~~~ WELCOME  ~~~

Welcome to the THRIFTY BANDIT!  Follow my daily posts and I will show you how to make out like a bandit when you shop. 

I have lived in Western Washington my entire life and have been couponing for a couple years now.  My family and friends often ask me how I spend such little money on my groceries so I decided to start this blog to share with others my thrifty ways.

I was like many of you in my previous shopping life – I bought in bulk at Costco and shopped at Wal*Mart.  I thought I was getting the best deals around.  Boy, was I wrong.  There are some items I still purchase in bulk at Costco such as shredded parmesan cheese and minced garlic.  The majority of my shopping is now done at Albertsons and Walgreens.  I find great deals at Target and Wal*Mart from time to time as well.

I came across couponing by accident a couple years ago.  It was a Saturday night around Christmas time.  I just finished my Christmas decorating and needed some candles.  I wanted to know if Walgreens had votive candles on sale in the next weeks ad that started Sunday.  They didn’t have their new ad posted yet on their website.  I searched to see if it was available on the internet and stumbled across a couponing blog.  The folks on the blog were discussing how they got free toothpaste and free razors at Walgreens by matching coupons with store sales and promotions.  I dawned on me that if I can get just a couple free items each week, that maybe I can get most of my groceries for free.  Turns out, you can.  One week I may get refried beans, toilet paper, and bathroom cleaner for free.  The next week the free items could be margarine, shampoo, and cheese.

Can you get everything for free?  No, that would be next to impossible.  I still buy milk, fresh veggies, and fresh fruit on a weekly basis.  I look through the ad and only buy the veggies and fruit that are on sale and plan my meals around those.  I don’t mind paying for lettuce and strawberries if I got my body wash, paper towels, and pasta for free.