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More Than Just Coupons

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.

Psalm 126:5 NIV

I don’t like coupons.

Before you throw this book across the room and wonder why I’m writing about couponing, hear me out.

No, I don’t like couponing. I don’t dream about it. I don’t salivate over newspaper inserts. I don’t hoot and holler when I find a rare coupon. But what I do get excited about is what I get with couponing—a ton of savings! I remember the first time I saved $12.37. I hollered so loud leaving the store you could have heard me in China.

I started couponing out of necessity, not because I loved it. The company my husband worked for merged with another and his division was eliminated. So my husband lost his job, we couldn’t keep up with our mortgage payments, and our bills kept piling up. You might be in the same boat. Maybe the current state of the economy has affected your household and your one-income family has gone to no-income. Maybe you have less and less money to spend each week, and even after budgeting, you still have little to use for necessities like food and household items. Maybe you are skeptical about the amount of savings you can really see with coupons, or you doubt there are ways to save on the special kind of food you typically buy. No matter what situation you are in or how you feel about coupons, I’m here to share from personal experience that couponing works. And it can do wonders for other parts of your life besides finances.

I don’t get fired up only because of how much our family saves; I also get excited about what couponing does for me outside my family. As I was writing this, tornadoes devastated much of the town where I live in Tennessee. I was able to take several packs of diapers to the Red Cross since I had been purchasing them on sale and with a coupon for the purpose of giving. Also, since I regularly buy products to donate, I had boxes of stuff—razors, deodorant, toothpaste, and canned goods—to contribute to families who lost everything in that disaster.

Early Lessons

Couponing was something I had tried previously, but it didn’t work for several reasons. I would invest time clipping coupons with the best of intentions and then forget to take them to the store. When I did happen to remember to bring them with me, one of two things would happen: I would forget to give them to the cashier at checkout, or my coupons saved me a whopping fifty cents. Not only that, I was also the most non-couponing person you could find. All the numbers associated with prices, sales, deals—blah, blah, blah—they stressed me out. I hated keeping lists. I hated keeping budget spreadsheets. And I never scoured for sales.

I didn’t learn about extreme budgeting from my parents, though they did teach me about work ethic and financial discipline. My parents were frugal in that they would tell me we couldn’t afford this or that or we simply didn’t need certain things. I saw them—particularly my mother—exert a lot of self-control when it came to making purchases. This discipline helped lay a foundation for how I viewed finances. I had my first job at fifteen, and I enjoyed the independence of not having to ask my parents for money. Not long after, I got a second job. The following year I squeezed in job number three.

My parents also talked a lot about saving money, and they always encouraged me to save when I started earning my own money. Mom and Dad were purposeful in letting me know that although some of my friends had really nice things that I would have liked, the reality was that we couldn’t afford those same things. Although I’m sure many of my friends’ parents could afford to buy just about anything, I know some of them made great sacrifices to give their kids whatever they wanted, even to the detriment of their own finances. I am so thankful that instead of finding a way to give me everything I wanted, my parents chose to give me a gift that is priceless—financial wisdom.

I learned that the world doesn’t revolve around me and that “things” come with a cost. It’s not necessarily the price tag hanging from whatever item is the cutest, newest, or coolest; it’s how much that item will cost me in the long run. My parents didn’t believe in going into debt for anything unnecessary. They showed me how to save for what I wanted, not charge it and spend years paying it off. Through their wisdom, I learned how to be content with what I had.

Like your typical college kid, however, I temporarily forgot those great lessons my parents taught me about price and cost, and I ended up accumulating a few thousand dollars of credit card debt. When I started my freshman year, I jumped headfirst into my first credit card offer. I didn’t stop there. Anytime I went to the store and the cashier offered me 10 percent off my purchase if I signed up for a credit card, I was lured in like a kid in a candy shop. How could I say no? It was an exciting time in my life because I had independence, especially financial independence. With those plastic demons, I bought all the clothes I wanted and bought my friends whatever they wanted.

