FRUGAL TIMEKEEPING

Often the question is asked, how I find time to manage my coupons. Many busy working moms and dads just don’t have the time to coupon.

There are methods for coupon users to manage coupons with various apps on SMART phones. Being the frugal person that I am, I don’t own a SMART phone. Is anyone surprised?

I have a flip phone with pre-paid minutes. I truly appreciate my hand-me-down treasure from Mother’s Little Helper who upgraded many years ago. You can’t do better than free, if you ask me!

Due to its limitations, I coupon the old-fashioned way. Some may consider it time consuming. It requires a scissor and a printer or a newspaper. But it doesn’t have to be time-consuming.

I work on coupons once a week. During the week if I come across coupons [they arrive in the mail or on my newspaper or at the checkout line], I set them aside in a pile on my kitchen counter.

Next thing to do is clip, cut and sort. But when does one have “the time”?

When Mother’s Little Helpers were young, the opportunities presented themselves in carpool lines, or sitting a few minutes in the car at soccer practice. The Little Helpers have grown, there is no carpooling or sitting at soccer practices anymore.

But, I’m still a very busy mom!

No longer the chauffeur, I save my coupons for when I’m the passenger. That is my time to clip, cut, and sort coupons. My biggest pet peeve is sitting and doing nothing. As a child, my mother would tell me that if I had nothing to do, she could find something for me to do. I always declined the offer.

Using time in the car this way allows me to feel productive while not taking time away from something I ought to be doing in the house.

This method may still be too time-consuming for busy working moms and dads but you may find some other sitting  time [TV viewing] when the opportunity to multi-task comes along, allowing you to use time to your advantage and save money!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Some of my favorite coupon websites include: www.smartsource.com; www.redplum.com and www.coupons.com. If you have not had a chance to read www.couponmom.com, it’s a no cost, highly informative website. Check these out for some great savings!