How much have you saved?

I confess I got started with frugalinfranklin.typepad.com.... but just want to encourage others with my savings. I couponed all of 2009 and saved $2400 over groceries in 2008. I was also able to give away lots of deals like tissues, toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, etc. Thanks to all frugal bloggers for your help to so many.

We are a family of 6 with children ages 2,2, 4 and 7! Before I started couponing, our weekly grocery budget was $200. Since couponing, it is now $75 a week and an additional $25 per paycheck (every 2 weeks) that I designate for buying items to donate! I have always hated budgeting and usually tried it for a week or so and gave up because the numbers just never came out to what I wanted them to and we would resort to getting through the week on credit cards. Now, we are on a budget that will allow us to be debt-free by next August and go on a Disney Cruise with our oldest 2 daughters-without putting it on the credit card! What a blessing and ministry this is that you have!

I definitely save 30% each & every time I go to the store, and sometimes as much as 60%. I wish I had been putting the savings in a piggy bank over the last year for a vacation or something... that would be a great reward! It does take time, but it's worth it to me & my family!

My biggest revelation is finally knowing what a GREAT deal is on a given product, vs. just an "OK" deal. I can now walk into Walmart and see that sometimes their "lowest prices" are NOT the lowest, especially if I wait for an item to go on sale + use a coupon. I am willing to wait for great deals now, knowing that the sales are cyclical. The old saying that "knowledge is power" is definitely true... especially when stretching your grocery dollars!

Thanks for all you do, Kelly!

Kelly, I save money every week using your blog, but the biggest revelation I have had has been the amount of items I can purchase and then donate to worthy causes.

A friend of mine told me that she started clipping coupons for cat food even though she doesn't have a cat. I thought she was crazy until she explained that she could get the cat food for pennies and felt like it would be worth her time to purchase it for little or nothing and then donate it to an elderly person who did have a cat.

I'm also using that tactic with toy coupons this Christmas. My kids have outgrown Mr. Potato Heads, but when I can get them for $.99 at Target using coupons, I'm going to stock up and donate them to Graceworks' Manger. It just takes a little time, but when so many people don't have that time or the means to get to the store to purchase these items, it's a small thing I can do to help. I'm ashamed to say that the thought of clipping a coupon I didn't need never would have crossed my mind had my friend not mentioned it. I think that has been the biggest blessing and lesson for me throughout this whole journey of being a better steward with our money.

I have to say that using your tactics has saved me a bundle. Before I used to dread grocery shopping, now I get excited to see the final out of pocket amount. Following you has saved me money, allowed me to purchase items I maybe would not have because of cost, and I have an overstocked pantry. Kudos to you!

I took your grocery & coupon classes in Jan/Feb 2009. We have a family of 5 & were spending about $800-900/mo on groceries. I knew that this was out-of-control, but didn't know how to fix it. My husband even told me I should coupons & told him it wouldn't work! Ha! Like you teach, it took me a while to see the savings go down. After 6 months we were down to $400/mo. However, for the past month I have consistently been doing $50/wk. So far in November, I have only spent $20! (Did I mention I LOVE Kroger triples?!)

You're ministry has been such a blessing to our family!!! Not only do I save 80-90%+ on my groceries, we have been able to give SO much away for donations! I tell people THAT is why I coupon. God has faithfully provided for our family & now, with coupons, I can bless others.

I have cut my food budget by 50%! I used to think I was shopping as cheap as they come with sale prices and a few coupons, but last October my eyes opened to all the possibilities of saving!

BTW, I went to get the BRU deal yesterday to give to our toy drive and they have taken the Ants in Pants, Cooties, etc. off sale. I guess they saw the trend? You might want to inform others in case they are heading from a long distance for that deal. I live close and was going there anyways...

