Saving Money Can be Fun, Who Knew?

Did you know that trying to not spend money could actually be fun?! Thanks to a few savvy friends and their ideas/new hobbies, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of saving in our not so ideal economy. If you would’ve told me one month ago that I’d be a coupon clipper I would’ve laughed at you, but now I LOVE it. And I mean, almost in a sad way, love it. I realized last night as I drifted off to sleep counting down the days until the grocery stores unveil their new weekly deals (which comes out every Wednesday) that I am quite possibly a saving junkie. Side note…if you hear me discuss or see me post anything about registering for a coupon workshop, or catch me in a “Couponing is my life t-shirt” please intervene immediately! That would just be disturbing.

Thanks to my Coupon Guru’s instructions, I’ve fallen in love the site www.southernsavers.com. This woman saves me at least $32.00 a grocery trip and at times has helped me save 60% off my grocery bill! Who doesn’t love saving money, especially right now?! Plus it’s almost become a game to see if I can beat the store and save more than I spend. I’ve seriously left stores feeling like I just won the lottery and when everyone is trying to do more with less right now, I’ll take a high like that any day. Look out BiLo, I’ve got some manufacturer’s coupons and I’m not afraid to use ‘em.

Last but not least, is my love for the new found style swap party. One of my friends hosted about 11 of us girls over for wine, cheese, brownies (hello, where do I sign?), and a style exchange night. Each girl brings gently used clothing and accessories that they no longer wear and trades them in for tickets. For example, I brought 32 items and received 32 tickets to “shop” with that evening. After we all perused the “boutique” and wrote down our top pics, we settled in for the swap rounds. Each person drew a number and was able to select their favorite item when their turn came around. This went on for three rounds (numbers were drawn each round to even the playing field), with a final open swap session following where you got to grab anything you loved that was still up for grabs. It was seriously one of the coolest ideas I’ve ever seen. What still had tags but never fit me just right, fit someone next to me like a glove. Why not share that with the girl who can rock it while also getting your hands on some really cute stuff yourself?! Plus if you do it right, like our Diva friend did, you don’t even feel like your swapping but instead feel as though you’re in an intimate little boutique shopping with wine and good friends and everything is FREE. Yet again, hello, where do I sign?

Retail therapy has always been one of my favorite pick me ups but the spend hangover can easily knock you right back down to where you started. Free-tail therapy however is the new black and looks great on everyone. Indulge yourself. You know you want too!