Why Coupon?

I've had a lot of people asking me questions about my recent adventure into the coupon world so I thought I would pass on some of the information I've found as I researched the benefits of using coupons myself.

The basics of couponing - stock up on products when they are on sale combined with a coupon to receive the item for FREE or almost FREE so you don't have to pay full price for it later. Typically coupons have a 3-4 month cycle before you will see a similar one. If I'm stockpiling items when they are on sale and not paying full price then I'm saving money even though I'm buying more, I'm paying less for more product. Typically pantry items have a long shelf life, so buying 10 boxes of cereal seems crazy at first but if they don't expire for 6-12 months then using them up before that date seems fairly easy to do. The freezer is also a great place to store almost anything that needs to be refrigerated, even milk. Before you know it you will be saving between 50-90% at the grocery store! It’s all about shopping with coupons while a product is on sale- and STOCKING UP so you don’t have to buy something when it’s not cheap or free.

You may also be thinking, would she really be buying that stuff if she didn't have a coupon? I can honestly say almost everything I've bought since I started has been stuff we use. However, even if its not something you normally use but can get it for FREE or almost free, (and still stay within our budget cause we are paying less on groceries/toiletries with coupons/sale prices then before and eventually will decrease our budget) then whats the problem? I have a TON of coupons I probably won't use because its just stuff I don't like or want. I figured I would just throw the unwanted coupons in the trash until I found out about a program that helps our military families. Any unwanted or expired coupons can used by the military families for up to 2 months after the expiration date at the commissaries on the base. How awesome is that! I already have a HUGE stack of coupons to mail off to them.

So what about the rest of the coupons? Some of the coupons I have are for things I like and haven't purchased due to high prices. Others are for things I've heard about and would like to try. If I can get something for FREE or close to FREE, then why not try it. If there are items I can get for free and I have no plans to use but they were FREE then I can use those to donate to a relief fund like Haiti, LOVE INC., military families, local charities like a home for battered women, homeless shelter, and so on. The point is, IT'S FREE, if you don't like it or don't want it, then donate it!

Here are some of the blogs I've been following that have helped me:
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://athriftymom.com/
http://discountqueens.blogspot.com/
http://www.saveathomemommy.com/

I hope that helps answer some of the questions I've received. If you have more leave a comment on the blog and I will be more than glad to try and answer it!

Happy Couponing!