Coupons? When did we start using coupons?

Because my wife and I are still employed, carry a fixed rate on our mortgage and feel relatively secure in our jobs, I thought we were mostly unharmed by the recession. Sure, we have close friends who are now statistics in the economic downturn, but I believed we were generally unaffected.

Then I had an epiphany.

Thankfully, it didn't come in the form of a pink slip, a late notice or other bad news. Instead, it came during a harmless conversation my wife and I had in our kitchen.

"We need to go to the store tonight," she said as she sat her purse and car keys on the kitchen counter. "My co-worker has the cutest coupon file, and I have to get one."

This statement grabbed my attention, possibly because I haven't accompanied her to the store in quite some time but more likely because something new has been added to her shopping routine.

"Coupons?" I asked. "When did we start using coupons?"

Apparently, my wife started clipping coupons around the same time the economy started dominating the evening news. Coupons, she explained, are a tremendous source of savings that allow us to set aside money for increasingly expensive necessities.

The added cushion provided by the coupons helps us overcome unexpected expenses to pay bills promptly; it is important because creditors and service providers have become more rigid on their due dates. Without even knowing it, I had been affected by the recession, and my epiphany was not even over.

As I reflected on how our lives had changed since the onset of the economic difficulties, I began to notice a few changes from our pre-recession status quo. Yes, my wife was shopping with coupons, but she was no longer shopping exclusively at our neighborhood grocery store.

Instead, she began spending her Saturday mornings at the local farmer's market a few months ago, and the resulting influx of vegetables has been more healthful and less expensive (not to mention more delicious). She and I have adjusted to eating out only one night per week, and cooking at home has replaced her traditional evening ritual of browsing the Internet for irresistible new purchases.

The recession's impacts have been minor when compared to our less-fortunate colleagues who now spend their days browsing help-wanted ads in the local newspaper. Nonetheless, we have been affected, and I finally feel ready to sign on to the current "cheap is hip" trend.