Couponing – Job, Hobby, or Necessity?

Using coupons has become very popular these days. There are hundreds of websites and blogs available on the web for people to visit to help them begin using coupons effectively, share deals, get advice and exchange information on tips and deals. People have many different reasons for using coupons which include saving money of course!

For those who have not entered the world of couponing it may seem like to much work like a second job. Does couponing take time? Yes! But it can be done without feeling like it is a job and the benefits are well worth the time and effort. The time you spend on coupons can be entirely up to you! If you stay organized you can spend as little as a couple hours a week preparing coupons and shopping lists. Depending on how you decided to organize your coupon stash if may even be less. Reading matchups and preparing shopping lists can take you a short amount of time thanks to all the wonder websites who provided the "best of the best" deals for each store. Once you have your favorite go- to sites you will breeze through planning a shopping trip! If you are a person who loves to scout out more deals yourself at the stores you may choose to spend more by time doing so. When I am asked "doesn't couponing seem like a full time job to you?" my response is "It is my job to save my family money on groceries and other things I can so the little time I do spend on coupons does just that!" When I first started couponing I spent a fair amount of time each week cutting, organizing, researching deals, reading matchups, etc. but it was not long before I got the hang of it and had a system! Now a couple hours a week accomplishes my money saving goals!

I actually feel couponing is a hobby more than a job. I say it is a hobby because hobbies are something people do because they enjoy it. I enjoy using coupons! It is exciting to see how much you saved at the end of a shopping trip just as a person would be excited seeing a completed hobby project! A hobby brings a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, so do coupons and saving money! I enjoy finding deals and sales which will save my family money and see provide what is needed. Some hobbies can make a person extra money, well so can my coupon "hobby"!

Are using coupons a necessity? Unfortunately with the way the economy is right now the answer is yes for many families. Saving money anyway possible is a must for many families; coupons are a great way to do just that! When I started couponing I was a single mother of four young children who just got laid off. It was not an option to start cutting costs, it was an absolute necessity. Although I am no longer a single mother saving money is still a necessity. We are a one income family; I am a stay at home mom. Finding employment after my lay off proved to be almost impossible, the jobs are just not out there. The few jobs which did pop my were huge pay cuts, with the costs of daycare for my youngest and home care nurses for my boyfriends elderly and ill mother I would not bring home a dime and still be away for our family, the decision to stay at home was the best one for us. With this decision made it was still very much a necessity to save money and cut costs wherever we could. My grocery bill to feed a family of seven was $800-950 each month - YIKES! I now have a grocery bill of $300-$450 each month and a large stock pile! This did not happen over night of course; it took time but is well worth the time!

For me, couponing is all of the above - a job (to save my family money), a hobby (I enjoy the results and feel accomplished), and a necessity! Whether you feel it is a job, hobby, or necessity to use coupons the end results are worth it. Saving money is a benefit to everyone, for different reasons. No matter what your financial situation is, coupons can help save money to achieve goals - whether it be the need to cut costs or maybe to save for a vacation or a new TV. Coupons save your family money!