Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Couponers!

I know posts have been far and few between (due to the holiday season), but beginning in January, expect to see more deals, steals and bargains posted on a weekly basis. 

As we go into the New Year, I hope you'll join me in working even harder to become faithfully frugal. As Christ followers, we are called to be wise with our money - giving our first ten percent to God and then wisely investing the rest. Proverbs 21:5 (NLT) says, "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty." Simple tasks like planning your shopping trips, clipping coupons and waiting for items to go on sale as opposed to making impulse purchases, help you and your family prosper. And God will bless you - that alone is worth the time you set aside!

Becoming faithfully frugal requires discipline, too. Proverbs 13:18 (NIV) says, "He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored." And Proverbs 19:20 (NIV) reminds us to, "Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise." I don't know about you, but I'd like to considered wise!

Perhaps it goes without saying, but it's important to remember that when couponing interferes with our time with Christ or with our families, it quickly can become an idol. There has to be a middle ground, and finding that perfect balance is tricky.

Sure, money is the root of all evil. But it's not money that's evil - it's the focus on money that's evil. It's the attention you give it. And let's face it - when you coupon, you are lending your eyes, ears and attention to money (the money that you want to save). So be tread carefully. There's a balance. And when you find that place, you can be a blessing to your family and to others through your giving! There are few things more freeing or more rewarding than being able to give of your resources.

So let this be an encouragement to you as you embark into the New Year. Let's make a commitment together to plan out our shopping trips, to coupon diligently and to discipline ourselves financially. By becoming faithfully frugal we can become an incredible blessing to our families, pay down debt faster, put more money into the bank and live in greater freedom. And when we are living in freedom, we become available to what Christ would have us do.

So Merry Christmas! May this season bring you great joy and peace that follows you into the New Year.