I have written and rewritten this post, and no matter what I type, it just doesn’t seem right. So here it goes.
I found this proverb that might sum it up for me.
Of all the stratagems, to know when to quit is the best.
–Chinese Proverb
My friends…
I am tired.
I need time refocus on God and my church family.
I am distracted.
I need time for my husband and family.
I am burntout.
I need time for my students.
I am grateful.
I need time to refocus on real life.
I am healing.
I need time to take care of my body.
I love you.
I really do. As I was coming to this decision, I thought and dwelt on each and every one of you I have met, talked with, or even just saw a smiling face on Facebook. There are many of you that I feel like I know better than my real life friends, and I know you feel the same.
For those who have gotten to know me, you know I am full of sadness and at the same time full of joy to make this announcement.
Today is my last day blogging, writing, and sharing deals at Coupon Teacher.
After more than 3.5 years of working on the computer daily, I am ready for the next stage in my life. I need to see what God has planned for me next. I will truly miss helping and talking with you each day, but I know that this is the right thing for me to do.
But you know that I could not just leave you hanging. I have dedicated years to making sure I provided help and a service to you consistently, and I cannot just leave you without a smiling Coupon Teacher each day. I have been seeking a perfect smiling face for you, and I think I have found her.
Natalie is going to be taking over Coupon Teacher effective tomorrow. She will introduce herself to you then!!
Thank you for the memories, for the support, and for your kindness over the years.
Until we meet again,
Shelly
I disclose : There may be affiliate links in this post.
{ 106 comments… read them below or add one }
Im sorry to see you go. Good luck with everything!
Thanks Lindy!
You have taught me so much! You will succeed in what ever you choose to do as long as you put GOD first in your life!
I am going to try my best Martha!
It is hard to mature, congradulations on haveing the courage to take these steps !! God Bless You !
Excited to see what this page holds in the coming days. You have my attention !!
Thank you Cathy! I hope you truly enjoy what Natalie has in store for you!
Blessings!
Thank you for all you have done to help me through your blog. I hope that you take care of yourself. God Bless you.
Thank you Colleen!
Shelly, I do not blame you one bit. I will miss your posts, but I have often wondered how you were able to balance it all. I think we all realize there is more to life than the next big deal. I applaud you for knowing what it takes to fully embrace the important things in your life. God will bless you for making this decision!
I am praying for balance, time, and direction. Thank you for understanding!
Shelly, I will miss you much, but I’m also glad that you are following what you know are your priorities. God always blesses those that put Him first! I will continue to pray for you. Will Natalie be able to give us updates on you every once in a while? We would love to keep up with how you are, and what you are up to in the future. I’m so happy for you in this next stage of your life!
Don’t worry Amy! I will keep in touch! :)
May the next phase of your life bless you. You will be missed.
Thank you Michelle!
Shelly – you are an awesome person! I pray that God will bless you abundantly in the next chapter of your life! Love – Mandy
Thank you so much Mandy! I will still follow your blog! :)
Thank you for all that you have done the past few years! Your blog has been awesome! Good luck to you!!!
Thank you Emily! I feel confident in saying that Natalie will continue with the Coupon Teacher tradition!
I’m sure this is bittersweet for you, but I’m proud of you for embracing change. :) You’ve been a great encouragement to me! Best wishes. –Katrina
Exactly the word I would use. Thanks friend!
God always has a bigger plan, you are doing this for all the right reasons! Good luck!
~Fern
Now, I will have time to follow your blog instead of you following mine! ;)
Thank you so very much for what you have taught me! I started couponing a year ago and have followed you ever since. I am thrilled for you…for your choices. I hit the same burn out this year and had to quit doing something I loved so that I could focus on my husband and kids…our first priority given to us by God. Many blessings to you as you start your new adventure!!…and thank you again!!
Thank you Dawn!
I am so sorry to see you go, but completely understand. Your blog has always been one of my favorites. Good luck with everything- I wish you the best. Thanks for everything you’ve worked so hard on over the years! :)
Thank you so much Lizzie! I hope you will stick around and see what Natalie has in store for you.
Thank you for everything, God Bless you and your family, your the best…..
Thank you for the kind words!
We’ll miss you! Thanks for all your hard work.
Tina
York, SC
I will miss you all too. Definitely the reason I hung in here so long! Thank you Tina!
Shelly,
Thank you so much for all you have done for us in the past and I wish you the best of luck in whatever life holds for you going forward! Big hugs and lots of positive energy being sent your way!
Donna
Thank you Donna! I have enjoyed your tips and kind words over the years!
Shelly, Thank you for all the times you helped me when I started couponing. God will show you the way. I’ll miss you.
