The Importance Of Couponing

In trying to get my life together financially, I thought it was very important to know where my money was going. I am the type of person who feels like I understand the value of my dollar. I know how hard I work to make it so I want my money to work just as hard for me. While it was important to not only pay my bills on time, I also like to track where my money goes on a monthly basis. If you manage your money online, most banks have wonderful online tools where you can categorize your spending. When I checked this for a consecutive three months, the results were ASTOUNDING. I realized once I paid my bills, more than half of the money I had left over was going to food (that includes grocery shopping as well as eating out). This was a huge shocker for me. It not only made me realize where my money was going, but it also made me see just how much money was being wasted on miscellaneous food purchases.

I had always been a fan of the show Extreme Couponing on the TLC Channel, but I never really thought it was something I could do. It was amazing to me to see just how people could get not only good deals on the things they needed, but just how much money they could actually make just off of purchasing items that they needed and wanted. I then thought to myself if they can do it, then I most certainly can do it.

I started off with the mindset that I didn't want to go into this thinking I could get everything for free. I went into this process thinking how I could save my household money just by shopping smarter. I made sure I stuck to a couple of steps just to keep me on track:

• Make a list of what I actually needed instead of spending money on things I saw at the time
• Make sure to check the weekly circulars to see what could offer me the best price for what I need
• Check in the Sunday paper and online to see if there are coupons for the things I needed on my list
• Make a budget and STICK TO IT!

These simple things made such a difference! It allowed me to be more conscious of what I was spending, as well as allowing me to understand where the best value for my dollar is. I now use coupons for non-grocery items (i.e. clothes, restaurants, and household items). 

I also use various other apps on my phone and iPad to help along with that process (please see my blog post "Mobile Apps To Help You Save Money").

Please feel free to use some of these tips as well as share your couponing and savings ideas.