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Most of you that have taken my class know my story on how the economy affected my family financially. For those of you that have not attended my class, I will give you a little bit of background, I owned a mortgage company and have been in real estate for well over 20 years. Just like most people in my field, I found myself flat broke very quickly. I have always told others that “through the greatest trials, come the biggest blessings”, but that is really hard to grasp when you are going through your trial. Can I get an AMEN?!
During the most difficult times financially, I found myself going deeper and deeper into a doom a gloom state. I am by nature a very upbeat person, so this was something that I was having a hard time dealing with. In the past, I could just work a little harder or pick up business here or there, but in the current economy, that was just not possible. When people are having hard times financially, it can affect many areas of their lives including their marriages, their relationships with others as well as their health. As a female, we have an internal need to want to care for others and I feel it is also in our nature to want to lift the spirits of our children and husbands or others when we sense that they are feeling blue, that is hard to do when we are blue ourselves. When we are struggling financially or having a hard time keeping groceries in our house, it is very easy for us to slip into a state of despair or feeling that we don’t have any power to make a change.
After discovering how to use coupons and experiencing the thrill of my first great deal, I suddenly had a new hop to my step, a smile on my face, a feeling of hope and excitement that I hadn’t felt in a while! Those that knew me noticed almost immediately and got just as excited as I did as I shared my excitement with others. A good friend of mine asked me to hold a class to teach others. After the first class, I would hear back from those that went out and started couponing immediately and noticed that they all seemed so different, their faces even looked different as they began smiling more and their eyes were wide with excitement as they told me about their deals. I knew almost immediately that there was a purpose here that was about a LOT more than coupons. It was about inspiring hope in others.
Every day I pray that above all I can be a blessing to others. That truly is my mission in life and I do my best to watch for openings to make a difference. Through couponing, many of you have been able to help friends and family members, support our local food pantries or give to the troops. Some of you came to my class after losing your job or your husband being laid off or not knowing how you would fit your groceries into your budget for the next week since things were so tight. It has been amazing to see the transformation in attitude and excitement in so many of you since then!
Couponing inspires a giving spirit in all of us. Just sit back and look at our facebook page on any given day and notice if a newbie posts a question or if someone with a baby is looking for diaper or formula coupons or any other topic that might come up. I have to be on the top of my game if I want to reply to a post first because if not, there will be ten or more people jumping in to help that person understand how to do a deal or offering their coupons to the person looking for them. That is amazing!
Were we all so willing to help or generous with our love towards others when things were going good and our lives were moving so fast? I think that we all had it in us, but I think that many times (at least for me) I never took the time to notice who might need help or to give a hand as often as maybe I should have. We didn’t always know or neighbors or speak to very many who were not in our immediate circle of friends, family or co-workers. But look at us now!
We are a family who were complete strangers, people that would never have come together had it not been for the downturn in the economy, the need to save money to get through these hard times or the desire to learn how to coupon so that you can better manage your finances.
We have all made an impact on our community, through the donations that you have made to others, through helping each other to understand how to save money, to sharing the excitement with complete strangers that you come into contact with at the grocery store (yes, they think you are crazy but they will understand later). And even the excitement that you have restored in your friends, families and children just because of your new attitude.
With that said, I must conclude that this IS about a LOT more than couponing and through the greatest trials really do come the Biggest Blessings!
