Happy New Year!!! The holidays are finally over; congratulations, you’ve survived 😊, and things are back to normal–whatever that may be. As we are beginning to settle into the new year, I am sure you’ve all made resolutions that you are “going to keep,” including working out more, eating healthier, keeping in touch with family and friends, and last but not least–spending less and saving more.
But the problem is that after the holidays when we are looking at our accounts like 😐😩, we might find ourselves hoping and praying that the credit card bills get lost in the mail or that we hit the lottery to solve all of our money woes (all it takes is a dollar and a dream). Yes, after the holidays, reality sets in, and we realize that none of that will happen. So it’s time to take a look at the budget.
When most people think about coupons, they think Sunday paper inserts, suburban homemakers, or it’s not worth the time; all of those are a myth. Over the last 5 years or so, couponing has become a lifestyle for some and a survival plan for others. The secret of couponing was brought to light with the show Extreme Couponing (TLC), demonstrating how someone’s grocery bill went from over $1902.63 to $103.72– all with coupons.
To get the coupons, you don’t have to buy 10 Sunday newspapers, jump into dumpsters, or steal your neighbor’s paper before he or she wakes up. Thank God for the internet. You can now buy coupons or get them for free by printing them at home. Here are a few sites to get FREE COUPONS, but you will need printer access.
1. Coupon.com
And here are the sites to purchase coupons (I have personally ordered from these sites).
1. klip2save 2. the-coupon clippers 3. weclipusave.
When you first start couponing, it can be a bit overwhelming in learning the language (and yes, there is one), understanding the store policy on coupons, or recognizing what the coupon means. Below are a few links that helped me at the beginning of my journey and YouTube, Instagram pages, Facebook groups, and Pinterest. Believe it or not, couponing folks are a community, and if you give it a try, soon you will be able to spot a fellow couponer in the store, just like you.
Happy Shopping and God Bless in 2017
Robin L. Steele
Robin L. Steele is a Christian mother of a teenage son and works at the Pentagon in Washington DC.
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Martha Wild King, M. Ed., Author
The Frugal Catholic: Learn to live on less to give and save more.