a Sunday paper. If you don’t already get the paper..you can buy it at a newsstand or order it from your local News company. If you wait for a sale, or ask for a deal… you can probably get it for $1/week. Crystal suggests calling your local paper and asking what they do with the leftover Sunday papers…ask if you can buy or have just the coupon inserts. I haven’t tried this yet but I intend to. (more…)

Step Four of the Cool Mom Guide is to Spend Wisely. I have decided that we will dedicate Thursday to this goal…and Think Thrifty Thursday is born!

This week, I’m featuring my very good friend and neighbor, BassAckwards & Frugal. Be sure to read what she has to say, then leave a link on Mr. Linky with your thrifty find.