Nine months later, the bills from my out-of-control spending habits finally caught up with me. I was way over my head and my expenses outweighed the money I was bringing in. This was the one and only time that my parents rescued me. I learned never to make that same mistake again. Credit cards are not free money.

Another life lesson that has stuck with me is the importance of honesty and integrity. After I had my first checking account for a while, I made a big boo-boo. I bounced a check. I came home from school one day and my daddy handed me the yellow postcard from the bank stating my error. He warned that all I had in life was my name and reputation and proceeded to tell me, “If I go to this bank and ask to borrow one million dollars, they’re going to give it to me because they know me and they know I’m going to tell the truth and pay them back.” The next day, Daddy took me to the bank to deposit money into my account to correct my mistake. And he stood by my side while I, with much embarrassment, apologized to the bank officer for spending money I didn’t have.

The most precious lesson I carry with me every day is the legacy of giving that my daddy lived. Though the goal at Time 2 $ave is teaching people to live a lifestyle of giving, it didn’t become a goal of mine by chance. I saw it in action through my dad. I can’t count the number of times he would stop at our pastor’s home and drop off fresh vegetables from my grandfather’s garden along with a ham he had purchased at the grocery store. Daddy anonymously left these groceries at the back door, never seeking recognition or credit. That’s the kind of man he was. Time and time again, I saw my daddy giving away food or money to people who were struggling. His heart was tender to the needs of others.

Ironically, Daddy knew about stockpiling long before I did. He loved buying groceries and multiple cans of tomatoes, barbeque sauce, ketchup, and other condiments when he found a great deal. He would open his kitchen cabinets and show me with great pride all he had bought and what a great deal he had gotten. Like father, like daughter.

My daddy got really excited when he saved some money. My mom recently told me that years ago they had invited her boss and his wife over for dinner along with another couple. While the women were putting the finishing touches on dinner, my daddy started telling the guys about this great price on a ham he had gotten at Quality. The store was actually called Quality Grocery Store, but my daddy just called it Quality in his long, Southern drawl. The next thing you know, right before my mom was about to put dinner on the table, she noticed the men getting ready to leave. Guess where they were going? To Quality to get themselves a good deal on ham. My mom was so embarrassed.

Though I understood the importance of being frugal, the world of strict budgeting didn’t resonate with me. I wasn’t into price comparisons of different stores. I thought it was irrelevant. If I was out of milk, I needed to buy milk. And I could buy either the cheap one or the expensive one. That was it, end of story. If milk cost five bucks one week and three the next, it didn’t matter to me.

I also didn’t get too excited at great deals on groceries or household supplies. I have to admit, I still don’t. Here’s a little secret—it’s okay if you don’t either. You can enjoy couponing and saving money without going bananas. (Now shopping for clothes is an entirely different story. I get crazy excited about my favorite store’s new fall line or a great online promo code!) Buying common necessities like milk, gas, and food was something I had to do, so why even bother looking for a great sale?

When the Walls Closed In

Things changed when the reality of our financial situation set in. The housing bubble burst and my husband, Gary, and I were left with two spec houses that didn’t sell for two years. So including the house we lived in, we had three mortgages. During that time, we hadn’t changed our lifestyle or spending habits, fully expecting the housing market to bounce right back. But when we realized that real estate was only getting worse, we had to look at cutting back our spending.

Within that period, my father was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. Over the course of the next ten months, my family frequently made the three-hour trip to visit him, which meant additional expenses in gas, food, and so forth. My dad’s diagnosis was so devastating, I couldn’t even think about our financial situation.

If that wasn’t enough, the day after my daddy’s funeral, Gary’s position at his company was eliminated due to a merger. Thankfully, we had made good financial decisions up to that point. We took budgeting seminars and didn’t have any debt other than our homes. But the more I dipped into our savings, the more I knew we had to find a real way to save money.

These difficult and devastating situations that hit one after another like ocean waves changed me. Each time I got knocked off my feet, another layer of my life was torn away. Nothing material in this world mattered to me anymore. It didn’t matter if we lost all three houses. I just wanted to be with my dad and spend as much time with him and the rest of my family as I could. For the first time I understood how fragile life is and how the impact of one moment can change everything.

