The Power of Coupons

I've mentioned before I've been working on a project for my cousin.  She lives 1000 miles away so this is a big deal for us!  Somewhere in talking we decided to do a swap, and that was about 3 months ago? She's bringing me things I would have to pay full price for (which I despise!!!) and I was putting together a box of things for her that she would have to come out of pocket for as well.   Neither one of us are rich by any means, and we both garden in order to supplement our budgets.  I'm showing this "work in progress" for a few reasons:

1. Couponing has and will continue to be such a blessing for my family.  It is a lot of work, but all of those free razors and deodorants and shampoos are the things that really break the grocery budget at the end of the day if you don't coupon.  Being able to buy and donate or give to others has given me an opportunity that I could not afford otherwise.

2. Couponing gives me a sense of power that I could never have as a SAHM not making any money.  When things are super tight in my household (say we need a new set of tires for the vehicle), I know that we can pay cash for that and rely on our stock to make it through those tough times.  Or use a money-maker in order to buy milk and produce.  Our personal finance goal is to always live within our means, even with the unexpected expenses.  

So, here it is for those of you that asked:

I've still got a month to go, and will be adding to this, but for now I call this $9 out of pocket.  Don't get me wrong, I pulled 5 vitamins, 2 packs of razors, 3 body wash, and 4 shampoos from my personal stock-BUT the rest has been from the last few months. I'm hoping it's enough for her family for a year.

My goal is to add to "the box" and make it a total of $0 spent.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Seriously, who knows what deals and money-makers will pop up!