My thought today about coupons

I was sitting in church today and the message was great but the pastor said something that made me think about my critics to this "coupon madness." He was preaching on Luke 15 and talking about how quick fixes and get rich quick schemes never work.

A lot of people criticize and say doing coupons and finding ways to save money takes too much time. Yes, it takes a little bit of time but when you are organized, been doing it for a little bit- it becomes a reasonable process. And even if it takes me an hour each week and I save $80 at a store- where can I make $80 an hour if I worked part time that I was only allowed to work one hour? (I just realized there is a job I could do and it's illegal! :) ) That's money in my pocket to spend some place else or take care of what we need in our household.

I started thinking about groceries and the "quick fix" people apply to their households when it's been a bad or long day or they haven't planned out a meal for dinner. Ordering a pizza, getting take out, eating out or just wandering the store to buy dinner for that night is a quick fix. It may be good, feel good and serve the purpose at the time but when you do this a couple of times a month or some do this every week- this adds up, quickly depletes your grocery budget and adds financial stress to your family. And my attitude about food- a hot delivered pizza is tasty when you eat it, saved the night but IT IS JUST FOOD! You spent 1/2 a tank of gas, 1/2 your water bill that month or a deal at Publix that could net you 30+ items on that ONE pizza!

Sticking to the lists, organizing your coupons, taking advantage of the 12 week sale cycle to stock up- you are prepared for bad days, running kids everywhere and realizing you actually have to feed your family at some point. It's easy now to just think about what I have in the pantry, frig and freezer to come up with a dinner plan.

It's not hard to do this. I'm super mad crazy with the school newsletter, 2 girls (5 and 2 at age almost 38), PTA, Daisy Scouts, tennis lessons for my oldest, the blog, Facebook (that's my own fault), room mom, church, friends, selling Uppercase, now the speaking engagements etc. My stockpile and the deals each week save my butt numerous times a month. We'll plan out a meal, I'll forget to thaw (I don't like defrosting in the microwave... I have my issues with the microwave- I believe one day they are going to decide it was a bad idea and not healthy) and Mike calls asking what is for dinner. I don't have to panic- there are options. A frozen pizza, salad, fruit for the girls and another side. Stuffed chicken breasts that go from the freezer to the table in about 30 minutes, a Green Giant Steamer veggie, another side and cinnamon rolls for the girls. Or the best- Super Silly Supper- pancakes, sausage and grits. My girls actually love this one! They think eating breakfast at night is fun and with the deals- this is a $2.00 dinner for 4!

I said my critics are skeptical but as you embrace this new idea of shopping- keep those "quick fixes" in mind when you are tempted. Do I want Mike to stop and get Chinese- yeah but my mindset kicks in and I think- do I want him to spend $25 on Chinese (you are hungry 2 hours after Chinese... at least we are) when I can take that $25 and buy a trunk load of groceries? We enjoy eating out- we use restaurant.com and have great dinners out. Those are treats and appreciated since we just don't throw our hands up and say "Let's go to Chili's." We eat at great restaurants, not fast food or franchises.

And finally on the message this morning- "Get Rich Quick Schemes" don't work- I agree. When you start couponing, you will see great results immediately. This is motivation to keep doing it. Even if you only saved $20 a week- this adds up to over $1000 a year. That is huge but it's hard work, dedication, discipline, organization and planning. You are being a financial steward for your household and the results are a blessing.

I'm thankful for the message this morning and seeing how I can apply it to what I think is important and still feel like what I am doing with the blog and the speaking engagements can apply to any household.