I see now that I was a proud young woman and had to be humbled before God could use me. Although I may have accomplished great career goals, accumulated material possessions that I thought were important, and saved money along the way, all of those things were truly meaningless. It’s the message found in Ecclesiastes 2:11, “When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (NIV).

I didn’t realize it then but the painful pruning that was taking place was for my own good. Without all that was going on, I’m not sure I would have ever turned to couponing. I probably would have kept my head in the sand and lived as if our financial situation had not changed. I am thankful that God chose to use coupons to show me how big he is and how small my circumstances really are in his eyes. And that no matter how messed up I am or how incapable I perceive myself to be, he only sees what he can do through me.

God also taught me about the kindness of others, which is one reason I am so passionate about giving. After my daddy’s funeral, our church family blew us away with their generosity. Almost every day we received gift cards or money in the mail from these sweet people. I had never been on this side of giving before. You see, I always gave to others from the time I first started earning my own money. This time God allowed me to feel his arms wrap around us through the love of other people. There were many people we knew who could not afford what they gave us, but they sacrificed nonetheless. I experienced God meeting my needs, and I had to lay aside my pride and allow people to love on me, support me, and give to us.

At this juncture in my life, couponing was not remotely on my radar. Grocery shopping was just a necessity; I had no idea that the option of lowering my grocery bill even existed. I had no idea about sales cycles. Occasionally I would price match, but not that often; I had to be pretty desperate. My plan was always the same. I’d go to the grocery store, buy what I needed, and discover the same thing every time. Whether I had seven items or thirty items, my bill was always $150 to $200. I used to joke that the cash register was preprogrammed because my total never changed.

I remember when I found out about a particular deal at a local grocery store. (Keep in mind that I had lived within a few minutes of this store since 1996, but I never knew about these deals.) Baby wipes were free with a store coupon and you could also get two free jars of baby food. What? Where had I been all this time? When I pulled up to the store, I wondered why the parking lot wasn’t full. Where was everyone?

I was blown away by the feeling of walking out of the store with free baby wipes and two jars of brand-name baby food. The fact that I could do this every day if I wanted to was nuts. Why wasn’t everyone else taking advantage of this great deal? I couldn’t help but think of all the people who could benefit from free baby stuff, from single mothers with infants to people who could donate the items to moms in need.

Even though the baby wipe deal was incredible, it didn’t help the rest of my grocery bill. I remember the week I needed ketchup. When you’re broke, condiments are no longer a necessity; they become a luxury. Besides, with all the Happy Meals our kids ate, I knew there had to be ketchup somewhere in our car. If I cleaned it out and found some little, shiny packets, surely I could buy some time.

Right before finding the ketchup deal that turned my world upside down, I found photos online of women who had taken pictures of their groceries. Not only did they take pictures, they also stacked their purchases in neat piles on their kitchen counters and made them look pretty. I thought, Who are these people? Who has time to make groceries look beautiful? I can barely keep all our clothes washed, never mind decorate my kitchen counter with a neat stack of groceries to photograph. But I’ll be honest, I was intrigued. I couldn’t help staring at those photos. It’s like seeing something gross; you can’t help looking at it, as much as you don’t want to. When I discovered how much these women had paid for their groceries—well, it’s no wonder they took pictures of them. I would too! I wanted to save like them. I wanted to find these great deals. I wanted my own groceries I could take pictures of.

Turning Point

That same week I found out I could get brand-name ketchup for $0.16 when I combined the store sale price with a manufacturer coupon. I couldn’t believe it. The only thing I had ever bought for 16 cents was chewing gum. I was beside myself and didn’t believe it would work. But it did. When I was in line checking out, I thought the store would be mad at me. But nobody was upset. In fact, the cashiers waved as I left. They must not have been paying attention. For the next few days, I took trips to the store to get more ketchup. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was building my pantry (even if it was only with ketchup).

