How I Became a Coupon Mom

When I was growing up, my mother was an avid coupon mom. There were 3 kids and my parents were determined to stretch a paycheck as far as possible. Coupons were one of my mom’s best resources. I remember many Sunday afternoons spent cutting, sorting, and filing mom’s coupons. And, if the coupon section was especially bountiful in coupons, mom would call her non-coupon using friends and ask for their coupon section as well. Needless to say, as a young teen, I couldn’t understand what the big deal was about coupons. 

That attitude changed the first time I went shopping with my coupon mom. My mom gave me a stack of coupons, a list and these simple instructions, “Take a cart and use the coupons to get the best possible price”. As we walked the store’s aisle comparing prices, I started realizing how mom’s coupons would help. However, when we reached check-out and the coupons resulted in more than $75 being deducted, I was hooked! As I got older the phrase, “Is there a coupon for this item, store, restaurant, etc…?” became a standard part of my shopping vocabulary.

Today, as a stay at home mom, coupons remain a great resource for my husband and I. And thanks to numerous online resources, I’m no longer limited to the Sunday paper and magazines. Like my mother, I am a coupon mom, and I am teaching my children to do the same. When my son wants to go bowling, he goes online to see if the facility has any coupons; if we need printer ink, we check out the local office store’s website; when grocery shopping I take along coupons for as many items as possible—recently, I saved $40 thanks to coupons (mom is great teacher!). It’s great to see how much money is saved!

As a coupon mom of today, I have found the internet to be a great resource for everything from groceries to gifts. However there are 2 additional sources I would be remiss to leave out. These are your local phone book which frequently has coupons for area business and the Attractions Dining and Value Guide which has coupons for meals, stores such as The Home Depot or Dick’s Sporting, and local attractions. The Attractions books for each region usually cost $25 but can save you over $1,000. Simply check out their website http://www.attractionsbook.com/ for a book for your area.

So, take some time to clip coupons, they’re worth it!

–Jan

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