Why I Use Coupons

I use coupons about 99% of the time no matter what I am buying. To me it seems weird to not use them- I mean, people actually go to the grocery store every week without a list and a fist full of coupons?

I use coupons for many reasons- the most prominent is that using them allows me to be a stay at home mom which is what I have wanted to do since I was a child (I wanted to have 6 kids too but holy crap- no way!). I can be a stay at home mom and raise my kids and I also feel like I am contributing financially to my family. Like many of you, I have a stockpile of health and beauty items so that I cannot see myself paying for shampoo, toothpaste, body wash, etc. (except for those occasions when I run out of stuff because I was being lax in my drugstore deals- you know the moment when you open the cabinet ans you see that you have no shampoo, and after searching everywhere you realize you have none and will have to PAY for it- EEK!). I get all of my household cleaners for very cheap and my grocery budget is way lower than it was when it was just my husband and I even though we eat a lot healthier.

Another reason why I love coupons is that I get to buy things that I would have never thought of buying before. We eat mostly name brand products and there are many times that once I have gotten something free I have realized that I really like the product! Smart Taste Pasta has been good to me as far as not paying for it and we really like it too. I got some Swiss Iced Tea free a few weeks ago at Shaws and my husband drank it- I felt good because he got something different to drink that otherwise I wouldn't have bought. I've gotten free Nabisco Animal Crackers which my son loved and it was a great special treat for him. I don't usually buy a lot of snacks unless I can get them for very cheap or free so in a way using coupons helps me feed my family healthier and still give them little treats here and there. There are definitely products that I won't feed my family so I don't buy them- if I can get them for free I will donate them.

Coupons are also great because it is like a game to me- I feel like I am victorious when I leave the store with a crap load of stuff that I paid very little for. I know that my clipping coupons, reading sales papers and reading all of the great deal blogs out there paid off in multitudes. I also feel like coupon shopping has nipped my impulse shopping in the bud- instead of buying stuff that I didn't really need I go to CVS and roll my ECB to get things for free which feels about fifty times better than buying things to just buy them.

The last reason of why I use coupons is because my mom did. I grew up watching her clipping coupons and trying to find the best deal at the store. She shopped the clearance rack and thought nothing of going to the customer service desk is something wasn't right with her receipt. Growing up I was so embarrassed at these things and swore I would never in a million years do them. I have turned into my mom on steroids when it comes to using coupons and I am proud- I have even helped her take her couponing to the next level.

Coupons are a part of my life and are so ingrained into my daily routine that I feel like even if we got to the point where we were well off financially I know that I would still be that person at the grocery store pulled to the side of the aisle looking for a .50 cent coupon for canned tomatoes (and if I couldn't find the coupon I would pass on the tomatoes because I have 10 in my pantry already). So people who are behind me in line when I hand over my stack of coupons- scoff if you may but not only am I getting free stuff, I also get to stay home with my kids which is worth more than anything in the world to me.