Yesterday I received a pile of good coupons from a store, which I posted. $2 on any Huggies, including the wipes, which are on sale for $2 or so. No response from this site, or the trains...I know there is a huge preference between Pampers users and Huggies users, but hey, soap, bath mits...doggie wipes...

However, from another forum, I've been swamped! Requests for 50 - 100. Evidently they are selling on eBay hot and heavy.

Innocent me, I've never been a coupon trader, no experience, but my trains can always use good coupons if someone wants to trade...or just send a stamp to cover postage.

So, I've been getting IM popups faster than I can read my mail, look at a forum. Barely managed to log in. Amazing. I think my email has around 200 messages in it! When I ask, everyone says they personally use that many wipes in their stockpile, they aren't planning on selling them.

But it's been wild. I've started telling people I can only to 10 to a person, which sounds good, $20 in savings, right?

Most people are okay with it, some want MORE!

So, my random act of kindness to share what I can't use is, well, stressful. Serious coupon traders put wall street and minute traders to shame.

I'm still waiting to see if any member of our trains needs any before I donate them all to others and go back to having a normal life

Two new tear pads on my end...

50 cents Tyson ccanned or pouch chicken, any variety, exp. 8/31. Not marked DND.

$1 on two Sunships, Rold Fold, Lay-baked or Frito-Lay Light snacks, exp. 12/31/06

Turns out, they have a newsletter with coupons too!

http://www.ebfarm.com/News/Subscribe.aspx

to sign up.

They are a great source of organic produce, so for those of you looking for organic coupons, sign up. While you are at their site, make sure you take their quiz for a free coupon too!

For those of you debating the benefits of organic produce in the forums, this is a great site for accurate information.

(and to the person who posted that site members obviously didn't know anything about genetic modifications and crap in organics, um, I was splicing genes twenty years ago, and would be happy to bring you up to date the details of toxicology, pharmacology, chemistry, genetic alterations, and any other scientific or medical research on organic produce. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and already donated it to charity)

Hmmm. I've been so busy lately, I haven't even taken time to evaluate how much I've saved since I joined this site and started FOCUSING on saving.

I just looked over at my info, and realized between the "extra money" from the $20 challenge and the "grocery savings", I've saved over $10,000 since Jan. 1.

That doesn't include all the savings realized since October 1, when DH and I started this savings challenge.

This is one of those strange examples, where a financial crisis turns everything around for an even larger financial success.

We had just become complacent, not focused on spending, but completely ignoring our ability to save. Then an error at the bank, and we were living on no income and no access to savings for 6 months. So, back to our roots. Coupons, sales, STOP BUYING, STOP WASTING. A bit more thinking. We priced out Rx and saved $1K a month. We canceled magazines and memberships; ones we wanted to keep we canceled and found other ways to have them for free. We checked out rates, our insurance costs, our credit cards. Insulated the attic for free. Bought energy saver light bulbs for almost free. So many ways that money needlessly slips away while ones back is turned.

So, DH started adding it up. Besides the $10K saved in grocerys and the extra income trickling in, we've saved an extra...

$15K, in addition to the $10K. That's $25K that we normally would have spent, SAVED in six months! And, even though we knew many of the things to do before I joined the site, we weren't doing them!

Saving Advice really inspired us to think outside the box, reminded us of what we should have already been doing, and gave us new ideas. Everyone in the community has provided such friendly encouragement, good advice, and much appreciated support.

I might add, this savings was DESPITE having some major life crises, health issues, unforeseen expenses, and many barricades to "success".

I should be celebrating, but I still have mulch to lay...I want to claim that $4500 savings on Spring gardening!

If I can offer any encouragement, it's DON'T GIVE UP. I have been through a whirlwind. Emotional fire storms. I mean, how many times do you find out you have cancer, your dog has cancer, your father is not your father but BTW he is dying, your family abandons you, you have no income or access to savings...I haven't been through nearly as much as many of you. But hopefully it's been enough that you can see that you can have some financial successes, even in tough times.

My store manager gave me a pile, I have no use for them, and I'm not clear on the trains who uses Huggies or not.

They are $2 on ANY Huggies item, including wipes, diapers, bath...

If you are on our trains and use Huggies or wipes or have this on your wish list, give me a heads up and I will include them in your train, or a separate mailing if needed.

Peelies
$1 any Duncan Hines Signature Dessert Product exp 12/31/06

Activia Booklet
$1 on Dannon Activia 4 pack or larger, exp. 6/30/06

Tags
55 cents off Benissimo exp. 12/31/06

Tear Pads
Free Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies ($3) when you buy 2 Goldfish crackers exp. 7/31/06
$4 on Lamisil ($3 on cream and $1 on Lamisilk) exp. 1/31/08
$1 on three any Balance Bar, Nabisco Snack Pack, Nabisco to Go, or Barnum’s Animal Crackres, exp. 6/30/06

ALSO, Frito Lays informs me they have finally gotten Mark to address the Social Beauty Kit expired coupon issue, and if you received expired coupons after Jan, you should be receiving a replacement coupon packet, exp. 12/31/06