Living paycheck to paycheck, I knew that when the economy started doing crazy things something had to change. When you've already cut back on all your spending, and are paying the minimum requirements for all your bills, what else is there to do than start looking at your grocery budget? I come from a family of seven, and we all love to eat. Before we started having to cut back, we were spending about $150 to $200 a week on groceries. I knew that couponing worked for other people, but I just didn't think it was for me.
A dear friend of mine, Jamie Knickerbocker, started teaching classes and told my mom, myself and my sister, that we should come. I figured I'd be nice and help her out by going; I sure didn't plan on learning anything. To my utter amazement, I left that class actually thinking that couponing might work! I wasn't ready to give it a try (sometimes you have to come to the end of yourself before you're willing to try something new), but from that point on it was in the back of my head. I would go to the store and buy my normal groceries and started wondering how much I could be saving if I used coupons.
It took me several months 'til I finally broke down and became a couponer. I started out small, found a source of newspapers every week and then learned how to organize them. When I first began I was saving maybe $50 of the $150 I was spending. I was elated, but I knew I could do better. (With me, life is competition). I knew that the only way to get the saving I needed was to jump is whole heartedly, and I did. I went from saving 33% to saving 80 and 90% on my groceries. Now (almost 2 years later) for a family of 6, our weekly grocery bill is hardly over $40 a week, which includes toiletries.
Couponing isn't hard, it's just a new way of thinking. So many people are trying to find new ways to make money to supplement their income. Why not try saving money instead? It's quick, easy and painless. I spend less than an hour a week getting all my coupons together for the 4 to 5 stores I shop at, and the shopping time takes no more than normal grocery shopping. If you're looking at your budget, trying to make ends meet, why not give coupons try? I promise you won't be disappointed!
If you're interested in learning more, or have any questions, feel free to contact me at simply.couponing@yahoo.com.
A dear friend of mine, Jamie Knickerbocker, started teaching classes and told my mom, myself and my sister, that we should come. I figured I'd be nice and help her out by going; I sure didn't plan on learning anything. To my utter amazement, I left that class actually thinking that couponing might work! I wasn't ready to give it a try (sometimes you have to come to the end of yourself before you're willing to try something new), but from that point on it was in the back of my head. I would go to the store and buy my normal groceries and started wondering how much I could be saving if I used coupons.
It took me several months 'til I finally broke down and became a couponer. I started out small, found a source of newspapers every week and then learned how to organize them. When I first began I was saving maybe $50 of the $150 I was spending. I was elated, but I knew I could do better. (With me, life is competition). I knew that the only way to get the saving I needed was to jump is whole heartedly, and I did. I went from saving 33% to saving 80 and 90% on my groceries. Now (almost 2 years later) for a family of 6, our weekly grocery bill is hardly over $40 a week, which includes toiletries.
Couponing isn't hard, it's just a new way of thinking. So many people are trying to find new ways to make money to supplement their income. Why not try saving money instead? It's quick, easy and painless. I spend less than an hour a week getting all my coupons together for the 4 to 5 stores I shop at, and the shopping time takes no more than normal grocery shopping. If you're looking at your budget, trying to make ends meet, why not give coupons try? I promise you won't be disappointed!
If you're interested in learning more, or have any questions, feel free to contact me at simply.couponing@yahoo.com.
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