(MommyJD) My Very Own Amazing Race

I do not claim to be an extreme couponer by any means. My basement doesn't look like a Walgreens and I don't have a year's supply of toilet paper. But I would call myself an above average coupon shopper. For the last three years I have saved an average of 50% on all household purchases, including groceries, toiletries, and even clothes. Already this year I have used $675 in coupons. How do I do it? I read (or skim) a lot of coupon blogs and try to only buy things that are 1) on sale and 2) something I have a coupon for. I post the best deals that I find on my Tumblr, To Save or To Spend, which are also posted on our Momma Deals page.

A few months ago, I was talking to one of my good friends from law school about couponing and how some people hoard things that they don't even use. It seemed to us that the better alternative would be to use our coupon knowledge to spend little to nothing on items and donate them to charity. I mentioned that some of the blogs I follow do like to donate their excess purchases to the Samaritan's Purse international project, Operation Christmas Child. As our conversation evolved, we both got excited at the prospect of each of us shopping year round to pack boxes for OCC. To put an extra spin on it, we decided to make it a competition between the two of us to see who could pack the most boxes. Our monthly budget is $10 and our budget per box is $2.50. Using those numbers we set a goal to pack 48 boxes each. The only kicker is that every box needs an additional $7 for shipping. Any tips on how raise that money would be greatly appreciated!

Read more about our shopping adventures and frugal finds on our blog, Operation Amazing Coupon Race!