I thought ketchup would be the last amazing deal I’d ever get, but the trend continued each week with different items. The next week it was salsa. I made several trips to get the $0.36 jar of salsa, all the while adding to my pantry. I remember thinking that there must be a disgruntled employee in corporate who was going to get fired, then no more super cheap groceries. Why didn’t other people know about these kinds of savings? Why weren’t they following me out to my car? Funny I thought that, because within a few months people were following me to my car to find out how I got my groceries for next to nothing.

Soon I discovered another grocery store that doubled coupons every day. The store had been there forever, but I never knew about their couponing policy. From that point on, couponing became trial and error. By that time my husband had gotten another job and had to go out of town for two weeks for training. I don’t think I slept while he was away because I was up every night reading about couponing. I wanted to learn how to do this thing. I wanted to know how to maximize my savings. But it was tough. I felt like I was learning a new language. No one I knew shopped like this. I’d heard of it from seeing the couponing ladies on TV, but I didn’t learn much from watching them because they never showed me how to do it.

After a while, when I started going to the store for my regular grocery trips to get necessities, I realized I didn’t need much. For instance, I didn’t need to buy ketchup anymore. Or salsa, spaghetti sauce, laundry detergent, or pasta. It’s because for weeks I had stocked up on three or four items at a time. I was so caught up in saving a ton of money, I didn’t have any idea I was beginning to build my pantry and shop in an entirely different way. The best part was, my grocery bill started to dwindle. As I continued to stock up on a couple of items each week at a super cheap price, our grocery bill continued to drop until we were only paying $30 to $40 a week. That’s a huge difference from the $150 to $200 we had been spending.

Before I knew it, cashiers and shoppers at the stores would ask me how I could buy so much for so little. I couldn’t stand knowing people were paying full price if they were in need, and I wanted to help them. The impact on my family’s financial situation was so unbelievable, even with three mortgages, I couldn’t help but share my “secrets” with whoever asked.

All about Balance

After spending hours and hours researching deals and grocery stores, I had to come to a place where I had more balance. Even things we do with the best of intentions can get out of hand. I remember feeling anxious and struggling with not going to the drugstore each week to get the freebies that I knew other people needed. Contact solution, for example. One bottle of the stuff is about eight bucks. That’s pretty expensive. When contact solution was completely free, I felt guilty if I didn’t make it to the drugstore that week.

While being able to give is a gift, it comes without condemnation. Instead of continuing to feel guilty because of deals that I would inevitably miss at grocery stores, I began to teach others about those savings. Those people were then inspired to help others, whether through teaching or giving, and together we made (and continue to make) a greater impact on the community as a whole. It’s a beautiful cycle.

I do have to admit, however, there were times that it was hard to pay full price for something I knew would probably be really cheap or free the following week. In fact, one night I had a friend over. We were eating pizza and I realized I was out of paper towels and napkins. I hadn’t gotten any because they weren’t on sale that week. I whipped out a roll of toilet paper and told my friend, “Here. This is your napkin.” This particular friend is a germaphobe so I was messing with her a little bit. She was very gracious and laughed about it, but in that moment I realized something. Not everyone is going to be okay with using toilet paper as a napkin, even if it’s fresh out of the package. If I don’t get a deal, it’s okay. And if I have to pay full price for something, well, that’s okay too.

There’s no doubt you will save money by using the strategies I teach in this book. But don’t pressure yourself to invest hours and hours clipping coupons to save 90 percent off your grocery bill every time. If you save 50 percent or less, fabulous! But if couponing starts cutting into the time you could be spending with your family, working, doing something you love, or taking care of yourself, it’s too much. I’m not willing to accept being secluded in a room couponing for twelve hours just for a lower grocery bill. And I’m pretty sure you aren’t, either.

And another thing. If you’re worried that you aren’t a coupon kind of girl, don’t. You don’t have to be in love with coupons. You don’t have to do complicated math in your head. And you don’t have to set aside hours each week just to work on your coupons. I can’t stress enough—balance is the key to making couponing work for you. You have to figure out how to make it fit into your world; it cannot become your world. There’s no doubt that when you coupon using the strategies in this book, your life will change for the better. And there’s no doubt that the savings are real, the opportunities to give are amazing, and it doesn’t have to take hours a week that you don’t have.

