Coupons
I've decided to start couponing. (It's a verb now.) I have a friend who's been doing this for over a year, so I got advice from her. It all basically boils down to using a manufacturer's coupon plus a store coupon plus a sale for one item. The trick is doing your research to find where those deals are. There are many blogs out there that do the research for you, but they have so much of what I don't need, that right now I'm doing the searching myself.
Fortunately, we are not having financial problems. We are doing just as well as ever, but I want a new kitchen. Since I don't believe in taking out loans for something like that and since I hate paying interest, I chose to save the money ahead of time for my new kitchen. Because I'm not struggling, clipping coupons is fun and kind of a game. I am not stressed at the register thinking I'll have to put something back on the shelf because I can't afford it if the coupon doesn't go through.
Just so you know, my mom thinks I'm crazy. She loves getting a good deal (translation: she's cheap), but she HAD to clip coupons for years, so now that she finally doesn't have to, she probably won't be joining me in my new hobby. (It reminds me of how Vicky had to dry the clothes out on a line all those years, so now she refuses to do it. Now that she has a dryer, she's gonna use it!)
Last week I saved $35 and today (thanks to the Sunday paper), I saved $29 at just one store! My friend who's been doing this a long time says she usually saves 50% or more at grocery stores and at CVS she usually saves 80% or more. Whoa! That's going to be my goal. Just today, my $29 savings were 54% of the total bill. I'm getting the hang of this!
Side note: it's definitely tempting to buy a ton of stuff I don't need just for the discount or because it's free, but then I'd be no better than those people on "Extreme Couponing" on TLC that are basically hoarders. I have no desire to go down that road and my savings totals may not be as big as they could be, but I'm only buying what we need.
Fortunately, we are not having financial problems. We are doing just as well as ever, but I want a new kitchen. Since I don't believe in taking out loans for something like that and since I hate paying interest, I chose to save the money ahead of time for my new kitchen. Because I'm not struggling, clipping coupons is fun and kind of a game. I am not stressed at the register thinking I'll have to put something back on the shelf because I can't afford it if the coupon doesn't go through.
Just so you know, my mom thinks I'm crazy. She loves getting a good deal (translation: she's cheap), but she HAD to clip coupons for years, so now that she finally doesn't have to, she probably won't be joining me in my new hobby. (It reminds me of how Vicky had to dry the clothes out on a line all those years, so now she refuses to do it. Now that she has a dryer, she's gonna use it!)
Last week I saved $35 and today (thanks to the Sunday paper), I saved $29 at just one store! My friend who's been doing this a long time says she usually saves 50% or more at grocery stores and at CVS she usually saves 80% or more. Whoa! That's going to be my goal. Just today, my $29 savings were 54% of the total bill. I'm getting the hang of this!
Side note: it's definitely tempting to buy a ton of stuff I don't need just for the discount or because it's free, but then I'd be no better than those people on "Extreme Couponing" on TLC that are basically hoarders. I have no desire to go down that road and my savings totals may not be as big as they could be, but I'm only buying what we need.
Comments
Liz, now you got me thinking about a new ministry - couponing for Jesus. I'm gonna pray about that one!