August is a month of milestones for me. Of course, with it being Kevin’s birth month, that is most important. But I also have two coupon milestones this month.

In August of 2006, I was on restricted work hours due to being hugely pregnant. Late term pregnancy insomnia had also set in, so late at night I would get on the internet. Unable to sleep and I didn’t want to wake anyone, I just internet surfed. It was then that I discovered the couponing websites and the whole concept of CVSing. Rolling your ECBs to buy more and more products. It was that month that I tried it, and I have not been without ECBs since then. I have been rolling the same ECBs over and over for 2 years.

In August of 2007 I again found myself with more time on my hands as I was in between jobs. In addition to being extremely enthused about my new position, I was concerned about the pay cut I was taking. It was then that I decided to try to get free diapers-always. In one year, I can honestly say I have only paid for one pack of diapers–the rest I have paid for with either Extra Care Bucks, Register Rewards or Gift Cards or Rebate Checks earned with other promotional offers. A year of free diapers! That is significant savings.

So as this is my last post for a few days as I will be offline until Friday, I’d like to give you all something to think about. Savings and goals–and spend the next few days deciding what you would like to achieve. On other boards I see moms saving up for all sorts of things–Disney vacations, other vacations, clothes, something special for their child. I don’t have such specifc goals.

Actually, despite the amount of couponing and bargaining I do, I find savings to be very difficult to track. All over the internet you can find all sorts of savings and coupon tracking spreadsheets. I don’t use one. I tried. But it’s too hard. Why?

For example, I did the CVS candy deal when it ran 2 weeks ago. I got *lots* of candy. I didn’t pay for any of it–used ECBs. So how much did I save? Nothing really. Candy is not something I would buy. And if I did buy it, I certainly wouldn’t pay CVS prices. The same goes for many treats I bring home. I had free tortilla chips from Acme. And free Chex Mix. Back in May, there was a deal at Acme where I was getting free Fuze drinks. I had an unlimited supply of those coupons, so I added about 20 bottles in my cart every time I shopped. But was there really a savings, if it is something I would not have normally purchased? You might be asking yourself-Why bother doing this if it’s not stuff you’d normally buy? Well, of course I get tons of free stuff that I would normally buy–cleaning supplies, diapers, etc. And there definitely is added value–I get to try lots of makeup and other beauty items for free and it’s fun. Keep in mind though–I get this stuff for free–buying items you wouldn’t normally buy, just because you have a coupon, is not a good deal! You may have saved on that item, but you have spent money you wouldn’t normally have spent. This is why I’m such a fan of rewards programs like ECBs and RRs–it’s play money to play with and still get the things you need.

I have lots and lots of health and beauty items in my stockpile, all of course were free at either CVS or Walgreen’s. But when do I calculate the savings? Now? Because I certainly wouldn’t have 20 bottles of shampoo on hand if I had to pay for it. Or do I calculate it when I actually need the shampoo, and would have to go out and buy it?

And is it savings if you’re giving something up? Perhaps there’s a $20 bottle of wine you really like and get yourself 2 a month. But given the current economy, you’ve decided to spend that $40 on gas instead, giving up the wine. Is there really a savings if you’ve had to give something up? I saw a mom on the Today show who was giving up pedicures for her family to try to save money. I got two free pedicures from an Herbal Essences deal this summer. She gave up her pedicures to save money, I didn’t-I just found a way to get them for free. So which one of us is doing a better job of saving?

I prefer to look at the bigger picture. Our monthly food budget is $600 for three people. That includes groceries, baby stuff, health & beauty, cleaning supplies and alcohol. My goal is to consistently fall under than number, which I do, without giving up our quality of life. Also, despite the rising costs of everything, I do not want our food budget to increase-I want to keep it the same or lower no matter what inflation does. I can say I have no problem coming in well under that number every month. And we don’t give anything up–treats, little indulgences, stuff like that. And $600 may seem high–but we rarely go to restaurants and we always pack our lunches. I cook dinner just about every evening, so that figure is for 21 meals a week per person plus snacks.

So take a look at your monthly spending vs your monthly budget. How are you doing? And decide upon a goal. Maybe you’ve never actually looked at your spending. I would track the last three calendar months, see what you’re spending. You could be surprised.

Now decide on your goal. Maybe it’s a dollar amount, maybe it’s a percentage. And be realistic. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure. This is a lot to learn in the beginning, so if you say “I’m going to cut my grocery bill in half” you’re going to be disappointed at the end of the month. A tank of gas costs me about $10 more now than in did in January–how much more are you paying? Maybe that can be your goal-save with coupons what it is costing you for gas so that your gas spending doesn’t cut into your other spending.

I strongly recommend having some type of goal. Saving money is great but actually having a concrete number to compare really helps track your progress. Also, if you’re feeling frustrated about learning to keep your coupons organized or learning to shop with coupons are remember the deals, when you see that you’re actually saving real money helps keep you going, makes it worthwhile.

Whatever it is, good luck, we’ll check back in & see how everyone is doing. See you Friday.