Why do I coupon?....

At the risk of people thinking I am turning into a crazed, hoarding, coupon freak-a-zoid, I thought that I might take this opportunity to explain exactly WHY I began to 'coupon'. It is not because I see a good deal and cannot pass it up. It is not because I intend on becoming a guest on the t.v. show, 'Extreme Couponing'. Nope. I do it to achieve a much loftier goal: provident living.

What is provident living you might ask? It is not buying 98 tubes of toothpaste that sit on a stock shelf for years without being used. It is not having enough mashed potatoes to fill up a double-car garage. It is the idea of "Learning principles of avoiding debt, discerning between needs and wants, and living close to God in order to be provident providers both spiritually and temporally." From the time I was a little girl (far before I knew what Mormons were), I was intrigued by the idea of canning, freezing, and putting up for the winter. Call me old-fashioned but, if the shoe fits... I have very fond memories of helping my great-grandmother shell peas for days on end and can anything from pears to tomatoes. I also remember as a child (and, yes, let us remember that I am NOT normal) cutting coupons in the Sunday paper and asking my mother, "Does that mean we will save lots of pennies, Mama?"
You see... I did not, by any means, grow up in a family that was in poverty. We were regular working people that got affected by the ebb and flow of the economy. I consider myself fortunate that I did not come from wealth because those familes truly have suffered with the recent ebb-a-licious economy.

Fast forward a couple or 15 years: when Jacob and I got engaged, one of the sweetest women that I know told me that she wanted to throw me a shower but a "different" kind of shower. She wanted to throw me a Provident Living shower where all of the gifts would be related to food storage, canning, emergency preparedness, and avoiding debt. Since I am a "different" kind of girl, I was so excited. That one afternoon changed the course of the rest of my life because it really helped me focus on the important things. Women present told me stories of how living frugally, keeping their store houses full and avoiding debt kept them out of bankruptcy and allowed them the gift of staying at home and raising their families. This was everything that I had wanted! So as Jacob and I entered into our marriage, I made the vow that I would save just a smidge (which when you're the only bread-winner at times it tough) of money each month to purchase an extra roll of toilet paper or food storage cans from the LDS Distribution Center. While it was not enough to last us several months, it got us through some REALLY rough times when I was very ill or Jacob was without work. Most young couples are just a paycheck or two from bankruptcy. I do not want to be a part of that "norm".

Fast forward again to the present: While working at the dance studio, I began noticing some of the moms using their time wisely by cutting, arranging, and sharing coupons with one another. While I used a coupon here and there for a box of cereal, I never even knew that such skills were attainable. From that moment on, I was hooked. By spending just a few minutes here and there out of my week, I can contribute to the provident living of my family by a way other than taking on my 4th job for the week (most of you know me and understand my plight)! In these last two months, I have drastically reduced our grocery bill each month and been able to almost obliterate my husband's almost daily trips to the Golden Arches. Most will argue that all the coupons out there in the world are for over-proccessed, bad for you foods and, in some ways, they are right. There ARE tons of sodium-laden items out there that you can get very cheap. Since my body is very sensitive to proccessed foods, this is clearly not an option nor does it stick to my original goal: provident living. I never purchase items that I would not feed my future children. I do not hoard food, toiletries, or anything else for that matter (thank you o.c.d. for that). I sit down with the weekly circulars, jot down the "deals" that are BOGO (buy one get one free) or 2 for ___ or 10 for $10, and then talk it over with my husband what he would like to eat that week (keep in mind that all of this grocery-buying DOES include meat and FRESH produce). By saving half on our grocery bill each week even with adding to our P.L. pile, I am able to use that extra money for more important things like paying extra on our car payment, putting into savings for a baby, etc etc yadda yadda. Well I hope that you have enjoyed a glimpse into the daily thoughts of Crystal Michelle. While I am no genius and no superwoman, I do think that I come up with good ideas every once in a while. One day I do want to be one of those moms that can stay home with the children. Some day I do plan to not to have to be the breadwinner. And while my husband is planning on being a doctor, we are a mighty far way away from that paycheck. Right now we are just two normal people paddling along in this river called life and we are affected by the economy and its' unshakiness. One day I hope to be a woman that knows that my family is safe because we have a year's worth of food in storage and our 72-hr kits all packed. Until then I will continue plugging along one coupon at a time...