A couple of years ago, I was tired of being a stay at home Mom. I didn't have any identity except "Darren's wife or Ty & Hannah's Mom." I wanted to work out in the real world, be able to buy clothes for work, be called Kathi or Kate, have adult interaction instead of being the house ref between my 2 children. Then everything went to hell in a handbasket. Jobs in this area are few & far between, I hadn't worked in over a decade, I wasn't even sure where my old resume was anymore.
My idea of going out into the workforce and "contribute" to our family was dead in the water. I found out from our tax man that all I could earn was 3k and then we would have been bumped into a higher tax bracket. UGH!!!
A few months ago it hit me like a ton of bricks! If I couldn't really work and earn a check, then what if I went out and tried to save as much $$ for our family as I could? I could do that!! I asked hubby what our finances were, and man was that an ugly picture. He raised his voice a few times while trying to explain what his spread sheets meant, but I got a clear picture, not only where we were at that moment, but where we could be in 2 years. Needless to say, the picture 2 years down the road is alot prettier, but I strapped on my savings cap, grabbed my scissors, cruised a few websites and started shopping with a new goal in mind.
Instead of working on a grocery list from week to week, I started looking for patterns in the grocery store ads and I started shopping from cycle to cycle. Now instead of paying $14.99 for laundry detergent, I buy it when it's $5.99 on sale with coupons. Do I get 2 or 3 instead of just the one? Yep, but I get 2 or 3 times more for my money that way. I do have to figure out where some of the "extra's" go between uses, but so far this year I have managed to save my family$2,000 on groceries alone! How? Coupons & sales. Yes it's the dreaded "C" word, but if I can save my family at least $6,000 a year then it's crazy for me not to do this. The money I am saving can be put towards additional payments for our car or better yet, towards our mortgage & kids school fund. I am still buying the brands we love, although I won't buy Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger unless I can get a really good deal ;).
I know some people really get a kick out of me when I get excited over a good deal, while I see other peoples eyes glaze over when I mention coupons,lol, and that is fine by me. I love the fact that I have turned a new page and instead of wanting something I couldn't have (a job), I have created a new position for myself called "Chief Deal Hunter". That is a positive for me, and I have always tried to maintain a positive attitude in my life. How much time do I spend on couponing? Maybe about 4 hours a week, by the time I buy the papers, cruise the different websites to find the breakdowns on the sales and clip the coupons I need for that week. Sometimes I spend more time, sometimes I spend less, but on average it's around 4 hours a week.
Look at this breakdown and you can see how I have created a great savings advantage for my family:
hours a week:4
$$ saved ----$2,000 (actually it's a bit more, but it's easier for me to calculate this)through today
total hours spent: 68
-----------------------------------------------
Hourly savings wage? 29.41 an hour!
*****************************************************************************************
Best part about this job is I don't have to pay out anything to the government! No taxes, medical, SS, etc. Where in the world could I find a job that would pay me such a wage in this day & age? Sure I have had to throw away some expired coupons in the past, and I do make a mess when I am clipping, printing and sorting, but it all works out in the end, much to our advantage!
So for those of you who think they are too busy, that is fine by me, but for those of you who are of the same mind as I am, what do you think your hourly savings would be? Just something for everyone to think about!
Kathi
a.k.a. Chief Deal Hunter ;)
My idea of going out into the workforce and "contribute" to our family was dead in the water. I found out from our tax man that all I could earn was 3k and then we would have been bumped into a higher tax bracket. UGH!!!
A few months ago it hit me like a ton of bricks! If I couldn't really work and earn a check, then what if I went out and tried to save as much $$ for our family as I could? I could do that!! I asked hubby what our finances were, and man was that an ugly picture. He raised his voice a few times while trying to explain what his spread sheets meant, but I got a clear picture, not only where we were at that moment, but where we could be in 2 years. Needless to say, the picture 2 years down the road is alot prettier, but I strapped on my savings cap, grabbed my scissors, cruised a few websites and started shopping with a new goal in mind.
Instead of working on a grocery list from week to week, I started looking for patterns in the grocery store ads and I started shopping from cycle to cycle. Now instead of paying $14.99 for laundry detergent, I buy it when it's $5.99 on sale with coupons. Do I get 2 or 3 instead of just the one? Yep, but I get 2 or 3 times more for my money that way. I do have to figure out where some of the "extra's" go between uses, but so far this year I have managed to save my family$2,000 on groceries alone! How? Coupons & sales. Yes it's the dreaded "C" word, but if I can save my family at least $6,000 a year then it's crazy for me not to do this. The money I am saving can be put towards additional payments for our car or better yet, towards our mortgage & kids school fund. I am still buying the brands we love, although I won't buy Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger unless I can get a really good deal ;).
I know some people really get a kick out of me when I get excited over a good deal, while I see other peoples eyes glaze over when I mention coupons,lol, and that is fine by me. I love the fact that I have turned a new page and instead of wanting something I couldn't have (a job), I have created a new position for myself called "Chief Deal Hunter". That is a positive for me, and I have always tried to maintain a positive attitude in my life. How much time do I spend on couponing? Maybe about 4 hours a week, by the time I buy the papers, cruise the different websites to find the breakdowns on the sales and clip the coupons I need for that week. Sometimes I spend more time, sometimes I spend less, but on average it's around 4 hours a week.
Look at this breakdown and you can see how I have created a great savings advantage for my family:
hours a week:4
$$ saved ----$2,000 (actually it's a bit more, but it's easier for me to calculate this)through today
total hours spent: 68
-----------------------------------------------
Hourly savings wage? 29.41 an hour!
*****************************************************************************************
Best part about this job is I don't have to pay out anything to the government! No taxes, medical, SS, etc. Where in the world could I find a job that would pay me such a wage in this day & age? Sure I have had to throw away some expired coupons in the past, and I do make a mess when I am clipping, printing and sorting, but it all works out in the end, much to our advantage!
So for those of you who think they are too busy, that is fine by me, but for those of you who are of the same mind as I am, what do you think your hourly savings would be? Just something for everyone to think about!
Kathi
a.k.a. Chief Deal Hunter ;)
1 comment:
I am going to start posting when I find a good deal so hopefully someone else can catch a break and save a few bucks in the process :)
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