How cheap are you?

You know, I think it's clear to most people who know me that I have not achieved Domestic Goddess status. In fact, if you were to walk into my house right now, you would be horrified. I didn't finish loading the dishwasher; I didn't finish sorting, folding, or putting away the laundry; and I didn't put away half the junk I bought from Target tonight. There is stuff everywhere. And, I will confess, there always is. (Did you know my nickname was Messy Jessy growing up? One of several, actually.)
Yeah, so it's safe to say that I've skipped more than my share of homemaking lessons, but I am not a complete failure yet. No, I can do exactly 2 things fairly well, and here they are:
1. Cook a decent meal. I do this most nights, most weeks. That, however, does not mean that my children always eat a decent meal. In fact, half the time Ryan walks in with a fast food bag in his hand because he skipped lunch and was too hungry to drive all the way home to eat. Oh well. I can cook, though, and I count that high on my list of domestic achievements. Since there are only two, I guess that's not saying much.
2. Save/stretch a buck. Please do not read that and assume I am telling you I'm always super frugal. I wouldn't mislead you in that way. Believe me, I spend plenty; it's just that I love to get the most out of my money, so I am always on the lookout for a great deal. Lately, I've been a little obsessed, and poor Ryan has to pretend to be excited about it all as I go through how much each item costs and how much I saved. I can't imagine why he's not doing cartwheels. . .

Okay, so I told you all that just to tell you about a couple things I've been doing. Not because you'll care that much, but because I'm super stoked about them. And maybe you'll be stoked, too, and then I'll feel validated.

So, for one, I've been a coupon clipper for a long time. Until recently I had been a lapsed coupon clipper, but I've repented and changed my ways. I'm now devoted. In fact, I will soon be ordering extra copies of the paper to get more coupons. And subscribing to AllYou magazine, which is always full of high value coupons. (Why does this make me feel so darned nerdy??)

Also, I follow certain blogs which help you match sales to coupons and special promotions. My favorites are this one and this one. I gotta tell you, though, it takes a while to pick up the lingo. It's like joining a new church or learning parliamentary procedure. Once you've got the hang of it, you can quickly weed through and figure out what will work for you. Some stores are regional and there are blogs for those, too. So if you're a Publix shopper (I miss Publix!!) or you have CVS or RiteAID, you can find blogs for those stores, too.

So, the idea is to match coupons to sales and never pay more than half price for things other than produce, milk, and meat. In fact, if you play your cards right, you can get lots of stuff for free, especially from the drug stores. I'll move on. . . .

Recently, when I had quit couponing, I went to a class taught by a local cheapskate who is a master couponer. She was so full of useful info and suggestions, and I was totally inspired to start it all over again, but bigger and better. So, here is one tip she gave me that I would never have done before, but I love it and am so glad I did. Ready?

Swagbucks. Have you heard of them? Swagbucks.com is a website. You can register for free, and when you use it for searching online, you'll be randomly awarded bucks. You let them accumulate in your account, and you can trade them in for all sorts of things. My favorite things to use them for are gift cards. I've been doing it for a month, and I've earned enough for $25 at Amazon and $10 at CafePress. Now, I know that isn't a ton of money, but that's not really the idea. The point is, you don't do anything you normally wouldn't do, but you earn a little bit along the way. I am hoping to save up enough in my Amazon account to buy a Christmas gift or two. And at CafePress, I will probably buy Ryan this clock for his office wall next week.That way, when I call to nag him about what time he's coming home, it will feel fun for him. I think that's a good plan.

Obviously, this lady really got me all goofed up to save some money, and I could go on, but I won't. If you're interested, let me know and I'll send you all the info she sent me. For now, if you're interested in SwagBucks, look at the top, right hand side of this page for the SwagBucks swidget and click signup. I think that will work. If not, let me know, and I'll help you do it. Also, now through Friday, use the code SwagToSchool for an extra 20 in your account when you sign up.

That's all I've got. But I want to know how you cheap you are. What do you do to save a buck? And do you actually save what you save, or do you spend it later? That's what I'll be working on later. . .