Today we have an inspiring story from MoneySavinDiva. She makes some very important points about how coupons changed her whole outlook on spending!
About Jill:
Jill, aka the MoneySavinDiva has been couponing for just under a year. She is currently finishing up her college degree in marketing and is looking for a job in the world of finance. Her true dream is to be a stay at home/work from home mom when that time comes. Until then, Jill enjoys spending time with her husband Mitch, her cat Frosty and with her family. And of course, hunting down deals!
I have been couponing for just under a year at this point. I remember the first trip to Walgreens that I ever took, I was so nervous! But what a rush I got when it all went smoothly and I walked home with some Ziplock baggies and TUF garbage bags…a supplies worth that I’m still living on…for almost nothing out of pocket. The first months were rough going, I spent a lot OOP to get things rolling. But now, a year later I am spending hardly anything out of pocket to stock my cupboards.
But there are more benefits to couponing than just filling my cupboards. I have learned so much financially in the past year, and without stumbling upon couponing, I would never be the person that I am today. When I started this venture a year ago, I didn’t even know the meaning of a budget. The word scared the daylights out of me. I hardly ever knew how much was in my checking account, and if I remember correctly the balance in my savings account was 24c…yes, twenty four CENTS. Things weren’t looking too promising if I kept on that financial road…
Thanks to finding couponing/frugal blogs and learning how to live a financially rewarding life, my life has done a complete 180. I now have a budget…and I love it. I don’t know how I ever went without! We have more food in our cupboards than anyone I know (except for you other bloggers…most of you have more than me!) and we have a savings account with enough money to make ourselves proud of our accomplishments.
And just this week, my husband and I bought our first house. We have money saved up already to make the changes we need to and to purchase our first deep freeze (more deals, yay!). It such a good feeling to know that we don’t have to take a loan out anymore just to buy a freezer.
Moral of the story, if I have learned anything from couponing, it hasn’t been the deals (although I learned a lot in that area too!) but it’s been how to manage my money. If it hadn’t been for paying rent with pennies (yes, I did it once, on the eve of my couponing journey and it wasn’t the whole amount…just a part) I wouldn’t be moving into my first house, I wouldn’t have enough food to last us through an emergency and I would be constantly worrying about getting bills paid on time…and probably only the minimum payment at that.
So, to all of you wonderful bloggers out there…thank you. Thank you for imparting your wisdom to help me move from a difficult time to a wonderful time of learning and savings. Without all of you, I wouldn’tbe where I am today. I hope that I can be inspiration to all of you, and I hope that you can find knowledge in my blog that will help you out too. Because we’ve all been there…
