money monday

Updated: I saved 91 bucks at the grocery store this afternoon--woot!

Back to our regularly scheduled post :) :

It's the first day of the new year! Okay, not really. It feels like it though. Something about the holidays being over, and it being Monday, and kids going back to school makes today feel like the start of a new year. And with that in mind, I'm doing what I always do in Jan: Reassess the Budget.

You too?

This year, especially, money seems to be on minds (and in the news). Last year, I opened an ebay account, and actually made a few bucks with it (more on that at a later date). This year? Coupons.

I used to clip coupons religiously. But then I kept having more kids and less time. I started writing more, and found even fewer minutes in the day to scour the ads. Now I have teens--and their friends--and I'm spending a ton on food and all the rest. I love my kids' friends to hang out, so bolting the doors and hiding all the food is not an option.

So last night, I clipped coupons, stuffed them into an envelope with my list, and I'll be hitting the store later on this a.m. I've also signed up for a couple of online services to help me with my quest to save dough: The Coupon Mom and The Grocery Game. One is free, the other isn't, but I read this article online and decided to give them both a fair try.

I'll let you know how it goes. I've got more edits on my plate this morning, and a new book to write, so I can't be spending all my time on coupons, you know? But no one likes a deal better than me (I'm pretty sure of this.) If you find something that works super well, feel free to pass it along in the comments section (spammers will be deleted, however).

And if you decide to try The Grocery Game, please mention me in the referral section will ya? I'll get a couple of free weeks for that (and you will too when you refer others). My grocery game email is djcmailbox-djcextra at yahoo dot com.

Off to work. And then hit the stores. Have a beachy day, my friends--wherever you are!