So far so good!

The nay-sayers can say nay, but my new life as a couponer is AWESOME! Yes, it takes time. Yes, it takes preparation. But, in just two shopping trips (one to A&P, one to Harmon Beauty Supplies), I have already saved $88.68!

You may say nay. I say, "$88.68 IS A LOT OF MONEY!"

The whole experience was truly invigorating. First of all, we all know I love a good project (remember when I was going to teach myself ballet from the Encyclopedia?). This project is full of math and spreadsheets and binders and organization...basically all of the things I love the best. Second, when I got to A&P yesterday, a woman actually came up to me and asked, "Are you a coupon lady?" I was schepping nachas. Third, as I stood at the register, I got to feel fear and trepidation. What would happen? Would the dollars come off like I had anticipated? Would I accidentally overspend? Fourth, without snorting coke or shooting up heroin, I got to experience a great, natural high when the final total showed up on the screen. SUCCESS!

I did not buy stupid stuff we don't need or want. I bought cereal and salad dressing and ice cream. We all know how much I love ice cream! My children are not sleeping on top of piles of cat food (we have no cat). My clothing is not being put into storage to make space for contact lens solution (we don't wear glasses).

I have yet to leave the store with $900 worth of groceries that cost me $0.01, but I did save $88.68, and that's not too shabby!

A final plus: as I was looking over my receipt last night and cutting new coupons, YS was asking me questions, and I was able to give him a good lesson about saving money and being cost-conscious. It was a teachable moment!

I love my new hobby. :)

My New Hobby

On my last night in Miami, I stumbled upon an "Extreme Couponing" marathon on TLC.

If you know me, you know that I love tv shows like this one. If you know D, you know that he would rather be stabbed in the eye than watch reality tv.

So we struck a deal. He promised to watch a few episodes if I promised to become an extreme couponer and save our family thousands of dollars in grocery savings each year.

Who am I to pass up a deal like that?!

So there I was, Sunday morning, at the Miami airport before 6am, hurrying to the newsstand to pick up a paper and start couponing. Between Sunday and Monday nights, I spent approximately 8 hours clipping and logging 300+ coupons. I've reached out to friends and family to send me their unwanted coupons. I've enrolled in online savings programs. I've had several coupon anxiety dreams. Bet you didn't know you could have an anxiety dream about coupons!

I think D has created a monster.

I see this new hobby going in two possible directions:

1. I get bored of it in two weeks or less, fail to use any/many of the coupons in a timely manner, and find them expired in my drawer in six months.

2. I grab onto this new "hobby" with two hands and become obsessed. I refuse to quit - just like I refused to stop being a vegetarian - because after all: a promise is a promise, and I can be as stubborn as the best of them. I save our family money, but probably not thousands, and at the same time devote copious amounts of time and energy couponing.

What's your vote?