Thrifty Thursday ~ Coupon Confessions

Coupons have changed my life. Next month will mark a year that I've been using this new method to shop and save money. It's transformed our family budget and become a ministry too. To some, I'm known as the coupon girl. Many times people admit budget and coupon mishaps to me. Somewhere in their confession the phrase, "I'm sure you'd never do this!" inevitably comes up. In an effort to provide you encouragement, I want to share some of my money saving blunders.

• I let three weeks of coupon inserts pile up without cutting or filing. Result: I couldn't find any coupons to match sales and paid full price for many items.
• I went an entire month without going to the ATM for our cash only budget. Result: We used our debit card and went over budget in every category. Over budget. Over budget. It rings in my ears!
• I used more than 20 coupons at Harris Teeter. Result: I had 15 coupons that didn't double and my total was $20 more than anticipated.
• I used a coupon binder (and even taught about it in my classes) for six months. Then, I switched to the coupon box and love it! Result: I wasted money on binder supplies and hours of precious time filing in those silly baseball card slots.
• I lost my coupons in CVS. Result: Tears. Yup, after I spent 45 minutes planning the trip, getting all the stuff, and planning my transactions I couldn't stop the tears. I did find the coupons stuck between binder pages. (Another reason to use the box...hahaha!)
• I intentionally skipped triples and then super doubles at Harris Teeter. Result: A much needed coupon break. Although, I did hate hearing about all the free stuff that I missed!
• My motto in my class is "It's not a good deal for your family if it makes you go over your weekly grocery budget!". Result: I've broken my creed- more than once.
• I've thrown away rain checks because I let the coupon expire that went with it. AND, I let my cell phone rebate expire as a result of poor organization. Result: At least $30 down the drain! Aghhh.
• I neglect to plan out our weekly meals. Result: Stressful dinner prep and eating out too often.
• I forgot to buy a paper while on vacation. Result: Many weeks of missed deals.

My admissions have one purpose--to shout from the rooftop "Get back on the coupon wagon!". It doesn't matter what set backs you've had. Start back today. Every little bit of savings helps.