From Coupons to Workshops

I would have never imagined how God was going to take my personal experience of financial struggles and use it as a catalyst for the calling and purpose he had for me. As I continued to embrace using coupons for my family, people around me began to take notice. Shoppers behind me in the checkout line would follow me to the car and ask how they could save as much money as I was saving. I shared my strategies with them and listened to their heartbreaking stories of lost jobs, foreclosed homes, mounting medical bills, and other difficulties. I knew that what I had spent hours piecing together and learning through serious trial and error could drastically alter their finances as it had mine.

And so began the journey of Time 2 $ave. God has worked in my life and this community in such a special way. I’ve learned that his ways are usually not my ways, but his ways are always best. He’s taught me many lessons along the way, perhaps the most important being how I can bless others in creative ways I was not able to do or even think of before I started this journey.

Save to Give, Not Just to Get

My favorite part of the workshops is the response I get when I share stories of how others have influenced and been influenced by our focus on giving. When I started accumulating a huge stockpile of stuff, there came a point when I felt guilty. I had more body wash, makeup, and other toiletries than I knew what to do with. God put it on my heart to take a box, fill it to the top with all the excess toiletries I could find, and donate it to a local battered women’s shelter. He didn’t stop there. Through his promptings, I was able to donate my stockpile to families in the neighborhood, victims of the tornadoes that swept through our state, and nonprofit organizations.

In chapter 10 I’ll share specific ideas you can use for clipping extra coupons and buying cheap items you don’t normally use.

Let’s get started. In the following pages I’m going to teach you easy-to-follow strategies for how you can make a difference in your finances, your lifestyle, and your community. No excuses! I’m going step-by-step so you can simplify this part of your life.

You’re going to learn . . .

• How to find the coupons for what your family eats
• How to understand couponing lingo
• How to use the internet to do the work for you
• How to find sale cycles and store matchups (and what they mean)
• How to reinvent your shopping strategy and toss your lists
• How to uncover the gold mine of savings in drugstores
• How to make grocery shopping fun without any stress
• How to never have to pay full price again (or at least most of the time!)

Are you ready to start saving?

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Isa. 43:1–3 NIV)

Spend time reflecting on the obstacles in life and offer those challenges up to God.

Do you feel like your life has been sidetracked by situations or circumstances beyond your control? Have you gone through a season that feels like an endless valley? I sincerely hope you haven’t; but if you have, I understand. In the midst of the darkness, it’s hard to imagine what it would feel like to see the light shine through again. Reflect on the things that have rocked your world. Take some time and write them down; be specific. God knows. Sometimes, however, we try to bury our fears, pain, and the truth of our life. We’ve got to acknowledge where we are in order to know what direction we need to move.

After you’ve written these things down, and if you feel comfortable, spend time in prayer. Surrender your problems to God. He is more than able to do a good work in your life. He is more than able to turn the course of your life around. You are one spoken word away from entering into God’s rest.

Set some goals.

I would like you to begin by writing down your goals to keep in mind as you start on this new adventure. First, take a moment to think about what you could do by saving an extra $50 a month on your groceries. It’s a very doable amount! That’s just $12.50 a week, but you could use that money to make a difference.

What if you were able to save an extra $100 or $200 a month? Would you make home improvements? Take a vacation? Or maybe you would start building a savings account? Keep in mind that on top of saving money every week, once you start couponing you will also find yourself with a surplus of groceries in the house, enough to start your very own stockpile.

I understand that right now you are probably sitting in a place of need and it is difficult to think beyond that, but do you know of someone else you might be able to help with your abundance? It’s likely that we all know someone who is going through a rough time. What could you offer them through couponing?

Now write down your goals. Think of them often as you make your way through this book, and keep them in mind as you walk through the store. Remember, you’re not learning to coupon so you can save a buck here or there. You’re doing it so you can better your life and eventually the lives of those around you.