I had a great shopping trip at Rite Aid that made me giddy.  I bought a pack of Huggies, a Bottle of Water Babies, and some Veet for $3.08; $1.61 was tax!  I know this isn’t quite a golden scissor moment, but this is the type of transaction that keeps me motivated to use coupons.

This year I started tracking our expenses using “My Savings & Shopping Tracker” from Fistful of Coupons {now Happy Money Saver}.  Those cents and dollars off add up quick.  If I’ve been short of those amazing shopping trips and need motivation I glance at my summary page and gain encouragement.  I’ve saved $800 this year!  I’m getting better at keeping costs down.  I make a real effort to only buy the great deals if we need them or if I have a plan for what to do with the item.

Meal planning is essential for keeping costs down.  I’m on a meal planning roller coaster.  I haven’t hit my groove yet.  Some weeks we do great and others are no hitters.   I found a great free meal planning website which I tell everyone about; MealsMatter.org.  I’ve made a few schedules, uploaded our favorite recipes, but I haven’t made a habit of using it consistently yet; it could make a big difference for us if I did.  One of my goals is to create a monthly meal plan.  I’d love to look at the calendar and see what’s for dinner!

Updated 5*15*2011: Fistful of Coupons is now Happy Money Saver.  Fixed broken links.