Where to begin..

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we all want to save money but sometimes where and how to begin is the biggest challenge..

One thing I recommend to everyone is to make a list. Over the next week write down what your household uses.. If you are stuck on a name brand write that down as well. Remember, its going to be a long list.. also add about how much you use

an example for us would be

milk 3 gallons a week
Palmolive dish soap 4 bottles a month
rice 25 lbs 2-3 months
toilet paper 3 rolls a week
cereal 6 boxes week
etc....

Once you have this then you know what items you need to purchase and how much of it you need. For example, if you use 1 box of cereal a week and you can buy cereal at a great price you know that 52 boxes will last one year.. shelf life on cereal is about a year.. ( longer if you are me LOL). If you only eat Frosted Flakes then you can work on collecting 52 frosted flakes coupons..

How does this help.. well if you spend $3.59 a week on Frosted Flakes that's $186.68 for a years worth.. if you spend about $5 on 52 coupons and get the Frosted Flakes for $1 a box then you have spent $57.. you just saved $129.68.. that was pretty easy too!

It also lays your shopping and eating habits out on the table.. You may realize that the 3 bags of chips you eat each week at $3.50 a bag might not be such a necessity.. you may decide that buying 3 bags of pretzels at the dollar tree for $1 each is worth more than the $7.50 you just saved.. you also have healthier eating habits.

..... more to come......