2010 Gratitude Challenege - November 8th

I am thankful for coupons! Yes, I said coupons. They help me to save money, without having to "give up" on certain items (like ketchup and mayo - I only buy Heinz and Hellman's respectively and coupons help me be able to do that.)

The trick with coupons is to save all of them and use multiple of them when your needed item goes on sale.  For instance, tonight I will be purchasing Toaster Strudels (which my girls LOVE.)  They are buy one/get one free this week.  So if I have a coupon for $0.35 off of 1 and I have 2 or more of those coupons I get each box for about a quarter.  That is a fraction of their normal price.

The other trick is stocking up now for what you might need later.  I do this mostly with big items like toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, etc.  This helps keeps their prices to the lowest possible.  I purchase as many boxes or containers necessary to keep us 'stocked' until the next time that product goes to its lowest price.

Couponing is really a game.  I've even been able to get my husband in on the game.  He loves seeing the savings.  Unfortunately, I have gotten terribly behind in my coupon clipping and organizing.  However, tonight I am spending time getting that caught back up.  I have a hard time going to a store knowing I can save more then what I did or knowing I could have paid 75% less for an item if I had just taken the time to find the correct coupon.

So I am thankful that companies provide coupons and that stores accept the coupons and multiple coupons.  Those coupons have been a HUGE help on our family's grocery budget.  I expect as my children get older (especially with a boy in the house) I think the blessing of coupons will become more readily evident.

I hope you take the time to go over to the Garden of Learning and hear what others are thankful for too.