Coupon Convert

So, I've always been pretty skeptical of couponing.  Fifty cents off of peanut butter? One dollar off detergent? It seems like a trivial amount, doesn't it? So maybe you buy three things on your shopping trip that have coupons and you save a whopping two dollars... oh how wrong I was.

Thanks to some great advice from an awesome friend from church, I learned what this couponing business is all about.  I clipped, sorted, and organized my coupons, toting them along to Harris Teeter today for my first attempt at being a savvy shopper. It took me an hour in the grocery store, but at the end of my little adventure, I saved $47.60 (40% total savings)!!!

I was absolutely shocked (and so was the man in line behind me). And now, I'm a believer! Couponing works. Not only did I save a TON of money, but I was also able to purchase many things that I would have gone without because I could get them for a great deal. It took planning, organization, and more thinking than I'm used to doing in a grocery store, but it was well worth it!

Here are the tips that were given to me by my friend. She also pointed me to The Intentional Home, a great blog with tons of resources about couponing and other domestic endeavors (she also offers local classes on couponing that I'd LOVE to check out if anyone is interested). Try these tips out and let me know how it goes!

1.)  Get the Sunday paper.
[I bought the News and Observer] -There are tons of coupons in the middle of the Sunday paper. Cut them out!

2.) Look for other coupons. 
You know that annoying paper thing that comes to your mailbox every week? I always thought it was junk mail, so I trashed it without looking. Wrong. It's not junk mail. It's a coupon treasure trove. Look through it! You'll start to see coupons other places as well... keep an eye out and you'll accumulate quite a few!

3.) Only cut the coupons that you actually need. 
Less paper to deal with, less temptation to buy things "just because I can save money".

4.) Sort and organize the coupons. 
You don't want to be "that girl" in the grocery store who has coupons trailing behind her shopping cart. The more you organize on the front end, the easier it is to find what you are looking for in the store.

5.) Check out Southern Savers. 
They have great tips, specials, and information about the weekly specials and applicable coupons for each major grocery store, drug store, and big box store (like Wal-Mart).  They also have links to websites with printable coupons so you can find even more than you collected from your Sunday paper!

6.) Pick a grocery store to focus on. 
I like Harris Teeter because they DOUBLE your manufacturer's coupons (up to face value of $0.99) every day! Here is their coupon policy. They also offer e-Vic discounts and e-coupons that you load straight onto your Vic card. [Story: I bought yogurt today. It was originally $2.00. I had a $1.00 manufacturer's coupon in addition to a $0.50 e-coupon from e-Vic... so I paid $0.50 for my four-pack of yogurt. And we're talking fancy-shmancy-not-store-brand yogurt!].

Pay attention to the weekly specials (I found their website super helpful!).  This week happens to be a big "buy one get one free" week, so those things were already half off ("buy one get one" at Harris Teeter is the equivalent of "one for half price"!).  Then, I used a coupon on top of that price. Or, if something was on sale for "2 for $5.00" and I had a $1.00 coupon, that means I payed $2.00 for each item! Especially for your coupons that are less than $0.99, you can really save a good bit of money because they double (So, if you have a $.75 coupon, you are actually going to save $1.25!)! I didn't buy much that wasn't on a special of some sort or that I didn't have a coupon for, and if I did, it was one of my items deemed "necessity". I was also willing to try new brands in order to get the best deal.

7. Get a plan of attack! 
Do your research ahead of time. Know what is on special, what coupons you have, and what you need to buy. Make a game plan!

I'm a coupon convert.

Yes, it takes time.  Yes, it takes work. Yes, you have to be super organized. Yes, it's easier if you are Type A. Yes, I was the girl with the stack of coupons at the check out.

But, I saved 40% off my grocery bill on my first try.  That's a big deal! And, it was a fun challenge. It was a game to see how much I could save versus how much I spent. And I like to shop. Ok, that's an understatement. I LOVE to shop. It's a gift. And, I love to save money. (Who doesn't!?!)

Three great things: fun, shopping, and saving money. That's a win, win, win in my book.

Happy shopping!

Like Free Stuff?

Each month Christian Audio gives away a free audiobook download. That's right, completely free!

