[momto3boyz]

I have been couponing for about 10 months. We are a family of 5, with two teens and a young one. We used to buy whatever we wanted, whenever and my bill was about $1600 a month. I kept records and did all the accounting. Our goal is $500 per month. After couponing for a few months, I see that some months we are higher and some we are lower. I wait for the triples and stock up. I like Bloom(for triples), SFW and Safeway (loved the Living Well sales). I have enough dish detergent for a year, enough pasta to last 6 months. Frozen veggies are a cheap alternative when cooking with pasta. I bought loads of whole chicken when it was on sale at Bloom for .59 per lb and put it in the freezer. The rest of the meats I get at BJs. This summer, we are growing tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers, zucchini, summer squash, peas ... in our garden and we live close to DC! I even have herbs in containers on my deck. I am hoping that we can freeze these (in the .25/box Hefty One Zips from Food Lion!). My next step will be to cut our expenses down to $300/month. I am still learning how to use CATs to cut down expenses.