In today’s tough economic times, it can often seem like our paychecks fly out of our checking account almost as soon as they reach them. For anyone that this situation applies to, financial stress can play a big part in your everyday life. So, today I am looking at ways to be more intentional with our family’s finances.
We have already discussed that the Lord has commanded us to be good stewards of the earthly possessions that he has blessed us with. And, of course, money is no exception to this rule. In fact, this may be one of the hardest areas for us.
Since we are not a family with “unlimited” resources, I have been focusing on ways to be smart with our money for a little over a year now. One of the ways that I save our family money every month is by using coupons to help pay for our groceries and household needs. I started couponing about a year and a half ago and have managed to save our family a significant amount of money in that time. Because of my stockpiling efforts, we have no need to buy personal hygiene items for at least the next 3-4 months. We also have a decent stock of laundry and cleaning supplies. If you’re the person doing the shopping for your household, you know that saving money in just these two areas can make a big difference. 
Today I went on a shopping trip that hopefully will keep me from having to make another trip to the grocery store for about a month. With that being said, we will still have to pick up things like fresh produce and bread one more time this month. But using coupons and planning out my shopping trip helped me to save my family quite a bit. I spent right at $400 on grocery items for this month. When you break it down weekly, it cost us $100 per week. For a family of six, I don’t think that’s too bad.
Shopping this way did take more time than if I had just gone to the store without a plan and picked up food for a week’s time. But, in the long run, it was worth the time and effort. I personally do not enjoy shopping for groceries. And to know that I don’t have to do it again for another month allows me to enjoy other things.
Learning to use coupons can be a formidable chore…..but if you have the time or the interest, it is worth the energy. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t consider shopping without them. Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not one of those crazy women standing in the checkout line with 150 coupons for the cashier to scan. I might have used a total of 20 coupons all day.
For anyone interested in learning the art of couponing, here are a couple of my favorite websites that can help you out. Be warned, it does take some time to master using coupons….but it’s worth it!
Check out TheKrazyCouponLady or Hip2Save for tips on how to use coupons and save LOTS of money!
Living In His Blessings 
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