Why should anyone use coupons to save money AND stockpile food against rising inflation?

First off, I want to make it clear that I am IN NO WAY advocating defrauding any companies.

After viewing TLC's Extreme Couponing, I'm sure that some of you (if not quite a few) have a bad taste in your mouth regarding couponing and stockpiling food. Let me ask you one thing though: What would happen if six months down the road your spendable income was cut by half and inflation was driving grocery prices into the scraping to feed your family zone?

There aren't many families that can say they would be fine with this development. In fact, a lot of families would have to live off their credit cards or default on lines of credit to ensure their families were fed. (We have already seen the trends start due to the recession and now that inflation is starting to rise it could get much worse.)

This is where couponing and stockpiling comes in. If your family has a stockpile of food and necessities that will last a minimum of six months you won't have to worry so much about feeding your family while inflation crunches every wallet. What's more you can already see the rising prices in the supermarkets today, imagine what they’re going to look like in a year.

How many families can just sit back and live on their savings for a year or more? How many single parent families are struggling to make ends meet in this tough economy as it is?

There is plenty of financial gloom and doom being reported from most news and radio stations. (Non-satellite, anyway.) I could write (what if) questions until the cows come home, but that really wouldn't help the families in need. (And no I have no idea how long it takes for the cows to come home. So that should tell you how long I can come up with what if scenarios!)

Now for the fun and challenging part and yes successful couponing can be extremely challenging. I’m talking eyes watering, feeling like your hitting your head against a brick wall challenging. Especially for those people (like me) who expect to figure it out quickly and begin saving tons of money on their first coupon shopping trip. But like everything else if you stick to it and learn all that you can, the rewards will blow your mind and add a little to a lot of padding to your wallet. For example: The night I purchased $36 worth of products for $4.04 at my local Walgreens had me doing the Snoopy dance for joy! It was the lowest out of pocket per item I had ever achieved! It just depends on how much time and effort you want to put into couponing and stockpiling. And yes they are 2 separate endeavors. For those who feel they don’t need to coupon, a stockpile is still something that should be researched and considered very carefully.

Prior to our fast food restaurants and easily accessible grocery stores, our grandmother’s found it imperative to “stock up” on often used items. (Yes I am being a bit sexist, but come on, how many men were actually staying home while their wives went to work supporting the family in the previous generations? Back then and even some today, being a stay-at-home parent wasn’t considered a “job”. Yeah like we all live in a June Cleaver world, not. ANY stay-at-home parent will tell you it takes A LOT of work keeping a family running correctly.) The times have changed the wording as with most terms throughout history. Also changed are the number, quality and ease of use items available on market shelves today. Think about it; microwave food ready in minutes? Our grandmothers’ would be dancing for joy…until they realized it would make their families fat. But I digress…

No matter the terms used, ensuring your family will have enough food during financially lean times should be an imperative for every person. Even if the family only consists of you and the neighbor’s cat who has commanded squatting rights on your doorstep as well as the not so occasional hand out.

For those who decide to take the couponing plunge, here are some wonderful websites that will give you more knowledge than you can read and a sense of community to let you know you’re not the only one couponing. This is by no means a complete list, just the ones I found early in my coupon induction that assisted me the most. Just remember Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect to save tons of money overnight.

• http://www.afullcup.com/
• http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/
• http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
• www.couponmountain.com
• Check the websites of the stores you normally shop at, most have coupons online for customers!
• Go to the websites of the manufacturers of the items you frequently purchase. They usually have coupons available or can put you on an email list to receive coupons and general recipes/information.

There is a lot of information out there to assist any couponing or stocking up endeavor. When the information you're reading starts to repeat itself in your mind, you'll know you have the basics down.