Bethanne
Pittsburgh, PA
You are so welcome! Thank you for the kind words!
I understand how you feel. Thank you for being a great teacher.
Please do what u need to do for you and Congratulations!
Thank you for your support!
Shelly,
We will miss you. I always wondered how you could find the time to do it all. It takes a strong person to recognize the right thing to do,especially with so many people depending on them. You did it right , you are not leaving us hanging and you are doing what is right for you. I am glad I had the opportunity to meet you and learn from you in person this summer. God bless you in all of your life decisions.
Thank you so much Jo Ann! Teaching classes was so much fun for me, and I enjoyed meeting everyone!
I will miss you all too!
thanks so much for all your hardwork! we appreciate it and good luck in whatever else you do!
Thank you!
Thank you Shelly for all that you’ve done. When our work is done God calls us to a new project or turn us toward a new path. God bless and pop in to say hey once in a while.
I will try my best to not be a stranger!
We will miss you. Thank you for everything, and for having someone else take over the site. BIG HUG!!
Please keep in touch, and let us know how you are.
Thanks for the hug! After reading all these sweet comments, I needed one!
I hope you love Natalie!
Aww….you’ll be missed!
God bless you and your family!
Thank you!! I appreciate it!
This makes me sad and happy at the same time. I am sad you are moving on, but Happy because God always has a plan. I will miss you. I pray that God truly leads, guide, and directs you. ~ Amen. I’m sure you will do great! Thank you for everything you have done to help me save money, and all of the awesome giveaways.
God Bless You,
Tanesha ;-)
Thank you for the prayer and kind words!
We’ll miss you and the best blog out there. Thanks for every thing.
Thank you Brian. High praise for little old me. You are very welcome!
Although my first reaction was shock (I literally gasped when I realized what you were about to say), I completely understand. As others have said, i wondered how you managed to balance it all and I imagine that you’ve been very tired. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. I wish you the best. May God bless you in every area of your life, and may you find peace and joy in whatever He has planned for you.
Tiffany, I knew this would come as a big surprise to many. In fact, I wasn’t sure myself until a few weeks ago.
I just feel ready. Thank you so much for the kind words and your sweet wishes!
Shelly….I totally understand and respect you for making this decision…you have to be kind to yourself and weigh your priorities and God and family and health always come first!!!! You will be missed…..and I want to thank you for ALL the help you have given me personally in saving $ and being a good steward of what the Lord has provided and having fun at my “new hobby” of couponing! God bless you as you look to Him for the next step….He is always faithful.
xo
Denise (a “seasoned” pastor’s wife in NC)
Denise,
I will miss seeing your encouraging words! Thank you so much!
Take care of yourself and your loved ones – we’ll miss you, but you are setting a great example of knowing when you have enough.
Thank you LisaCarol. I feel like it is the right thing to do. God will take care of what comes next!
thanks for everything!! Hopefully, you will have more time to enjoy the beautiful leaves in the NC mtns this fall!
Seeing more of nature, especially with my family is definitely on my list!
I have really enjoyed reading your blog, but I always wondered how you were able to do everything! Teach school, blog, spend time with hubby and family, church, etc…. God has something in store for you!
I was doing it all, but it made me very tired! Looking forward to some time off and some refocusing! Thanks for your kind words!
God bless you Shelley. Don’t be too sad, we know how much his means to you, but you do have to be healthy and the first step to helping others is helping yourself. We know you’ll still beout there. Take care of yourself and good luck in all God brings you.
Thank you Margo. Reading all these loving comments is the only reason for my sadness. It is hard to leave people you enjoy, appreciate, and love.
Thank you for the kind words!
We will miss you!! Thanks for everything you have taught us and good luck to you :)
You are very welcome! Take care!
I am so proud of you, my daughter. You started this blog with no idea how big it would become. You loved it! You provided a much needed service to many people. We enjoyed your many fun and informative posts. You have done well.
I know you have struggled with the committment it takes to really keep up with both the blog, and work, and your family life. :) Something had to give. What a blessing you are to all of us. Love, Mom
I love you mama.
thanks for all your hard work and God bless
Thank you! Blessings!
Shelly, I completely understand where you are coming from. I am so glad you are listening to your body and what God is telling you. Rest and pray and enjoy your time with family and your students.
God Bless,
Stacie
Thank you Stacie! Blessings to you too!
I am sorry to see you go but I know God has in store for you great things! Thank you for sharing your deals and knowledge. Take care of yourself and hopefully stop bu to let everyone know how you are doing!
Donna L.
Virginia
Thank you Donna! I will try to not be a stranger!
