Use your coupons!

As I was going through one of my supply drawers this week, it reminded me to be thankful I had used all those coupons last summer. And by "last summer" ... I mean 2009. I felt a bit ridiculous at the time, buying bottle after bottle of laundry detergent. But it is a year later, and I still have a storage drawer FULL of those lovely bottles. In the last 12 months ... I have spent exactly $0 on laundry detergent. 

And, for that matter, I have not spent a dime on toothpaste. I still have about 8 tubes in the hall closet, so it will easily be another year before I have to buy any. We have enough shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, soap, lotion and shave gel to last us another year or two. 

It may seem like overkill to buy all those products, spending all that time clipping and sorting coupons and searching for the best deals. But you will thank yourself in the long run. Take an extra 5 minutes today and plan for the future. A year from now, you (and your grocery bill) will be thankful!