Thrify Thursdays

Ok, this is one that I am really excited about. Remember it was coupon blogs that first introduced me to the world of blogging.

On Thursdays I am going to blog about the deals I have found throughout the week. Honestly, this topic would be most helpful on Sunday after you get your Sunday newspaper's coupons, but lets face it "Savings Sunday" just doesn't have the same ring to it as "Thrifty Thursday". But no fear, I will have thrifty alerts throughout the week to let you in on deals as I come aware of them. To participate in these deals you will want to start saving up your Sunday newspaper's coupons now. If I remember correctly from last year, January is one of the best months for coupons because you will find lots of coupons for healthy food products.

I will only be posting about the "best" deals I find in our local stores: Kroger, Walgreens, Target, and Walmart. For a more extensive list of deals in your area I recommend the following websites http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ (don't forget me, if you sign up), http://www.moneysavingmom.com/, and http://www.thethriftymama.com/- these are just a few of my favorites but there are TONS more couponing sites out there.
Plus I need your help. If you find a deal please let me know so I can pass it on!


I am also going to use Thrifty Thursday to stay accountable to my budget. I am probably the biggest nerd in America- but I LOVE budgeting. I love figuring out the best way to allot our family's income and the challenge of seeing if I can stay in or even under the set budget. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the blog http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/ This woman has an annual budget of $800 dollars to feed herself and her four girls for the whole year! It is incredible! Every week she chronicles her shopping trips and expenses and keeps a record of her $800 count down. She finished 2008 with $7 and some change and has a goal to do it again this year. Can you imagine?


Well, you know my DRS made me want to do it too! Now I am realistic enough to know that $800 is not going to cut it for our family; but I am going to challenge myself to an annual budget of $5000. This budget will cover all food, toiletry, house cleaning, and OTC medicines I buy. I know my goal is not near as impressive as Jane's but it will still be a BIG challenge for me to keep my weekly expenses to less then $100 per week. Hope you will watch me try and even join in on the challenge. Gotta go... Just found out about an exciting giveaway on Jane's website!