My Coupon Confession

Many people ask me if I am one of those "extreme" coupon people they have seen on TV. No I am not, but unfortunately, I used to be. I have only been couponing for less than a year but when I started I had "the fever." I loved being able to get things for free, get paid to take things out of the store, and pay pennies for things I would have spent dollars on.  I would get as many coupons as I could and as many items as I could because I was SAVING!!

In reality I wasn't saving anything.  My closets, cupboards, and shelves were filling but I was spent! I spent hours on the computer searching after deals, spent hours clipping and organizing, spent hours at the store and lots on gas getting there, and I actually spent MORE on my grocery budget! I was loving the thrill of being able to see that percentage on the bottom of my receipt get bigger each time. I was able to get things for my family and friends I would have never dreamed of being able to afford. I thought couponing was the answer and that I had a secret that could save my budget and help me get things I had always wanted.

I often call myself a recovering perfectionist. Many people that know me well know that I like to do things to the extreme because of my passion and perfectionism. I was blind to what the cost of my "habit" was really costing me. I had tunnel vision and it was causing a major problem. However, I was in denial. I didn't clear the shelves like some people did, I didn't buy things I would never use, and I was able to give so much! I justified my problem and didn't admit that I had one. It was time for an intervention!

My husband finally had the last straw. He wouldn't allow me to go to the store one night and get my fix. We had the big "discussion". Was couponing really helping us achieve the goals we had for our lives? I sat down and looked at where all the money was really going. Our grocery budget was actually more each month when I used coupons, the amount that used for gas was obviously higher, and my valuable time was used for this?! We had to re-evaluate what we were going to do and find a plan to actually achieve what we wanted for our lives. 

We desperately wanted to be debt free and get rid of my student loans before my own children went to college. However we had no set plan on how to get there. Have you ever heard the line "Where there is no vision, the people perish?" We had no vision at that time, my marriage, my kids, my house, and my time were slowing starting to fade into the background. 

So we sat down and came up with a plan. We knew we wanted to get out of debt by May of 2012 and committed to each other to BOTH do what we could to get there.  The answer was not in couponing, it was in making wise decisions on every way we spent our time and money. When you have balance in your life, your finances should reflect that. I am happy report that our grocery and gas budget is the lowest it's ever been, my time is used much more effectively at home, and we will be debt free (except the mortgage) this May!! While I enjoy spreading the news of knowing how to save, I enjoy my life be a testimony of joy more.