Why I coupon...

I was totally inspired by MNTK and her why I stockpile post. It's been a motivating mantra for me to "Never pay for than .80 for a box of Name Brand cereal". I'm not there yet, but I will be someday, and honestly I think .99 for a $5 box of Cheerios is a pretty good deal regardless.

While I hope to eventually develop my own stockpile (besides the 15 some odd boxes of various cereals), I coupon for to solve a much more immediate problem. I coupon so I can afford the things that almost never have a coupon! I have a very picky household and growing up in a family where things just appeared without me having any concept of what things cost, I grew up to be a bit of a brand snob. I have come a LONG way, but there are certain things I just can't seem to live without. Saving money on things I buy or buying them for "free" makes it so I can pick up my
Tropicana Orange Juice pulp free with Calcium and my Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Neither of these items ever get very cheap (least not that I've found).

Using coupons makes me feel good about myself. After I spend an hour aimlessly wandering the isles of an unfamiliar store and fumbling around to find that special item I read about, it always makes me smile when I leave the store and look at the money I've saved and I realize it wasn't a waste of time after all! Especially when you consider I wandered aimlessly before and spent a bunch more!

With all the changes that have happened in the last month, I haven't been keeping track of my spending as much as I used to. Starting next month I go back to living on cash and I can really see what I have left over every week. Wish me luck!