No Coupons Needed!

Coupon Closet Class - empty seats soon all filled up!

She with the most coupons wins! My friend Jennifer and I attended a coupon class this past week with Carrie of Coupon Closet. I had no idea how popular clipping coupons has become, I was expecting 20 or 30 people, but there was more like 200 there (and even some discount minded guys). Within about a two hour time frame Carrie full of knowledge and experience of saving significant money utilizing coupons spoke at about 100 mph. I left the class blown away! My mind was spinning as I pondered all the information she delivered and thinking of the things I needed to do to start saving.

Setting up a coupon email account….

Getting an All You magazine subscription…

Thinking of who do I know that throws out Sunday papers?

However, my mind did not go to the dumpster diving, no matter how clean the dumpster is, I would fall in and be on the 5 o’clock news! “Public Health Officer trying to save money becomes trapped in a dumpster diving for coupons.”

Jennifer and I glowing with discount delight!

So when I arrived home, I filled my husband’s head with all my new knowledge! You know the motto “share senselessly”. I’m certain he was wondering when I was going to shut up and go to sleep, but he patiently listened to my excitement.

Yes, the coupon bug has bitten me! It’s been nibbling at me for the past couple of weeks as I have been following the Coupon Closet and Money Saving Queen blogs enamored at all the goods they nab for next to nothing!

I believe in starting small and you will understand why in a minute. So I took a few coupons with me to Homeland, picked up the items, paid the cashier and walked out. I felt accomplished. Then the next day I opened my purse and found the coupons! See, I obviously needed this class. In class I learned how to organize my coupons in this shoe box, well it is so big and out there I can see how that would help me not make that mistake again.

Not filled up, I certainly don't win, I don't have the most coupons...yet.

After my small adventure ending in failure, the new question was not what can I do for my country (family), but it was to clip or not to clip…that was my question! I thought maybe I shouldn’t clip because I simply don’t have the time. I know that sounds ridiculous! I don’t have time to save money? Who am I? Certainly not money rich! Plus I use to clip coupons and actually use them! Then Coupon Closet Carrie said she has five children all under the age of five, so if she has time to clip and use coupons so do I. Nothing like economic pressure!

I am going to make a statement that I hope goes popular and hits iTunes…clipping coupons can be likened to Christianity. I know you are probably thinking redemption and certainly could be a piece of it. We were bought at a price but there were no blue light specials, but there was unconditional love. I was thinking more about knowledge and wisdom. We can have all the knowledge in the world, but if we don’t put that knowledge into practice, it never becomes wisdom. Just like I had the knowledge of saving using coupons, but not using them was foolish.

So obviously I have bought into this whole savings thing and happy to report I did have a successful trip, but once again learned another lesson. I developed my shopping list, had my coupons, my transaction one and two folders and my shoe box, which was going to remind me to turn in my coupons. I was so excited to get a package of Pilgrim’s Pride chicken, Green Giant frozen vegetables, 2 bags of Skittles, Sunny D drink and a bag of Borden’s Shredded Cheese all for $1.68! I was so thrilled I came home and told everyone in the house and Jayden my biggest fan said, “I give her three weeks before she has the house filled up! It is now Mom vs. Coupons. She is going to be on the next Extreme Couponing!”

All for $1.68 and more importantly all items we will use.

Couponing at the finest does require a great deal of understanding of the rules to follow, plus a little creativity. Colossians 2:20-21 reads “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations – “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle…do not double” Okay, it doesn’t say “do not double” but that is where my mind went as I was reading this scripture this past weekend; which by the way is referred to in coupon world as DND.

Why did God instruct His children not to subject ourselves to regulations? In verse 22 it tells me because they all perish with use. The things of God don’t perish with use! I don’t have to clip out a coupon for love, grace or mercy. I don’t need to make sure I am purchasing the correct item. I don’t have to worry about expiration dates; because God and His resources do not perish with use. No expiration date. No limit. He is alive. His resources are never-ending. No coupons required! It is nothing I do, it is all He does and has done for me. While I was dead in my trespasses and sins, Christ willingly died for us because of His unlimited and unconditional love for me and you. So thankful that I don’t have to follow a long list of religious rules to draw on His resources, but even so - reflecting on His unlimited and unconditional love makes me want to follow His commandments because I love Him and He alone has changed my “wanter”.