How will we ever make it without Wal-Mart?!?!

This was what I was thinking when we first moved to Key West about 6 mos. ago. In Utah, Wal-Mart was the closest grocery store to us, and we sometimes ended up there more than once a day. Not because I loved it, but more because it was convenient and I saw it as the cheapest place around.

I learned about couponing weeks before we were to move to FL, and realized the website I was planning on using out here didn't cover the stores in our area, so I was downtrodden. Not only was everything out here going to be more expensive, but it was looking like there wasn't going to be a way around it, other than trying to match coupons and sales myself. Until one day I stumbled upon a site called southernsavers.com, and found the solution to my problem.

Since learning about the plethora of websites dedicated to couponing I've been able to save more than I've spent nearly every shopping trip, and have actually had food in the grocery bags I've brought home when I've stuck to our budget. $50 in KW does NOT go very far when you're paying full price for everything.

"The hub" and I have made a goal of getting out of debt ASAP. We want to be debt free. That is our resolution for this year. That is the reason for this blog (that, and not wanting to disappoint loved ones who read our family blog for updates on our kids and not on my shopping trips, which is what I've been dying to rave about lately; I've needed an outlet and I think I've found it here). This is not going to be a site where I update you on all the deals there are out there every day, or necessarily on how I get the deals I do, but more it's just a place for me to track our progress on achieving our goal. I think it'll be more motivating if I think that someone out there is keeping tabs on me, even if I don't have any idea who you are.

So here goes. As of this minute, this is where our debt lies, in all its miserable, interest-accruing glory:

$------------.---

So ugly. But motivating, at the same time. We will make you go away. We will make you turn from red to green. We will do it by 12/31/10. And we will have fun along the way. Here's to cutting ties with creditors, here's to sacrifice, here's to freedom!

(UPDATE: After talking it over with the hub, we decided it would be in our best interest to not disclose the (relatively) substantial amount of debt that we have, that in our American culture is deemed appropriate to have, but that doesn't in reality make it pleasant or acceptable to have. So, I think from here on out I will disclose the numbers I feel pertinent. My apologies if this has caused me to lose any of my loyal readers (ha!) .)