I like to get a bargain {and I'm sure you do too...}

Let's face it,

no one likes to pay full price.

{especially me}

But on the other hand,

when I want something...I want it now.

 I don't have hours and hours to dedicate to extreme couponing

...unless TLC would like to hire me...

And I'm not a huge fan of waiting for things to go on sale

{plus, whenever I do that the thing I want usually sells out}

So, how do I get good deals and rarely pay full price for anything?

I'm so glad you asked.

{and if you didn't ask you're about to find out anyway!}

Have you checked out Couponchief.com?

If not, you are seriously missing out.

We're talking every type of coupon known to mankind,

and it's completely effortless!

With over 250,000 visitors each month, Couponchief.com is one of the fasting growing coupon sites. They offer over 50,000 coupons for over 15,000 stores.

Impressed?

You should be.

The average person saves $21

just by clicking to get an online code or print out a coupon to redeem at the store!

$21 people....that's HUGE.

I know, I know. You're welcome.

{you're going to be thanking me for this one for a long time}

Let me break down the way I use this amazing site.

First, I find something I want - trust me, this is not hard and you should find it easy as well.

Generally, the 'thing' is not on sale. So, I head on over to Couponchief.com

Once I'm there I type in the name of the store or website in the search box.

It's really as easy as that.

If there are any coupons that apply

{and usually there are}

they pop on up and you get to choose which one to use!

Another little tip:

Sometimes there are two coupon codes that you can use for the same store and even the same item!

Most of them are a certain % off your order, plus you can combine it with a free shipping code

{when you get those combos it's like hitting the savings jackpot}

The best coupon I found today was for Snapfish...50% off everything

everything!

We all work hard for our money

and Couponchief.com helps us stretch it like a Stretch Armstrong

{yes, I just said typed that}

Anyway, head on over to Couponchief.com and start saving NOW!

ooooh and come back here and tell me all about the deals you're getting!

Happy saving :)

Creating A Budget {and sticking to it!}

Budget

Ick. Isn't it such an icky word? Scary, even.

I totally associate being on a budget with nearly every negative word imaginable

{restricted, unsatisfied, jealous, grumpy, bored}

you get the point, it's not fun.

I guess I've always thought of being on a budget as not getting what you want

and I like to get what I want {who doesn't?}

{when I want it, might I add}

Well, I'm determined to change my thinking!

{even though my mom has been trying to get me to change my thinking for years}

Thanks mom, I heard you

I just have to figure stuff out the hard way :)

It's not that I have no idea where our money goes,

it's just that I don't spend it as carefully {ok, nearly as carefully} as I should.

if I see something I like, and it's any reasonable price, I buy it.

So at the end of the month I have stuff - 95% of which I'm SURE I could live without

and a very minimal amount left to save

Boo!

But I don't want to live like that anymore.

I want to simplify

I want to find contentment

I want to feel grateful, and appreciative of all that I've been blessed with

I don't want to be a slave to my paycheck

I want to choose where my money goes and why

I want to decide how much I save and how much I spend

I want to be in control of what I need and what I want

{mind you, I'm typing this after I just, literally, just made a totally unnecessary etsy purchase}

I don't think it's going to be easy,

in fact, I know it's going to be ridiculously hard

I'm sure I {well, we...this is a family thing} will fail,

but I'm also sure that we'll pick right back up where we left off

 and start again.

I was reading a blog post by Gussy

{have you checked out her blog?}

and came across this post

check it out for her advice on following a family budget

and how she and her hubby saved enough money for her to quit her day job!

We're going to take the next week or two to set up our budget

and from there, it's crunch time

I'm talking {excuse my french}

balls to the wall, start saving for real

I do, however, want to be realistic

we'd be setting ourselves up for failure if we said that

every penny

 that doesn't go to a bill will be saved

We'll have to do the math and figure out what our

"fun money"

{see, even talking about spending money is more fun!}

budget will be for each  month

I think allowing ourselves to have some sort of disposable income will help keep us on track

Anyway, I suppose all of this is to make a commitment to become a

smarter spender and a better saver!

Please feel free to jump on board!

I'd love to hear your savings tips, money saving ideas,

and to have other people make a saving commitment too!

Happy saving!

Oh, and it wouldn't be a post if I didn't include some pictures of my sweet boy

{We spent lots of time coloring yesterday}



Happy day after President's Day!