Thank you for all you have done! Honestly, I don’t know how you have been able to do this as long as you have. Many bloggers do not have other full time jobs. Take care of yourself! We will miss you!
Thanks Lisa! Hopefully I will still see you around town!
Shelly, I can so relate to what you are going through. I have all but given my Freebie Site up. While we both enjoy helping others; there comes a time when we realize that our Faith,Family & Health must come first.
I will so miss you & wish you all the best & I hope that you will keep in touch. I had fun meeting you even though the trip to Greenville wasn’t what either of us hoped. I pray that one day our paths will cross again.
God Bless & keep you, Deborah
BTW..I have lost 19 lbs since I met you. :-)
First let me say….
19 pounds!! Woohoo!!
Thank you Deborah for all the kind words. I promise that I won’t be a stranger!
Thank you for teaching us the past 3 1/2 years! I can’t thank you enough! God’s blessing on your family, your health, your church and your students!
Thank you for kind words Maria! Blessings to you too!
Take care of yourself; that is most important. May God bless you and your family. We’ll miss your posts!
Thank you Karen!
I am confident that Natalie will do a great job and that you won’t even notice I am gone! :)
So sorry to loose you as a source of my Harris Teeter deals and more importantly a source of guidance and encouragement. Thanks for all your hard work. I will miss you greatly. But, what you are leaving this blog for is much more important and I do understand that. God bless you and your family. May he keep you and yours forever close and protected. :)
Thank you Jo Ann! So glad I was able to meet and talk with you this summer.
I appreciate your kind words! Take care!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU and thank your family also :). For all the work that you have done.
Thanks for the dollars you saved us
Thanks for the families you feed
Thanks for the food pantries you filled
Thanks for all the math lessons you helped us teach the little ones in our cart (So, if mommy doubles this coupon she saves how much?”)
Thanks for teaching one of life’s most valuable lessons, “YOU DON’T EVER HAVE TO PAY RETAIL.”
God has blessed us with you and your talent.
Your thank you made me cry last night. I am blessed to have been able to help. Thank you for the kindness!
Shelly – You are awesome! I always wondered how you did such a great job at this and teaching. You truly are an inspiration for what hard work can accomplish and how it can impact so many other people. Thank you for sharing and I hope you are truly blessed by what God has in store for you as you refocus on those that are closest to you!
Blessings,
Jessica
Thank you Jessica! Blessings to you too!
You have made this fellow Hickory girl proud, good luck and God Bless you!!!!
Perhaps we will see each other around! :)
Thank you for everything that you have done for me and everyone else. Your hard work was much appreciated! I will miss your post. Take care and God Bless to you and your family!
Cassandra,
Thank you for kind words! I will do my best to take care of me!
Thank you for everything you have done. I have not posted often on your website but I have read your emails that came to me daily. Everything has a season. May God bless you in all you do and thank you so much for everything you taught me!
Ecclesiastes 3 is one of my favorite passages! Thank you for the reminder Kathy!
Thank you for all your efforts on the blog! I hope we will hear updates on you on occasion, or maybe a guest post occasionally? Hope things work out well for you and wish you the best.
Skirnir…. I will miss your Saturday Success Stories and your menu plan!!! I hope to still visit now and then! :)
Shelly I will miss you! You have always been so kind and thoughtful to answer my questions and make me feel a part of your blog. Iwish you well and best wishes for the future!
Thank you Marilyn! :)
Thanks for all you have done! Your blog has always been my favorite and really helped me when I started couponing a few years ago. I have always enjoyed reading your posts and have found many a good deal thanks to you. Best of luck in your next phase of life! God Bless!
I am so glad and blessed that I was able to help! :)
I will miss you!! I want you to know that not only did you teach me how to coupon, but you were an example to me in many ways. You taught me to be an ethical couponer. You taught me that PEOPLE are most important. Because of you, my husband and I now have date nights on Thursdays! You taught us more than just couponing. Good luck in your future. You will be missed!!
I hope you continue your date nights! I know I am looking forward to mine this week! Thank you Tiffany!
God Bless You Shelly today and everyday! You are the best there is not doubt but God is telling you its time to move forward and you have to listen to Him. Its never goodbye just I’ll see you later… Love, Dawn
Thank you Dawn. I pray for blessings for you too!
May the Lord bless your new path, Shelly. Thank you for the countless hours of time that you spent doing all you did for this blog. I wish you all the best! :-)
Thank you so much Sandra!
Thank you for all of your hard work through the years! I really appreciated your help while trying to save money for my family. Best of luck to you and thank you!!
Liz
You are very welcome, I am so glad I had the chance to help people!