Saving Money Without Coupons Part 1

There was a time, not too long ago, when I was a "coupon queen." In any given week, I would save $50 or more in coupons. Most weeks I even made money on purchases. $0.10 for a box of pasta, $0.25 for a box of crackers. Most of the time, it was cheaper overall to buy more items than the one we needed. It was a rush. The feeling was doubled when we'd give missionaries bags of food after feeding them a meal in our home or box after box of food and vitamins (money makers) with my mom, who distributed it among the people she knows who are in need. It was great to be able to bless so many lives and help my family in the process.

     Then the well of coupon craziness went dry. Everybody and their mother (including mine) started couponning. There were stupid reality shows about it. Manufacturers couldn't afford to give our as many good coupons, so , instead of getting $1 off something, we get $0.25 off. I'm not complaining, I promise. Manufacturers have to make money. I get that. However, it has made saving money on groceries tougher. I've had to go back to basics to keep us in budget. Over the next few posts, I'll share with you all some ways I've done that.

• Beans
  
  Dave Ramsey suggests eating "rice and beans, and beans and rice" to save money. Beans are FULL of fiber, protein, and other nutrients. A one-pound bag is anywhere from $1.25-$1.75. They're even more economical if you buy larger bags.
  
  Growing up, I never ate beans because my mother never made them. She didn't like them (and didn't know how to cook with them), so they never made their way to our table. My husband comes from a Southern family. Beans are a staple. Black beans, red beans, black eyed peas, pinto beans, lima beans (baby and large), and the list goes on. When we got married, he made beans and made me try them. Yes, I felt a bit like a 5 year old being told "Try it. You might like it." But he did it with the love and humor, not in a patronizing way. A crazy thing happened- I fell in love with beans! Now, one of my favorite lunches is brown rice cooked in homemade stock with black beans, and some red onion. Lentils take 25 minutes to cook and don't require soaking, so they're very popular in our kitchen.
  
  I credit this book with teaching me to cook with beans and lentils. I had no idea that beans can be used in so many ways! Now that I have Pinterest, I get new bean dish ideas all the time. They best part is that they taste REALLY good. I have a bunch of easy, delicious bean recipes in the works. I'm hoping to have a couple of them up by the end of the week.