I’ve gone back and forth with myself on what to post for this portion on purchasing your groceries. With the coupon craze full steam ahead and the availability of information on the web about how to get the best deals at an all-time high, I felt like I wanted to write a disclaimer before I detailed what I do to save money. I came across two things that summed up how I was feeling. First, an article on a website that ,ironically,specializes in couponing, entitled Extreme Couponing 101: Burnout. It had some words of wisdom to offer about obsessing over coupons. Check it out, after you read this, of course 
The second was an article in my planner by John Piper which contained this quote ~ “Use means, but don’t trust in means. Trust in God.” I think sometimes we are in danger of thinking it is entirely up to us to provide food and other products for our family and we forget who is ultimately responsible for our provision. Matthew 6 urges us ~
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? …
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
So, while I don’t feel like there is anything wrong with using coupons to be good stewards of the money God has given us, I need to remember that they are merely tools. Ultimately it is God who provides all that we need and He does an infinitely better job than I ever could.
Phew! Okay, I feel better. We now return to your regularly scheduled post!
Continue reading »
