Sunday, October 16, 2011

I'm Back!

Okay everyone. I have not gone AWOL! I will tell you though, couponing takes a lot of time and effort. But we have found that it is definitely worth the trouble when you're saving 60% or more on groceries! We simply cannot afford, like many families, to pay full price for anything anymore - especially food! And on that note, a little tidbit of information I heard on the radio the other morning: peanut butter prices will be rising anywhere from 25%-40% in the coming weeks due to another hot, dry summer, devastating peanut crops. Awesome. Stock up while you can!

Moving on. I just went to Meijer today to get the usual haul of groceries to restock our shelves. And let me tell you, it had been far too long since I'd made a comprehensive trip like this one. I'll fully admit that I have been neglecting my coupon clipping. All I had on hand that was current were two papers' inserts dating back to 10/2/11! I didn't have time to clip and sort, so I snatched the inserts out of the papers, tucked them under my arm, threw my scissors in my purse, and headed out to the grocery store. NOT RECOMMENDED!

I wound up frantically flipping through the inserts while sitting in the parking lot and cutting out those coupons which I thought I might use. No list. No ad to reference. Nothing. I was disgusted with myself. I'm still disgusted as I recall the events. But at least I was armed with the small amount of ammunition those few coupons afforded me, which is still more than many shoppers out there. I ended up spending $211. I don't even recall how much I saved with my coupons. It couldn't have been more than $12.

The moral of this story is people, that a little time and effort WILL make a difference in your family's bottom line. My husband has been nudging (nagging) me to get back into my "extreme couponing". And while I will never characterize myself as "extreme" in the couponing sense, I would like to think of myself as a savvy, knowledgeable shopper with the correct tools to save as much money as possible. And who doesn't like to do that?