When I first began The Kitchen Wife, I asked what you, my readers, would like to see on here. One of the UNANIMOUS requests was for information on couponing. Now, I myself am not a couponer, but I am fortunate enough to know Alicia Holbert, who, in all honesty, should be on the show Extreme Couponers. She is going to be doing a series of guest posts for me, and I know you will find what she has to say very useful! Enjoy!
~The Kitchen Wife~
When Mandee asked me to do a series on couponing I was very
excited. I have always tried to save money at the grocery store, but by
including coupons I have been able to stock up on my family's essentials.
When we unexpectedly got pregnant with
Carsten, in 2011, I decided I needed to be a stay at home mom. It had
always been a dream of mine, but I knew at that point God was going to help me
make it a reality. At the end of my first trimester I got news that my position
was being moved to the main office in Texas. News like that can shake even a
seasoned believer. However, God always
makes a big move for his people. Since we had no plans of moving to Texas, God
opened another door. A facility within the company needed a new employee. This
time however, it wasn't for me. My husband found employment and weeks after my
son was born I was able to stay home with my children.
While it can
be possible to be a one income family, it takes hard work, creativity and
planning. In the summer of 2012 the facility that Steve worked at had to cut
hours. I felt so overwhelmed. With two kids in diapers, that saying 'stretched
thin' was an understatement. I got so frustrated. I really felt that God had
placed me in a position to be a stay at home mom, and now we were at a place
that would leave me with little to no money for groceries. After my initial
reaction subsided, I prayed. I knew God had always brought us through and
supplied, but this time I didn't want to have a good attitude. Thank God, he
can look past our attitudes! Then within a few days I started seeing all these
posts about coupons. I felt encouraged. As I got started, I got excited. This
could work. I felt peace from God about doing this. I don't feel that this is a
hard concept, but I do think with planning and focus this can be a blessing.
In the next
few weeks I will go over the how-to's of couponing. Then we will move into how
to make the most of it by creating your own stockpile. As we finish up, I would
like to let you in on some secrets of how to save where coupons don't help. I
am sure you will feel just as excited about saving for your family as I am for
mine. Feel free to post questions at the end of any and all posts, I want to
make sure you are being the best steward of what God has supplied for each and
everyone of you.
Currently my
house is stocked with large quantities of the things my family needs most. Most
of which I have paid very little. It has taken time, but it is so worth it.
There have been seasons I really didn't know what I would have done had God not
have put in my heart to be prepared. I wholeheartedly believe that we should be
good stewards of the funds God gives us. That means large in sum or little. I
am lead to that scripture so often and my heart is always full knowing that I
have given my best to be a good steward with the funds my family has been
given. We are truly blessed when we use what we are given with an open and
contented heart. I leave you with the following verse: Proverbs 21:5. “Good
planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”
I just love it. It is perfect for my take on saving money with coupons.
BIO:
Looking forward to these posts. I use coupons whenever I can! :)
ReplyDeleteI am excited about this series as well! I know Alicia has A LOT of insight for everyone!
DeleteI'm a big couponer.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to become more of one through all of this.
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