Today we’re going to hear from Cathy, who emailed me last month to let me know that she hit a VERY impressive milestone – she and her husband paid off their house! This is one of my big goals so I asked her to write in for the Reader Spotlight which she graciously agreed to do. I can’t wait to hear her story, so I’ll let her take it away…

On August 5th, 2010, my husband and I became debt free!!  The wire transfer to pay off our house went winging through space and fulfilled a dream that I never thought would happen. In four years we have refinanced our house, consolidated bills to pay off three credit cards, paid off a student loan, and even purchased a few appliances when the old ones completely quit working. This wasn’t something I could even imagine four years ago, and now it’s a reality! Over these four years, my husband and I have completely changed our way of thinking about money and our spending and saving habits.
It all began Christmas four years ago.  I had just left a local store after purchasing $100 of make-up and perfume I was not sure I needed or wanted, and I knew that the way I spent and handled money had to change. After Christmas I sat down and figured out our bills and got scared and determined.  I knew I had to get control of our money and pay off those debts.  I started researching ways to save and came across a super simple idea: coupons.  I could not remember ever using a coupon in my life but was willing to try.  So my journey began.
I started with a free trial of well-known program that matched my sales and coupons.  I did have to pay for the site but it was worth it.  After about 6 months I realized I could get this information for free from other sites.  So I cancelled my membership and started matching the sales and coupons myself. I bought as much food as I could when on sale and stockpiled.   In a few years I had a couple of pantries of food, two freezers full of meat, and paper goods in the basement.
But coupons were only a small part of the plan. The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzn became my money-saving bible.  I read and reread this book and tried a number of different things to cut our expenses: I cooked basic meals out of my pantry instead of buying specialty ingredients that we’d only use for one or two meals. I went to yard sales, thrift stores, and consignment stores when before I’d go to department stores and the mall.  Pretty soon my husband noticed all my efforts and jumped on the bandwagon.  He started researching and deal-hunting before any major purchase so that we could spend as little as possible for the things that we needed and wanted.
I did a lot of little things to save a few pennies, which then grew into dollars. I bought surge protectors for all the electronics in our house (with the exception of the computers), and turned off all our electronics when they weren’t in use.  I turned off the water when I brushed my teeth and while I washed dishes.  I have always taken my work clothes to be dry cleaned, but I tried handwashing and/or the delicate cycle instead.  I started learning new skills like basic sewing and mended my own clothes.  I expanded my baking skills beyond the basic box mixes and made brownies, candy, and cupcakes for Christmas and birthdays.  Surprisingly, they went over better than a store bought gifts!
This isn’t to say that everything I tried worked out – this was a process of figuring out what worked for us and what didn’t. I tried my hand at bread making but found it too time consuming. I had hoped to start a garden this spring and can some of my own food but that also did not work out. I even experimented with a navy shower but that did not last long.  There are some things that a girl cannot sacrifice and for me that is my long, hot shower!
When we paid off one bill we snowballed the money into the next largest debt.  Pretty soon we were living on my husband’s salary and my whole paycheck was going into the savings loan. Any unexpected money that came our way – profit sharing checks, money made on the side, or rebates – were put toward our effort in one way or another.
I do not want anyone to think that all of this made for a nose to the grindstone, no-fun life.  In these four years we have changed our attitude about money and learned to be content with what we have and to live within our means.  I was able to sleep at night as the economy got worse because I knew we could weather the bad times. It might sound like a cliche, but my husband and I had really discovered how to take pleasure in the simple things in life!
Now, I know that what we have done will not work for everyone.  We are a two income, no children family and we both have good jobs that have weathered the recession so I know that we are incredibly blessed.  But I’m sure that everyone can use some of these tips as they work toward their own goals of financial freedom. I’ve got to tell you, it’s a great feeling!

Thanks so much for sharing, Cathy! Your story is an inspiration for all of us, no matter what financial goal we’re working towards!
In order to keep this new feature going, you all are going to have to volunteer to tell us all about something YOU do when you are couponing!! Your post can be about almost anything to do with couponing. You can tell us about a particularly good or bad situation you’ve dealt with as a couponer, about how you got into couponing or how couponing has impacted the rest of your life, you can make a list of things every new couponer should know…just about anything, really! If you think it’s interesting and it has to do with couponing, email me with your idea at contactiheartpublix @ gmail.com!