When I began my journey as an Army wife, it became apparent to me that budgeting, meal planning, and clipping coupons would be a necessity to make my service member’s paycheck go farther if we wanted to experience life’s “extras”.

This is not just a skill, but a lifestyle.

Couponing has always been a saving grace for my family. I watched my grandmother (an Air force wife) cut coupons out of the newspaper growing up. So I was very familiar with making a dollar stretch.

As we grew our own family we realized that in order to go on vacation, build an emergency fund, and save for retirement couponing has been a life saver. Outside of shopping at the commissary on base, there is no better feeling than handing a stack of paper (that’s not cash) to your cashier and watching your out-of-pocket expense get smaller and smaller.

When I had this realization, I wondered how many other Military families were also attempting to reduce their out-of-pocket cost for groceries and household items.

Coupons tend to be misunderstood.

When I asked around, many spouses could not understand how a coupon could allow you to save enough to make a difference. But, when you coupon strategically and efficiently, you can save your family hundreds of dollars a year.

Spouses couldn’t believe it until I told them come with me on a grocery shopping trip and watch.

It changed their entire perspectives on couponing (which let’s face it sometimes gets a bad rap). After that trip I began holding free monthly couponing classes and group shopping trips. I provided each spouse with a coupon holder or binder whichever they were comfortable with and a pair of scissors.

Let the Coupon Classes begin!

While stationed in Staten Island I was fortunate to create a great relationship with a local Bodega and they would give us the Sunday new paper inserts for free from the unsold newspapers before they closed up on Sunday nights.

This is like gold to a coupon cutter.

During our coupon classes I taught spouses about buying smarter, and creating a stockpile for their homes when items are at their lowest selling prices. What many people don’t realize is all stores have inventory that is on sale during certain times of the year.

For example: in the fall it’s baking season, the winter it’s all about let’s get healthy and during the summer is all frozen treats. It is during these times that those items are the lowest they may be all year.

What good things came from the classes?

• Knowing when to buy particular items allows you to purchase them at their lowest price before you receive even more savings with a coupon.
• Spouses learned how to email their (or their kids’) favorite products maker and were gleefully happy when the company sent them free coupons to use on their next purchase. (This made me happy as well)
• I watched families who may have been struggling financially, breathe a sigh of relief to know they could control their families’ finances better by using coupons.
• I listened to worries about how to cover the cost of a child’s new extracurricular activity and watch those fears disappear with a coupon.
• I love watching families realize they don’t have to sacrifice the quality of food for their families simply by making smarter choices when they grocery shop and shopping with a purpose & strategy.
• It has always made me happy to hear a spouse tell me we just booked a vacation or we can now afford to travel back home to visit family for the holidays because of the savings they were able to achieve using coupons.

What has Couponing done for me?

As a Military spouse it is my honor to share what I have learned in 27 years with my fellow spouses, I feel it is my duty to ensure Military families not only have what the need but to be able to enjoy the extras in life.

Couponing has also allowed me to be a stay at home wife and mom while contributing to my family’s finances.

We have traveled to multiple theme parks, gone on trips to the mountains and beaches all with a square sometimes rectangular piece of paper that to so many people may look insignificant or too time consuming.

However, to a family looking to find an extra $50- $100 a month a coupon is their savings lifeline. Over the years prices have increased but the strategy has stated the same.

Our family of six has made budget adjustments when it came to our monthly grocery allowance like all families due to inflation, however our grocery budget has been the same for about 12 years now regardless of inflation even today.

My biggest moment of revelation when couponing was during Super Storm Sandy, I was able to completely empty both my pantry stockpiles and donate them to families who were so desperately in need at the time and that meant more to me than saving for our next Disney trip.

By creating a stockpile from couponing, I could help so many families without taking away from my own.

So, before you recycle that Sunday paper, take a look at the coupons and ask yourself what you could do with an extra $50 or more after your next grocery trip? 

*For more about Tina and her passion for couponing and saving money, visit her HERE!