My 100th Post!!

Yeah! I never would have guessed I would get to 100 posts so quickly. I started this blog just over two months ago. It is a lot of fun. I have met some neat people through blogging. I have learned a lot about blogging and finding deals in that time.

I have learned that it pays to keep a blog list. I am constantly coming up with things that I think I would like to post about, and by the time that I get around to posting, I have forgotten what I wanted to post about. I've started to write things down so that I can remember them.

It is fun to participate in events on other websites. I enjoy participating in recipe swaps, I think it is about 3 per week that I currently participate in - Mmm Mondays (which is moving to Wednesdays) over at Mommies with Cents, the recipe swap over at The Grocery Cart Challenge, and the occasional recipe swap at Life As Mom. I have found some really good recipes by participating. I enjoy regular features like Toolin' Up Tuesday at Life as Mom, Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer and Frugal Friday over at Biblical Womanhood. The $5 CVS Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First is a great way to find the small deals at CVS that I might otherwise look over as I'm trying to figure out how to use the $10/$50 or the $5/$30 coupons that I get on my receipt or e-mail. Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie is a great way to get inspiration for meal planning and find recipes to try.

Blogging can be a huge time stealer. Not just the time I put into thinking up and typing up my posts, but the time that I spend reading other blogs. I've learned a lot from reading other blogs. I have learned new tricks and tips through some of the features on the blogs I read. I have learned to be more organized in my couponing and to plan my shopping so as to maximize the deals.

As a result of trying be more organized, I spend a lot more time planning my trips to CVS. I want to post the best scenario I can, so as to help others, and I want to get the best deals I can, because I am excited about the amount of money I am able to save by planning and stockpiling. I find that I spend a lot less OOP than I used to at CVS and now that I have the hang of it, I don't buy things that I don't need/use. Early on, I did occasionally buy things I wouldn't use and wound up giving them away, but this is money I could have used for another deal.

I have signed up for Feed Burner and am fascinated by seeing where the visitors to this blog come from. I remember the first time that someone found my site through search. I couldn't believe it was true, but I typed the phrase into my search bar and there I was, fourth or fifth on the results list. That was pretty cool in my opinion.

In celebration of 100 posts, watch for a coupon giveaway early next week. I need to sort through and make sure I don't have any too close to expiration in the mix and then I will post the giveaway.

Thanks!