Here’s my little Happy New Year gift to you. Each day in January, I’ll bring you a simple, concrete and easy to put in place tip to fuel your efforts to Save Money, Pay Off Debt, and Be Awesome this year. Looking for a quick plan? Well this might not to be the right place for you. Most things down well take time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t begin to implement systems in your life that will help you achieve your goals. I’ve said it many, many times before. Paying off debt isn’t complex. It’s just not easy. You have to punch the clock daily and do the hard work. Here’s another way to make that happen.
Day 14: Get Your Coupon On
Money can’t buy happiness, Money Saving Lords and Ladies, but it is a half priced coupon.
I KID. However, one thing I do not joke about is the role coupons played in helping us slay the debt dragon. Every penny we saved was another we could place toward paying off $127K in debt. Back in 2008 when we began our debt slaying journey, I begin researching every way I could to maximize, organize, and collect coupons. Primarily I used frugal blogs and internet searches to fuel my efforts.
Yes, coupons can be a mighty debt slaying weapon. However, there are some practical rules I choose to abide by when using coupons to save time, your sanity, and of course money.
- Do Not Spend More Than ~2 Hours a Week on Coupons. If you spend 60 hours a week on coupons, you should probably get a job. Sure you might have fewer tubes of tooth paste and candy bars, but you could make real money with that time.
- Don’t Buy Items Just Because You Have a Coupon. Typically, I don’t purchase an item for the first time simply because I have coupon. It’s a good rule of thumb. Stuff on sale is still stuff and if you don’t need it, it will simply clutter your life, reducing your productivity. Even if an item is completely free, you need a plan to use it or move it along to someone else within 24 hours.
- Don’t Use a Strategy That Hasn’t Worked in the Past. If you’ve attempted to use a coupon binder before but didn’t like it, don’t return to that method. If you constantly forget your coupons at home in a stack, then you need a new manner to organize. Don’t keep doing the same thing if it doesn’t work.
- Go Digital. I’m a huge fan of digital coupons. Meijer’s mPerks, Target’s Cartwheel, Kroger Plus Card, Shopick, and more. There are so many ways to save with Digital Coupons. Even if you are shopping in the mall, please promise me you’ll take the step to Google the store’s name and coupon before you make a purchase if you’re blessed to have a smart phone.
- Shop ALDI. Ironically, I want to send you to a location that doesn’t even accept coupons. I do the majority of our shopping at this discount grocery store. Many times, the prices are lower than what I could pull off even with coupons. Check out 5 Tips for Shopping at ALDI for my best strategies.
The average millionaire uses coupons. I figure if I want to be a millionaire someday, I should probably explore the best practices for successfully using coupons, too. They will help you pay off debt more quickly if you’re smart about how you use them.
Have you missed other 31 Ways Posts? Check out:
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: Work It
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in The Teeth: Move It
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: Communicate with Your Spouse
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: Set Limits
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: Dream On
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: Quit Eating at Restaurants
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: Read a Book, Why Don’t Ya?
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: Change Your Mind About Budgeting
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth in 2014: Plan Yo’ Meals
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth in 2014: Use CA$H
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth in 2014: Sell, Baby, Sell
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth in 2014: Stop It
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth in 2014: Introduction
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I’m so looking forward to sharing this month of challenge and inspiration with you. Together, we can show debt who’s boss and give it a swift kick in the teeth this January and throughout the year in 2014. Away we go!
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains affiliate links. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
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