For a long time I have been playing with the idea of couponing. I have never never ever couponed. Here and there with one or two maybe. But never enough to be anything substantial. Nothing like those on the TLC show Extreme Couponing that's for sure.
But with these two little ones on the way I keep thinking more and more about trying to save money. Jake and I have talked about me going back to work after the twins are born. We have decided that with daycare it is going to be extremely hard for me to go back to a full time 9-5 job where I barley make over minimum wage. Daycare would take up almost all if not all of my paycheck. At that point, really what is the point of going back to work? Being away from the babies all day and not making any money for it. Just seems crazy to me.
Here is the thing though...Jake doesn't make enough for us to live on JUST his paycheck. Between the house, two cars, and our normal monthly bills there goes his check for the most part. And that is not even taking all the diapers we will need soon. We don't have a budget, and yes that is something we need to work on. But in order for me not to have to go back to work so soon after their births and only having to go back part time at most...we need to figure out how to get more for less.
So, I know there are a lot of you friends and family out there that coupon. I need help. I am counting on having 26 weeks to get this couponing figured out. Help. How? What? And so on and so on. I am so open for tips and ready for all the help I can get.
1 comment:
The best money saving advice I would give you would be to garage sale up the wazzoo this summer! It's really hard not to get caught up in buying baby gear/clothes/do-dads in stores, but you will definitely pay a premium for them. Kiddos go through clothing SO quickly for the first 3 years or so. You will likely receive lots of itty bitty baby clothes from friends and family, but you can stock up on 2T-5T sizes of cute stuff at garage sales. Seriously - the amount of stuff you'll get for $20 at a garage sale vs. what you'd be able to buy at Target is astounding. You can also pick up baby gear at good prices, such as exersaucers, bouncers, swings, high chairs, outdoor play things, etc. I would always buy cribs and carseats new for safety reasons. Everything else, give it a good scrub down when you get it home and relish in the amount of money you're saving!! It can also be a fun way to spend Saturday mornings. You won't have this kind of time to bargain shop ones the little ones arrive for quite a while!
Craigslist is another way to pick up items you don't want to hunt for at garage sales. Things tend to be more expensive on GL than what you'd pay at a garage sale, but you can find specific items more easily.
Post a Comment