artofthecoupon.com

Welcome back!

I wrote this as a Guest Post at Clever Dude a little while ago, but I am now reprinting it here because I think it is a pretty good explanation for why I am the way I am…  

Why should I live frugally?  Why should I try to pay off my student loans early, instead of paying $661 a month for the next 30 years like Direct Loans wants me to?  Why shouldn’t I buy new clothes and a fifty inch LCD tv and a vacation to Europe?  Because I want to be free. (more…)

My post, a A Law Students Lament, a debt poem about my law school debt, was an editors pick at the Carnival of Debt Reduction… oh well, at least my debt was good for something right!  Visit Gather Little By Little to check it out..

And for those of you finding my little site for the first time, I encourage you to subscribe, and to browse around here and see what I’m all about  (here are a few of my favorite posts to get you started)

Step By Step Guide to Grocery Savings

Why Its So Important To Track Your Expenses

My Comment on a Discover Card Commercial With a Terrible Lesson

Lessons My Parents Taught Me About Money

How to Save Energy and Impress Your Friends Using X10 Home Automation

Ways to Pay Down Your Mortgage Faster

10 Fun and Quirky Ways to Save Money

The 12 Frugal Days of Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving One and All.  Today is a day to think about gratitude- to stop focusing on all the things we want and need, and to take a minute to look around at all we have. So, on your blog, in the comments, or even just  around your dinner table today I ask you to list the 5 things you are thankful for.  As you do, make a note about how few of them are silly material possessions (unless of course you are thankful for your iphone… I won’t judge, but I’d be surprised if that is on too many people’s top 5 list, although I suppose it might make some people’s top 10 ) (more…)

I started this blog some time in June, so July marks my first full month of blogging..  So, I figured I would share some of my highs and lows with my readers, and also thank everyone who has visited, commented, subscribed, etc.  Without you, I’d just be a crazy person talking to myself on the internet (more…)

I, like most bloggers probably, check Google Webmaster (not to mention my google ads account and my feedburner stats and my page rank, etc. etc. etc.) at a frequency that borders on obsessive.  My stats had not updated for a while, up until yesterday.  Then, yesterday I checked and not only had they updated, but I had a wonderful surprise.  People, real actual people out there in the world, subscribed to MY blog using google subscriptions.  You have no idea how exciting it is for me that some of you found me interesting enough to actually click that little button and subscribe!! So thanks, to those of you who subscribed— you made my day.  And for the rest of you, well, if you want to make me even happier than just click here to subscribe too, and help the blog grow.  Oh, and I’m also always interested in comments and suggestions for posts  Anyway, thanks again for reading (and subscribing and making my day!)   

I started using coupons seriously in March of 2007, approximately 1 year and 4 months ago. I was inspired by an MSN money article called Secrets of Superstar Grocery Shoppers, and by reading about the great deals people were getting at CVS. On Sunday, I dutifully bought my paper, clipped my coupons, made my list, and headed out to CVS. Now, less than 2 years later, I buy 4 papers a weekend. I do at least 8 transactions at CVS a week, not to mention approximately 4 weekly trips to Wal-Mart and assorted other grocery and drug stores. I am what you might call a Coupon Addict.
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