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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Story of Loudoun County Limbo

I don't know about you guys but Triple Coupons at Harris Teeter this month about wore me out. I went shopping on 6 of the 7 days last week, and according to my cash register receipts I save a total of  $588.02!

I decided to take a little break from posting match-ups today, and instead tell you the story of Loudoun County Limbo:

I lived in West Africa, in the country of Niger, from 2006 to 2009.  There were two ways to shop in Niger:

1) Go to the local market and spend hours bargaining in French in the 100 degree heat.


2) Go to one of the three western style supermarkets, where everything was very expensive because it was imported from Europe or the United States.



My French was not good, so I normally did the latter. A box a corn flakes cost $5.00 and I dreamed of retuning to the U.S. where I could comparison shop and use coupons.

Imagine my surprise when we moved to Loudoun County, Virginia in 2009 and I found that box of corn flakes here also cost $5.00! I was determined to pay less and set out to teach myself the secrets of couponing and refunding.  

Loudoun County Cost of Living
Comparison to the average Cost of Living in the U.S.        
 
Aldie
Ashburn
Hamilton
Leesburg
Lovettsville
Middleburg
Purcellville
Round Hill
South Riding
Waterford
164%
163%
145%
153%
143%
171%
159%
158%
167%
204%
 Shopping in Loudoun County
   


It took a few months to learn the ropes and accumulate a stockpile before I got to the point where I was able to feed my family of five (including three teenagers and two dogs) on a budget of $50.00 per week. That included all of our household and health and beauty products.
 
After about 8 months of doing this, I decided to start a blog and share this information with others. However, I wanted my blog to be different from other coupon blogs in two ways:

1) I wanted it to focus on deals in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and feature match-ups to the coupons in the Washington Post. I found I wasted a lot of time trying to find regional coupons that didn't exist or were a different denomination from what I had read about on-line, and I wanted to save others the trouble.

2) I wanted it to feature the very best deals out there.  The more I blogged, the more I realized that most blogs are not about saving you money, but are about making money for the blogger.  Many coupon sites feature coupons and ads for things that may or may not be a great deal, but that blogger gets paid every time you click on them.  I wanted to cut out all the ads and trash, and only publish things that were a genuine value.

 

We have lived on this budget now for three years, and I have found that the more I wheel and deal, the better I get. I learn something new every week and I am so thrilled that my hobby keeps me interested, helps others AND saves our family money.  Best of all, I love hearing from Loudoun County Limbo readers.  Write when you get a chance and let me know how low you can go!



10 comments:

  1. I'm paying 158% more than the average American? That's crazy! Thank you God for leading me to your blog then! This was a cool post--keep 'em coming!

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  2. Thanks, Diana - what is amazing to me is that Purcellville is more expensive, and that Waterford cost more than Middleburg to live in!

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  3. Thanks for sharing. I just did a web search and found I pay 148% more in Fairfax County. Yikes! I am very thankful to have found this site. I can relate on so many levels - except maybe the living in Africa part ;-)

    For me several roads intersected * having to take care of an elderly family member and that exorbant expense * one spouse self -emplyed so paycheck is never steady * being furloughed in the private sector after 15 years of service. Our double income stagnant paychecks were never quite enough to cover the increasing bills and prices at the store and gas station. Couponing was the only way to make ends meet. Now couponing is a way of life. We have plenty of food in the stockpile and some money in the bank.

    I read your blog several times a day and find all the information very useful. There are several things I love about your blog but the two that stand out the most is 1) you are local 2) you blog about everyday savings for everyday families. I don't need to read about a stockiling coupon deal for 200 mustards. Or how someone took 4 hours to check out and cleared the shelves. I want to read how average family is couponing and local deals they find.

    You opened my eyes to the red coke caps on the ground and bonus codes, stockpile dinner recipes, Cloudy with Meatballs II deal, Food Lion gas receipts lol lol, Harris Teeters local match ups for the double/triple coupon events, Physicians Formula rebate peelies, and soooooo much more. Thanks for this blog and all you do.

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  4. Thanks for all you do, I check you site frequently more like daily! I also live in Loudoun county (Southriding/Aldie). And yes, it is not cheap to live here!

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  5. Theresa,

    Such an interesting article.

    I look at your site daily. I get so excited when you post a deal that can help me save money or get something for free. My daughter recently became a graduate student at Marymount and the cost of living in that area was overwhelming. I encourage her to look at your site (especially for Harris Teeter deals). She does coupon when she has time and feels good about saving money. Hopefully, when she has a family of her own, she will continue and even expand her couponing techniques. Thanks for posting your deals. You have helped so many people save money and we appreciate you so much for taking the time to do this!

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  6. I just found you recently and I love reading your posts. It was great to learn a little more about you. I have been blogging about the same amount of time for some of the same reasons. I don't post the deals and coupon match ups so I love reading yours. I was exhausted by triples too but it was also because I missed the beginning and had to catch up :)

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  7. Thank you all so much for your comments! It is your feedback that keeps me posting every day!!

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  8. I have been reading your blog for a while now as well. You are definitely the best source of local deals and I LOVE that you post the coupons we actually get! I just sent your blog to http://loudounlocal.com/ to put in their directory of local blogs too.

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  9. I have been reading your blog for a while now as well. You are definitely the best source of local deals and I LOVE that you post the coupons we actually get! I just sent your blog to http://loudounlocal.com/ to put in their directory of local blogs too.

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  10. Hi Courtney -
    Thank you so much for doing that!
    I was not familiar with the site.
    Theresa

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