Saving money...

...means getting back to the basics.

Five years ago, my life was much different. I spent four months as an unemployed, unsupported and unsure single mom to a beautiful infant. I had to do something that was unimaginable thing for me at the time, I had to go on welfare. I feverishly sent out job applications -- desperate for any work I could find. I wracked up all of my credit cards in an effort to live from day to day with my daughter. I didn't have it in me to ask my parents for money and I was stubborn enough to make sure that even if I had to do it all on my own, we'd live a life that was happy and bountiful. It was a horribly, depressing, dark and gut-wrenching time in my life. The toll that my divorce had on me was monumental. It literally changed my outlook on life and my beliefs. It changed me as a person. I wasn't strong until that time. I made an effort to surround myself with distractions. I lost 80 lbs in 6 months. I got a professional job that was a challenge and occupied my mind. I spent countless hours with Alyssa trying to develop her talents and even more hours hugging her and sheltering her from any stress that my heart was feeling.

My introduction to coupon cutting came as a necessity. While unemployed, I got very little in the way of food stamps and even less in TANF benefits. In order to eat healthfully (which can be expensive) I had to get creative. After doing research, I found out that I was able to use coupons with my food stamps and I would get those coupon values as "credits" for other items that weren't normally allowed on foodstamps - such as toilet paper and diapers. I would make sure to cut enough coupons to save as much money as possible AND allow me to buy soap, shampoo, diapers and other necessities that I wouldn't have been able to on my TANF alone. At first, I despised it. I spent many hours crying uncontrollably with a pair of scissors and the weekend paper in my hand. I would go around to grocery stores and corner stores and ask them for any extra coupon inserts they might have had. It was a dark time in my life. I was ashamed.

But somehow, those feelings of depression and sadness gave way to something totally different: Fun. It became fun. It became a game. I'd clip my coupons and get the fliers from all the different grocery stores. I'd match things up. I would drive to three different grocery stores and get my weekly groceries. I was able to keep my out of pocket cost for groceries to $20-$30 a week for Alyssa and I. And we ate well.

When I got my job with Husson, the clipping didn't end there. The day I got my job, I contacted the State of Maine and asked that my welfare be cancelled. They argued at first, but ultimately took me off welfare. With the money coming from my paycheck, it because more important than ever to keep using the coupons. It got to the point that Sherry at the front desk would save the Shaw's flier for me and deliver it to my desk. I'd spend my lunch hour writing down the sales. Every weekend I'd to go Gramma and Papa's house and clip coupons that Gramma would save for me while Alyssa played. Every week Papa would ask me if I was able to actually save money that way and ever week I'd tell him that I actually saved between $40 and $50 a week doing it. He'd make some kind of crack about how that was a good wage for my time. (have I mentioned lately how much I miss Papa in general...but REALLY miss THAT version of Papa?)

And then I started succeeding at my job even more. I saved money. I bought my mobile home. Life started its wonderful upswing. And as I earned more money...it became less necessary for me to clip coupons in order to survive. And slowly, convenience took over and I didn't want to go to more than one grocery store. And before I knew it, I was spending $60-70 a week for groceries. When WHSjr moved in a few years ago, it only got worse. I now was for the first time in a double income situation. Groceries became $80-100 a week. But more often than not, we'd go to the grocery store more than once a week. That is a killer for a budget. And then we started eating out more...all out of laziness and convenience.

But between Dave Ramsey (see previous post) and buying our new house, the money saving bug has hit again. Last week, after clipping coupons and watching the sales, I saved $56 at the register and got two $10 rebates for a grand savings of $76. As Papa would say, "Not a bad wage for my time." I've rediscovered the fun. We're going to start using a menu again. We're going to stop eating out as much. We're going to get on a budget again and kick ass.

Sure, we could survive without it...but it is more fun to make our money work FOR us and not against us. And to do that...we'll go back to the basics.

A lot has changed in the past five years...but saving money should never go out of style. :)