Learn to Save Money NOW at our Live Chat with Top 25 Couponing & Money Saving Mom Blogger Melea! TODAY at 1p.m. PST/4p.m. EST!

Jolene - posted on 05/01/2012

@shelly that is exactly my problem. I still want to find ways to save on my grocery bill yet have the fresh raw healthy foods....i try to buy in season but it's not always a sure way it seems...just seems like everything is going up in price!!!

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

@jocelyn: I totally believe it is! Espeically after breaking down how much you could be making your family each week just by couponing. But, more than that, it actually gave our family room to put money away for savings!! And, believe it or not, we have paid off our debt because of couponing!

Tammy - posted on 05/01/2012

I love couponing and thanks to blogs and facebook it has made it alot easier and I save alot more

Barbara - posted on 05/01/2012

Same here!!!

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

@jolene: I totally hear you! There are a lot of junk food coupons. But coupons for fruits and veggies, bread and even meat do come. They are just a little more rare to find. If you are eating on the really healthy side, I recommend people to use coupons for all of the Beauty/Cleaning and Paper Goods items instead. That way, the money you are saving on all of those household items will help you with the more expensive healthier items and even out a bit.

Jolene - posted on 05/01/2012

melea doing the part time job break down is a great way to look at it!

Shelly - posted on 05/01/2012

The problem I have with couponing is that I eat healthy, and there are few coupons for real food. Coupons are almost exclusively for junk food - things that are highly processied and at best have virtually no nutritional value and at worst are very harmful.

Jocelyn - posted on 05/01/2012

I was getting into it a bit, but then stopped myself by asking myself the exact question addressed above, "Is it REALLY worth the time?"

Jolene - posted on 05/01/2012

the problem I have with coupons is that they are not usually for anything I need OR they are for stuff that aren't healthy for you. I usually only see coupons for crackers/cookies/pet supplies/tide....stuff I don't use :(( I feel the only ones I get any use out of are the pampers coupons

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

I know math isn't everyone's strong point.. but I wanted to break down those Coupon Savings costs like you were working a part-time job to coupon. Hopefully that will help show you guys why couponing rocks!!

Iif you are spending 10 Hours per week on coupons, that is 520 hours per year. Divide that by your $6,000 Coupon Savings. If you considered couponing a part-time job, you would be making $11.54 per hour to coupon!!

If you only spend 8 Hours per week on coupons, that is 416 hours per year. Divide that by your $6,000 Coupon Savings. If you considered couponing a part-time job, you would be making $14.42 per hour to coupon!!

Meghan - posted on 05/01/2012

That's some incredible insight, Melea! I never knew couponing could save so much money.

Moms, now it's time for YOU to sound off! Our question for you is: what are your favorite budget-friendly dinner plans?

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

@kamesha: I've done that a few times too!! LOL

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

Have any of you had experience couponing? Please share!!

Kamesha - posted on 05/01/2012

I receive coupon all the time problem is.... always forget them at home. lol

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

In one year of the Sunday paper, you can see about $8,000 worth of coupons. Now, I definitely don’t use all of them. And you won’t either. So, let’s say that you used only 1/3 of the coupons. That’s a savings of $2667 a year! Let’s be even more conservative and say you only use 1/4 of the coupons. That’s still a savings of $2000 a year for ONE COPY of the Sunday Paper! If you get 3 copies, you would easily save $6,000 a year on your grocery bill. Isn't that crazy??

Meghan - posted on 05/01/2012

That's great, Melea. I wonder if any of the other moms here have any experience with couponing?

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

Yes, it does take time to clip coupons. But, I've done a little math to help it make sense for all of you who are considering starting! :)

Toni - posted on 05/01/2012

Hi! excited to be here! :)

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

One of the questions I get asked all of the time is if couponing is really worth the time it takes. If you aren't a couponer, I will say that it is one of the BEST things I ever did for my family. Just a little bit of our story... we had just had our first little girl and I decided to be a stay at home Mom and quit my job. All of a sudden we were on 1 income instead of 2 and we had to make cuts somewhere. So, I figured the only thing I could do was be really smart with the money we did have...and that is when I really started to look into couponing and if it really would make a difference.

Meghan - posted on 05/01/2012

I know that Melea received a lot of questions in advance of the chat, so I think we'll kick off with her addressing one of those. Melea, take it away! :)

Riche - posted on 05/01/2012

Thanks so much!

Kathleen - posted on 05/01/2012

I'm ready!! And excited to begin :)

Meghan - posted on 05/01/2012

And, welcome Melea! We know you've got a bunch of great tips and helpful advice for all of us today!

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

Not sure why my profile pic isn't showing up. :) But that's ok! Let's get started!

Meghan - posted on 05/01/2012

@Riche Miller, yes, the thread will remain here!

Jolene - posted on 05/01/2012

glad there was a fb reminder!!! :)) i was looking forward all weekend to learning some useful info :D

Melea - posted on 05/01/2012

Hey everyone! And thanks for inviting me to chat on Circle of Moms. This should be fun!

Riche - posted on 05/01/2012

Looking forward to this chat! Will the thread remain here for later reference? I may have to jump off for a bit and don't want to miss out on the great info that is shared!!!

Barbara - posted on 05/01/2012

Sounds good, always looking for good tips and idea's!!!

Jocelyn - posted on 05/01/2012

Great!! Thank you for sharing this time with us!

Kamesha - posted on 05/01/2012

nice, just what I need!!

Meghan - posted on 05/01/2012

You'll want to click "refresh" to view the latest in the thread!