Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
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: LEARN TO COUPON
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 began 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 (and become more so every year). 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 The Best Ways to Save Money at ALDI for my 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.
Want to be sure you don’t miss a single one of the 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth? Be sure to subscribe to my daily newsletter! Look for the bar that looks like this in the upper righthand corner.
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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 2016. Away we go!
Miss the previous posts? Check out:
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: BELIEVE
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: STOP IT
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: SELL, BABY, SELL
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in The Teeth: USE CASH
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: PLAN YOUR MEALS
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT BUDGETING
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: READ A BOOK
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: QUIT RESTAURANTS
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: DREAM ON!
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: SET LIMITS
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR SPOUSE
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: MOVE IT
- 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: WORK IT
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. 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!
I wish I had an Aldi close by – I would have to drive 40 minutes to get to one. Maybe an every-other-month trip would be beneficial?
That’s not a bad idea Jessica. Especially for staples like cereal, oats, peanut butter, applesauce, and anything you can put in your freezer.