Monday Money Musings

COUPONS

I once had someone asked me "If you found a dollar on the ground would you pick it up and feel fortunate?" Duh! A dollar? Of course! "Why don't you cut coupons then?".
I use coupons. A lot of coupons. I have some personal "policies" about coupons though. Some folks cut out every single coupon they can find in hopes that it will be on sale someday before the expiration date. I only cut out coupons for things I actually use on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, I do use them to try things that are new or different every now and then. The reason behind this is because the first year I used coupons I felt like I was in some sort of game trying to beat my last score of how much money I saved. I was buying things we didn't use just because I had a coupon.
My other reason is because it just takes too much time! Time I could be spending with my family or getting my house in order. Sometimes time is much more valuable than the almighty dollar right? That's not to say that I go crazy and just buy a ton a groceries without coupons, it means I only cut the ones I need.
Some weeks I save a ton, others, not much. If it happens to be a week when I need to stock up my pantry items I save more. Those dry and processed goods always have a bunch of coupons. If I need to buy a lot of meat or produce, I don't save much. I always look for the best deals...but I have yet to see as many fresh food coupons as dry goods.
I started coupon cutting out of necessity. It was the only way to make ends meet and still have a variety of food. Now I coupon cut because I know that God wants me to be a good steward of the money God gave me and this is the way He showed me how. It may not be the way God shows you, but being a good steward of His blessings is very important. God's Word has a lot to say about it and that's what I hope and pray my kids learn from watching me.

Some of you have asked in passing where to get the coupons. The Sunday paper is great for coupons, but if you don't subscribe and have a printer there are many more resources on-line.
Coupons.com is a good place to start.