Actually, that's how much I saved in 2007 by buying items on sale and using coupons.

I began tracking my savings Jan. 1 because people kept asking how much I saved by being a very frugal shopper.

I was sure that my savings would add up to thousands of dollars. But even I was surprised by the results.

For the past year, I tracked my savings on all the things I bought on sale: groceries, clothes, household items and even stuff for my October wedding.

I also logged every cent I saved with coupons, whether it was a grocery store or department store coupon.

When the tally was in (well, up until Friday), the breakdown was $2,367.74 saved buying items on sale and $2,149.84 saved using coupons. Total: $4,517.58.

I didn't know that buying items on sale would account for so much of my savings. But that's a good thing: Even if you hate clipping coupons, you can save a substantial amount of money simply by trying to buy things on sale.

Even if you think that items on sale don't count -- which some of you told me over the course of the year -- the coupon savings are real.

My savings adds up to a mortgage payment or maybe two, a down payment on a car or $2,000 to put toward my student-loan balance.

So as the nation enters the new year with mounting consumer debt, a crisis in the mortgage industry and a rising default rate on credit cards, I encourage you to think about how you shop.

It amazes me that people are willing to pay full price for everything they buy.

At the food store, I often have to resist the urge to stop shoppers I see in line and give them coupons.

I realize, of course, that it is your choice whether or not to clip.

I understand that folks with children and other obligations have less time to commit than I do.

But if you spend an hour a week clipping coupons and look at the sale flier from your favorite store, you should be able to shave $20 a week off your grocery bill.

And $20 a week times 52 weeks is $1,040. I bet if I offered you $1,040, you'd take that, too.