Money Matters

If you had told me a few years ago that I could have gotten a brand new car seat for only .56 cents, I would have never believed you! But that's exactly what we paid for Braden's new car seat this past November. I have to give most of the credit to my quest to learn how to manage my (our) money better. It has caused me to take a little extra time to consider if there is some other way to get things for less. It all started with a $25 BabiesRUs gift card from some family members. I knew Braden's current car seat was about to expire, so I began researching car seats to decide what kind we wanted to purchase and what store sold it for less. I came to the conclusion that I couldn't beat the deal we would get at BabiesRUs--considering the fact that we already had a $25 head start. I asked my husband to redeem some of our reward points from our Chase card in order to get another $25 BabiesRUs gift card. A few weeks later, I headed to the store with my 2 gift cards in hand. Because of my growing understanding of coupons, it dawned on me that BabiesRUs might take one of my BuyBuyBaby coupons for 20% off one item. On the way there, I also discovered yet another gift card in my wallet that I must have gotten when Braden was born. I thought it must have had only $1-2 left on it, but found out later that it had just over $9 on it. I shopped for a little while and finally decided on a car seat that cost $79.99. It was exactly what we wanted and needed for our little 3-year-old! At the register, I asked her if she would take the competitor coupon for 20% off and I was thrilled to hear her say, "Yes!" I then handed her my 3 gift cards and was left with a balance of .56 cents. Not bad for a brand new car seat!!! I'm so thankful for all that I have learned in the couponing world since it has taught me look for ways to save--even outside the grocery store!