Kelly, my story is a lot like Cassidy's. I still have a long way to go, but am very much inspired by your example and the way you share your knowledge and understanding of saving. Some ladies at my church are planning to get together in a couple of weeks to help each other with couponing and money saving strategies. My hope is that they will be inspired to be better stewards of their money as I have been by you. Thanks bunches. Any tips you'd like to share would be appreciated of how to get started and what we should focus on. Of course I will be sharing your website with the ones that aren't yet aware. :0)

i went to the class at madison first baptist and this has helped me so much . the savings and the kids get to help with the coupon and my 8 year old she loves to pull the coupons from the selfs. thanks so much.

My husband was in the automotive business up until the end of last year (we all know what happened to that) . I had just opened my own business and knew I had to save money. I spend about $70 a week , some may say that is a lot. I have 3 in my family, 2 dogs, 2 cats and am able to help my son and his new family. this includes diapers every week for the baby. I also have my own Pre-K program with 7 children Plus I am able to give to charity.All for $70 a week. This is amazing. My family income dropped over $30,000 last year but we are truely blessed with this website and are able to do very well in this economy . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I am ecxcited to do better next year. Plus my parents are getting excited and saving money with this website.

Yes I have, this website has been such a blessing, I keep sharing it with all my friends. My husband and I have been dealing with a huge change in income this year, and vacant properties we own. However, I have been able to see just how careless we were with our spending before this time. I normally shop at aldi and swear by my savings...i still do when we dont have a coupon for certain items. But I have been able to save 40-70 percent weekly on my bills now. Thank you, we would love to have you come to GA to teach a class.

I typically save at least 50% on grocery trips by buying based on sales and using coupons. I have learned the lowest sale price of many items we purchase regularly and wait until it is at or below that price.

The biggest area I have been working on is not letting any food go bad. When I buy onions, bell peppers, etc, I chop them up and freeze them. This not only saves me money but also time because it's easy to throw together a soup, pizza, or other meal when everything is already chopped. Meal planning also helps with this because I assess what I have and make sure to use it up.

PS...my best deal was still those Hasbro games at TRU this week. Some of the ones I bought were regularly $12.99 and I got seven board games for 56 cents each. I used the sale for Christmas, birthdays, and donations. I keep thinking I shoud've gotten more and may go back! ;)

I first took the grocery class in March 2009 shortly before my son was born. I was excited about all the ideas, but didn't really have time to put them into place before the delivery. As I got started, I became frustrated by the stockpiling phase. I was seeing my grocery bill increase instead of decrease, but I was getting much more food. I was still saving 30-40% on my larger amount of food, but this wasn't good enough. As I read the blogs, I realized that was normal. I also started running out of space in our small house for all the good deals I was finding. Eventually, I became overwhelmed and had to take a break from the coupon clipping for about two weeks. I still used them, but I didn't live by them. When I was ready to jump back in, I had a fresh enthusiasm. I started noticing grocery cycles and figured out I didn't have to buy spaghetti sauce everytime it was on sale...its on sale EVERY week! Because I had been doing it awhile, I also started recognizing "best prices" for things like chicken breasts and my kids's juices. When I started meal planning around my stockpile and sales flyers was when I really started to save money. I tried to only stockpile what was left of my budget ...not stockpile everything in sight. Now, I'm saving between 40-75% each week. (depending on triple coupons) Because I have two children three and under, I limit myself to two-three stores per week and I still have some items that rarely go on sale that we can't do without...like my husband's Acai Berry juice, but I get better all the time. I'm so glad that I didn't give up. Now that I'm more confident, I'm using those grocery strategies to buy Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, and donations to local charities. Even my three year old daughter will ask "Mom, is this on sale?" or "Mom, do you have a coupon for this?" When I think back to the past 15 years that I've been on my own, it kills me to think about how much I could've been saving. Hopefully, I can pass these skills onto my children so that they will know how to shop strategically as well.

I started couponing in June after we started tracking our spending. We were spending nearly $1k a month on groceries and eating out. Since there are only 2 of us, I decided this was insane and we needed to evaluate how we were spending. To date, we have cut this almost in half. We still have some work to do, but we are getting there. Thanks for all of the tips and coupon match-ups! It really does help.

Yes, I save about 40% when I shop, but it does take time to look through all the coupons etc. Thank you for all you do!