Saving Money

Did you catch Oprah a week or so ago? It was the episode about different ways people are saving money. One woman unplugs every (and I mean every) appliance when it's not in use. Another couple needed to sell their house, but were unable to do so - so they ended up trading with another couple who was looking to move to their area. Some cash was involved as one house was worth more, but it did seem like a terrific idea to look into if you need to sell. Then there were the friends who each wanted to redecorate. They couldn't afford to buy new furniture so they made a swap - trading the couches, tables, etc. While this sounds like a fabulous idea, I'm not sure if any of my friends are interested in my stained, oft-jumped upon couches. Maybe this works if you have older or no kids.

Then there was there were the uber-savers - a family of six from Florida who lives on a teacher's salary and has managed to save $30,000. There should be an asterisk next to their story. Oprah just glossed over the fact that they have some credit card debt. While I can understand stockpiling some cash for a rainy day, it seems like they should be trying to pay off that credit card debt instead of making extra mortgage payments (as they indicated they do). But at the end of the day, they did manage to help another family figure out how to easily save about $2000 a month! Ok, some of things were obvious, like don't spend $600 a month on junk for the kids. But they also taught them a system in order to keep track of how much they spend each day.

I was really intrigued with the Coupon Mom - until they showed us her shopping trip. I don't know where she shops, but that's the store I want to go to. Her supermarket takes internet coupons and also gives coupons for carrots! Have you ever heard of a coupon for carrots?? I did learn a few good tips - like the items in the coupon circulars will generally go on sale sometime over the next month, and you should buy an extra paper or two just for the coupons. While I wouldn't do it every week, it makes sense for the weeks when there may be extra good coupons for the products I buy. I did sign up for the Coupon Mom's website (it's totally free), and have found it helpful. It lists stores' weekly sales circulars as well on information as to which items have coupons (and which week's newspaper those coupons were in). The worst part is, it doesn't include the least expensive supermarket in my town. However, it does help me figure out when I should shop at one of the more expensive markets. Now if only I could buy a whole week's worth of groceries for $35 like Coupon Mom then I'd be all set . . . or at least I'd be on Oprah!