Spending More to Save More Part 3

So, we have already looked at how you may have to spend more initially to start a garden. But then you can save by growing your own food!
And we have looked at how you may have to initially spend more on food so you can buy and prepare food in bulk, but then you will save on not eating out or buying pre-packaged foods.
Today we are going to look at another way you may have to spend more in order to save more. This is a little different though as we will look at spending more time in order to save more money. And if we all think the same here, time is money in today's world!
If I am going to spend time finding coupons on line, clipping coupons from the newspaper, and shopping at several stores instead of just getting everything at one store, I want to know that what I am saving is worth the time I have put into these savings! If you think your time is valuable, you'll want to know this for sure.
Since last month was my first full month of fully engaging in the world of blogging and couponing and such, I decided that I would take a few minutes and input everything into a spreadsheet so I could see what I was actually saving. Now, I did not actually calculate my exact time spent on everything I did, but I have a rough idea, and now I have a solid idea of my spending and saving ratio. I got the idea of the spreadsheet from The Coupon Project here. It was great for me to look at all that I actually got as well as what I actually spent and saved over the month. Now, as much as I want to look at my numbers and see that I saved over 50%, I have to realized that much of that savings is because some stores mark proces up SO much, that then when they put the item on sale and you have a coupon, it jacks up the saving %. I know I have to take this into account, but I also know that I would not ever buy this product from this store if it were normal price for that store, but with the discounts, it's a great deal, for any store!
If you do engage in the ever-growing population of frugal moms, make sure that it is worth your time! It may take more time initially, but as you get used to the process and you develop a system that works well for you (and you have tracked that you are saving enough that makes it worth you time), you will find you love saving money!