The Art of the Deal

We watched a show the other night on TV on people who are considered "Extreme Couponers". Honestly, the deals they got were amazing...and yet at the same time they have so much stuff stockpiled that its just a room full of stuff, a burden at the same time as being a good deal. Well, it started Dan and I into thinking about other ways to save money.

In March I will be quitting my job and start being a SAHM. The cost of infant care and the big kids day camp costs are more than I would be bringing home in income and why should I pay someone to watch my kids while I am taking care of other peoples kids and not bringing home any income in the process...so it makes since to "retire" from the classroom and be with my family...at least until August when I will try and find a different job. With my quitting we will be tightening the budget belt and trying to get the most bang for our buck...and we are practicing now...my income now goes for paying the babysitter and helping to build up an emergency fund for when I am not working.

Well, we started at CVS...I am always impressed at the deals I see where people are being more or less paid for the good they buy there...well we went today and though we did spend a little bit initially we did leave the store with $20 in "Extra Care Bucks" that we will be able to use for other purchases at CVS...when paired later with other Extra care deals we will basically be getting paid for shopping there...can't beat that! It does take some planning but at the same time it is kind of exhilarating!

We did use coupons at Wal-mart today too...and we saved around $8.50 off the total bill...we will continue to clip coupons and try and find the best deals and see if we can start saving more money weekly.

I will say this...it may take the kids some time to get used to the fact that we are changing our habits and looking for the best options for a good deal. They are used to us eating out more and not being as careful...but at the same time I think it is good for the kids to see that we are working on being careful stewards of the money that God has entrusted to us and striving to use it wisely! It's all about living different now so we can live better later. It's a good lesson for us all.