First Post- About Me

      So this is my first post in blogger land. I never thought I would do this in a million years, but I have become so excited about the world of possibilities that coupons and deals present, that I wanted to share the love.
      I want to start by saying that I am appalled that for years I threw money down the toilet by not educating myself on ways to save. I understood the concept of a coupon from working at Kroger when I was sixteen, but it seemed like such a big hassle. I thought clipping them, then keeping up with expirations and remembering to take them with me to the store couldn't possibly be worth the $2 I could save on cat food.
      Then, the mortgage industry imploded and both my husband and I worked in it. We had a complete reversal of fortune and at the same time we found out we were expecting our little angel. So, times were tough, but despite a dramatic hit to our finances, we both agreed that I should stay home with our baby. After weighing the income minus the cost of childcare versus the benefit of me staying with him, we decided to struggle through it.
       So, there I was, someone who used to drop a hundred a week at Target and not even blink, and I'm wondering how to pay for diapers and formula. By the grace of God and help from our families, we got over the hump. My husband started a new job and I decided I needed to take the household finances off his shoulders and get us straight.
       I started organizing and realized that we paid way too much for groceries (I did not buy expensive stuff anymore). I started clipping coupons and keeping them in my little organizer. In the meantime, I was blessed to find a Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers(MOPS) group near my house and started attending. I hear the lovely women(SHOUTOUT!) in my group talking about these great deals they've found on these coupon websites. I went home that day and looked up these sites and boy, did I feel dumb. I didn't even know you could use coupons at Target. Well, over the next few months, I read and clipped, printed and stacked and became amazed at the amount of groceries I got for a lot less and the improved quality of the items. They created a Crazy Couponing Monster!
      I'm doing this blog to help other struggling moms who want the best for their families but need help. It can also be incredibly rewarding to be able to give back, like with Operation Christmas Child, where I would not be able to afford this without the coupons. I'm not gonna lie, I also get a rush from getting a great deal or free stuff, so it is a labor of love. Even if you learn one new thing from my blog that can save you money, I feel like this was time well spent for me.

Thanks!
Claire