Why Do I Coupon?

Angela over at Frugal Living NW posed this question to her readers recently: Why do you coupon? This has been rattling around in my brain for the last few days and I finally stumbled upon one idea that can tie it all together, for our family at least.

Our son LOVES bubbles in his bath. Let me clarify, he loves Johnson’s bubbles in his bath. He recognizes this bottle, he knows this bottle. If I did not use coupons, I would pay anywhere between $3 and $5 for this bottle. With the very limited grocery budget we are on, I’m pretty sure this would be a purchase that wouldn’t make the cut. By using coupons and shopping deals, I am able to buy this for our son without sacrificing somewhere else in our budget.

When the above mentioned bottle somehow finds its entire contents dumped into one tub of bath water or ground deep into my carpet fibers by our sweet, well-meaning two year old, I’m only a little annoyed. Okay, more than a little, because it will generally be me that is cleaning it out of the carpet. But I don’t have that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that I would have if I had paid $5 for this bottle. Using coupons and shopping for deals gives me the peace of mind to take a deep breath, be thankful that my carpet is now a little cleaner and pull a new bottle out of the cupboard.

This same bottle sometimes finds itself with plenty of company in my gift closet. When I come across good deals on baby products, I buy several and set them aside for new baby or baby shower gifts. I am able to give significantly more to the many, many new moms that I know without totally blowing apart our budget. I’ll be totally honest.. Sometimes, after yet another bottle has (somehow) found itself to be empty, I raid my gift closet.

Using coupons doesn’t just save money for our family. It’s not just about buying 72 boxes of fruit snacks because they are basically free. It gives us peace of mind. It allows me to fill our pantry to the brim with foods that we love and use the money I save to buy fresh fruit and vegetables to fill our tummies. It allows us to buy little luxuries like bubble bath. It allows us to donate to other families who may be less fortunate. It allows me to make meals for friends who are sick or have new babies without breaking the bank. It has taught me to be frugal in all areas of our lives and it has taught me to be so thankful for what we have and what we can give.