1. Rising Gas Prices - Gas prices have been climbing steadily and there is no sign that they will drop anytime in the near future. Actually, there's a good chance the price will rise to over $5 a gallon by summer. For most families, cutting back on gas usage is not an option. You have to use gas to get to work, take the kids to school, run errands, etc. On "Good Morning America" today, they estimated that most people will have to cut back their household budgets by at least 5% in order to compensate. You shouldn't have to choose between buying gas and providing for your family.
2. Higher Gas Prices = Higher Food Prices - There are many factors that effect the price of food, and gas is one of them! The grocery stores cannot stock their shelves without it. Also, when gas prices go down, the prices of food stays the same. Manufacturers take advantage of the fact that consumers have to buy groceries despite the high prices. The cost of groceries is projected to rise by as much as 40% by the end of this year. If this doesn't have you convinced to jump on the coupon bandwagon, here are 8 more reasons!
3. Keep Your Money In Your Pocket Where It Belongs - This one is self-explanatory. You earned the money, so you shouldn't have to give it all away everytime you go through the checkout lane!
4. Pay Down Your Debt - It's hard to pay more than the minimum monthly payments on your credit cards when the cost of everyday necessities is spiraling out of control. Using coupons will give you the ability to pay more than the minimum and will save you a lot of money on interest in the long run.
5. Avoid Acquiring New Debt - When you're living paycheck to paycheck like most Americans, sometimes you have no option other than to put groceries on your credit card and pray that you'll have the money to pay for it later. There's no need to do this when you can use coupons to pay for nearly 75% of your groceries!
6. Save Money - How many times have you wished that you could take a vacation? Or start a college savings account for your kids? Or build an emergency fund? Coupons can make it all possible. Check out Couponing to Disney and read this family's incredible story.
7. Build A Stockpile - Have you ever wondered how you would feed your family if you were laid off at work or your hours were drastically cut? What about a natural disaster? This is something a lot of us don't like to think about. I'm not saying you should turn your house into one of those you see on "Hoarders", but it would be nice to have enough to sustain your family for a few weeks if something were to happen. Stockpiling also keeps you from having to make frequent trips to the grocery store. Typically, the more you shop, the more you spend even if it's not intentional.
8. Treat Yourself - You love your kids dearly, but sometimes you need some time away for retail therapy, a day at the spa, or a date night with your significant other. Use that 75% you saved at the grocery this week to hire a sitter and do something for yourself for once. You deserve it!
9. Discipline - Most of us buy things without paying attention to the price. We walk through the store throwing stuff in the cart because we just have to have it now, right? Once you've been couponing for awhile, you'll learn the sales cycles at your stores. You'll know when to stock up and when to hold out for a better deal.
10. Give To Others - We all wish we could do more to help others, but there's just never anything left to give. Coupons give us the ability to get tons of stuff for pennies on the dollar. And sometimes, absolutely free! Whether you give to family and friends or food banks and shelters, you'll sleep better at night knowing that you made a difference in someone's life.
No comments:
Post a Comment