This month's book is Jerry Bridges' The Pursuit of Holiness:

"From the Back Cover: What does holiness look like? For starters, it doesn't look anything like perfection. And it doesn't necessarily look like victory. Mostly, it consists of effort, prayer, grace, and obedience. "Scripture speaks of both a holiness we have in Christ before God, and a holiness we are to strive after," writes the author. We can ignore neither Christ's role nor our own if we are to successfully pursue holiness. It is as simple as refusing to smudge the truth on a tax return or as complicated as forgiving the person who has most viciously hurt us. Jerry takes holiness out of the realm of the impossible and brings it into the real world of our daily lives and decisions."
(From Amazon.com's listing of the book). 

From the website you can download the audiobook onto your computer and either listen to it there or transfer it onto your mp3 player or a CD.

Click here to download your free book! And remember to check back each month to get your new (free!) audiobook.

Happy listening!

God's Plan for Your Life and Figuring Out Your "Calling"

Today, I want to talk about Pastor JD's "Ask Anything Friday" video from January 14, 2011 called "How do I know God's Will?" If you haven't seen it yet, go watch the video and then come back and keep reading.

It can be really overwhelming to try to figure out God's will. We all do that don't we? We try to figure out what God is thinking, where He might have us go, what He might have us do. We ask God what his plans for our lives are and then when we don't get a step-by-step itinerary: we start to get anxious; we start to ask questions; we start to take things in to our own hands... You can fill in the second half of that sentence however you want to, but isn't that the truth? When we don't hear an immediate word from God as to the next move we should make and when we don't get that "feeling", we start to worry. 

We all desire to live within God's will, but how do we know what God's will is for our lives? Pastor JD gives some really good advice. It's simple, yes, but simple is just the kind of advice we need in this situation because it is so easy to over-think this issue. Here are my notes from his video: 

When figuring out what God wants you to do...

Step 1: Look to the Scriptures. Is there a verse on this issue? 

Step 2: Look to your own reason (which should be saturated with Scripture) 

Step 3: Look to the church. Ask Christian friends if they see things about you, the situation, and Scripture that you are missing. 

Step 4: Look to the Holy Spirit for direction.  Which doors are open? Which doors are closed? 

I think this is great advice. I want to speak to Step 2 for a second because I want to emphasize the "saturated with Scripture" component. This is absolutely crucial! If you are not actively seeking God and handing over the reins to each and every area of your life, then there is a good chance that "your flesh" (aka - your desires, your wants, your selfish heart) is going to take over. That will most assuredly lead to decisions that are out of line with God's purposes. Without the presence of God, your heart craves sin and the things of this world (see my post here for more discussion about this). 

Here is my "to do list" that will keep you close to God as you actively pursue his will for your life:

- Saturate yourself with the Scripture. Read God's Word daily. 

- Bathe your heart in prayer. Paul says to "pray without ceasing".

- Remind yourself of the Gospel every single day. Drive it down deep in your heart and let it take root!

- Have a trusted Christian friend act as an accountability partner and meet often. 

- Live in community with others. Get in a small group! 

- Attend church regularly. Reflect on and apply the teachings. And don't just attend, be active in your church and its mission. 

- Serve in the community.  This not only brings glory to God and advances His Kingdom, but it also redirects our hearts dramatically away from selfishness and places the focus on others. 

Pastor JD speaks to the word "calling" as it is used today: a "reasonable analysis of your gifts and the opportunity and how best to use those gifts for the purposes of the Kingdom" (video). Here are the three things he says you need to consider when you figure out what God's "calling" for your life is:

1. What you are passionate about.  This is what you really just love to do.  

2. What you are good at.  This is not the same as what you are passionate about! Look to other people to affirm that you are in fact skilled at this passion. 

3. What there is market for.  Look to what the church affirms, what they see as valuable and start to practice your passions and skills in ministry opportunities. 

It boils down to this... Know what you are good at, what there is an opportunity for, and go after it! (Charles Spurgeon)

Rest in the fact that God has an amazing plan for your life. He knows each and every step you will take before you take it. He has made you special and unique. You have a purpose ordained by the Most High God, the creator of the universe, who loves you like a treasured child. Trust him with everything you have, with everything he has given you, with every part of your life. God's love for you is as vast as an ocean and his plan for your life is more wonderful than you could ever imagine or dream.

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21, NIV)

Prayer for the Nations

Ephesians 6:18 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."  (NIV) 

If you are looking for a really great prayer resource, Operation World provides tons of information of how you can pray for the nations.  It can be overwhelming to wrap your head around praying for specific nations, but Operation World has specific prayer points, videos, and all kinds of tools to guide you.  You can even sign up here to become a part of the 60 Day Prayer Experience and receive daily emails that focus on a specific country.  For example, this is what you will see for Day 1.  I highly recommend Operation World!