Here is how I became a coupon queen. When I first read the book Shop, Save and Share by Ellie Kay, it was like a thunderbolt of revelation struck me. Could I really clip coupons and shop rebates and get stuff for mere cents, or free? Why yes, yes I could. Very quickly, I mastered the art of couponing and rebating. My bathroom closet was full to overflowing with toothpaste, deodorant, soap, and the works. My food pantry was well-stocked with mustard, pickles, soups, cereals, and more. And that was after sharing with my mother and others as needs arose. My coupons, overflowing pantries, and I existed happily for several years. Then we started adopting a healthier lifestyle; then we moved WAY out in the country.
No longer was I a mile or two away from Wal-greens, Eckerd, Kroger, Food Lion, and Wal-Mart. It wasn't convenient to pick up coupons and flyers from my mom's house, or even to have a paper delivered way out to my house. My mother-in-law tried having a paper delivered when she still lived here, and most of the time she never even got one, so she cancelled it.
It didn't bother me much, because I had found that the lifestyle God was leading us to, and the things we were using and eating the most, didn't have coupons anyway. And that's where I currently exist. I will occasionally use a coupon if it is for something I buy anyway. Most of the time these days, I forget the coupon at home, so more often than not I don't use them. It doesn't make sense to expend so much time and effort on things that I don't even use anymore, going places I don't shop at anymore.
I'm a bargain-finder at heart, though, and I thrill when I find great deals on things we use, especially when we can stock up on things on sale or clearance. I will always love to yard sale, because it is a hobby that relaxes me, and also one that excites me when I find super deals. We have attended the World's Longest Yard Sale in Alabama for the past two years, and anticipate going again this year. Talk about feeding an addiction!! Fortunately, it is short-lived, and life resumes.
I'm relieved actually that I don't have to coupon. I don't have much time for it, and I don't particularly want to make time for it. There are things I never buy (like expensive steaks) because they are simply too expensive, and they aren't worth the cost in my opinion. There are health related things I buy that some people would never spend that much money on, but we have made well-researched decisions about the things we purchase regularly, like high quality coconut oil from Azure Standard. (This is not an affiliate link, I just love the quality of their products!)
Even though I will never be a mega-couponer again, I respect those who are and who do it conscientiously without being abusive and deceptive. Do you coupon, or do you plan to in the future?
Blessings,
Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs (my facebook page)
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