I have spent most of my life having to live on as little money as possible. It was an aspect of being a working single mom that I accepted. My mother also had to do the same.

Extreme couponing is a thing.

My mother was the queen of couponing long before extreme couponing became a trend. I remember her file folder in her purse that carried every coupon, the sheer number that she received from people, and how she would only buy from places that would double or triple coupons.

I am not like my mother in this aspect, but I am really good at stretching a penny into a dime nonetheless.

The art of the purchase.

I will use a real-life example from my business.

I recently purchased 18 skeins of yarn that are shirt quality for approximately $2 each. They were originally $6 each. The yarn was not only on sale through the manufacturer but I was able to use a 20% coupon to save even more off the already discounted yarn.

After shipping, this order came to $50. I paid about $40 for all of that yarn. Normally that would have cost around $108 with free shipping (orders over $100 are shipped for free).

I thank my mother every day for teaching me the art of getting by.

Would I still budget like this if I had the means to avoid it? I am not sure. I’ve had the poor person mentality my entire life because I have always had to use that approach to take care of my needs. However, I do wonder if I would just buy bigger things and still aim for as many discounts as possible. 🤔

There is a method to my madness, though.

All of my money goes to bills first. Always. It is the money I have left after the necessities are covered that goes out into the world for incidentals. My idea of a good time is going to a thrift store and finding things I can use for as little cost as possible.

My mother taught me to pay extra when possible to create a buffer on bills for emergencies. I have utilized that approach more often than not.

If you are into extreme couponing or live life buying by the sale, give me an example of some of your purchases. I am curious!