Before The Frugal Muse: Guest Post By Kristen H.

A Big "Thank You" To Kristen, who submitted this as a guest post for us all to enjoy! I'm so thankful that some of the savings tips here at The Frugal Muse has helped Kristen and her family!

Before The Frugal Muse….. I paid retail for diapers… I might use a coupon if I remembered to bring it…

I now save coupons and stock up when there’s a big sale.



Before The Frugal Muse….. I didn’t even know that you could use a store AND a manufacturers coupon on the SAME item!

I am now bummed that Wal-Mart doesn’t have store coupons because I can save so much more elsewhere using both…



Before The Frugal Muse….. I might use a coupon, but pare it with a sale? If I was lucky!

I now can leave the store saving more than I spent…



Before The Frugal Muse….. I rarely shopped at Walgreens. It was much more pricey than Wal-Mart…

I now shop Walgreens and other “expensive” stores using manufacturer and store coupons, often leaving with the cashier still unsure if the computer had malfunctioned because of my total! ;)



Before The Frugal Muse….. I shopped Target – but didn’t save very much!

I now wish we had a Target closer – because I consistently save a significant amount combining manufacturer and store coupons with sales and clearance items – I recently spent $8 on $65 worth of stuff.



Before The Frugal Muse….. I began to panic when Thanksgiving rolled around and Christmas shopping barely had a dent in it…

I am now finishes with one child and well underway for the other two (including a Leap Frog Didj and four Didj games that I got for $40 (versus the $200+ retail)



Before The Frugal Muse….. I would pick up cleaning supplies as needed…

I now currently have 156 of the expensive dishwasher tabs in reserve. (And only paid $5.94 for them -- $41.04 retail!)



Before The Frugal Muse….. I would cringe when my husband told me his list of hygiene items that he was in need of – deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash, body soap, shampoo, etc.

I now can smile as I walk to our “stockpile” and hand him everything on his list.



Before The Frugal Muse….. I wasn’t too excited about the lists that came home from school, church, etc. for hygiene items for the needy. Don’t they know how expensive they are?

I recently sent a shopping bag full of hygiene items full for a church missions trip and didn’t have to run out and put a dent in our budget at all!


Before The Frugal Muse….. I loathed the Box Tops for Education program. Don’t they realize those don’t come on the Great Value and Equate boxes?

I now have about 40 Box Tops (plus the ones that I haven’t clipped yet) already for the start of the school year from items from the past two months….


Before The Frugal Muse….. I would have apologized to the person behind me for using five coupons and taking so long.

I now hold my head high as the cashier scans my two inch stack of coupons and begin telling the people that it was worth it for the $50 or more dollars I just saved (and watch as they scramble into their purses to find something to write down the Frugal Muse address).


Thank you, Cherissa, for all the hardwork and time you spend sharing your “secrets” with the rest of us, so that we can also learn to be home economists for our families. I still have a long way to go and so much more to learn, but I am well on my way. J