I am a coupon drop-out. A failure.
Today, I saw a lady at the grocery store who inspired me to all sorts of coupon-cutting greatness. I asked if I could take a picture of her binder. I had already snuck one picture before I asked just to remind me of the amazing-ness.
Still thinking about her and her great feat as I shopped, I was glad to run into her a few more times as we shopped. I introduced myself, praised her efforts, and asked me to teach me her system.
I’ve been asking the Lord how I can manage expenses even better this year and committed to doing the “coupon thing” again to manage things better, but I haven’t yet. I was praying about it again a month or so ago…I like my husband to continue to hail me a “woman worthy of praise”…the whole Proverbs 31 action going on. However, after one week, I forget my coupons and I value my time more then keeping up. Fail.
In the past, children with me kept me away. I could manage one child in the cart, and shopping, but could not add coupons to that madness.
I am about to have another “child” in my cart demanding my attention…namely, this book. It’s a simple three ring binder with sections for each area of coupon, filled with baseball card inserts.
I asked, “So, how often do you purge it? ”
“Almost weekly. I go through it pretty often. I started out of necessity, but now I find it a challenge, and a waste NOT to use them it saves me so much. I even write companies to tell them I do or do not like their products and they usually send me coupons. I also go online to forums and boards and do coupon exchange.”
“Exchange? Like, you mail them to people? In the mail?”
“Yes. Some areas don’t issue coupons they need, and they have ones I use they don’t, so we swap.”
“Wow. That’s wild.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I have fun with it.”
So, I run into her later, she is writing stuff down.
I said, “So, I see you are keeping a list? What is that?”
“Well, as I shop, I list the price, and what I’m saving, and keep up with my total.”
“Your whole total…you write all that down?”
“Yes, to kind of keep track with what I’ve saved, minus the coupons on one column”
“Wow, that’s intense.”
“It’s fun to see.”
“So do you tape your coupons to the product?”
“No, I just move them from an active envelope in my hand to this pocket in the folder of ones I’ve pulling if I’m going to use them today.”
“I think I’d have to tape them on to keep up with all that.”
She smiled.
She seemed a super-nice, not overly compulsive person, but just one who got organized to do something good and found it to be somewhat of a game to keep her motivated. Just my kind of hero.
She says Kroger is the way to go, not Wal*Mart, because they give her such a hard time over it. She showed me where she had to print off the documentation that Wal*Mart DOES accept coupons to show them that they do. However, employees don’t even know how to do it. She said it takes takes 20 minutes calling in people to figure it out, all for two coupons. So, she doesn’t shop there anymore.
This neat lady would be GREAT to have at a MOPS meeting. Stacey, I should hook you gals up. I’d want to attend that one! I could introduce her!
I go back and forth between coupons and no coupons. I usually find that the store brand is cheaper than whatever I have the coupon for minus the coupon. It doesn’t really save me that much money in the long run.
Plus, the coupons in the papers available in our area are not very good. I get the coupons from my grandmother and mom from the Hopkinsville paper (The Kentucky New Era) and they are much, much better. I still have yet to figure out why the Owensboro paper is available here and the Hopkinsville paper is not and it’s closer to here than the other.
Weird.
Maggie: Yup, it’s weird. Along with not having the zip codes for our county in the new phonebook, but having surrounding counties. I HATE the new phonebook with a passion. Anyway, coupons…I can’t even keep up with the Kroger coupons they give me for things I normally buy! That’s just sick and wrong. Poor stewardship on my part for my situation.
Totally agree on brands–except there are some brands that have gained my loyalty over the years. I wait for sales, but coupons would be great to pile on. BOUNTY PAPER TOWELS!.
I missed your last sentence! She would be great for MOPS. Great idea!
I am SO IN AWE. I want to meet this lady—-that is a true inspiration. Maybe we should organize a coupon exchange to something. I want to be this woman!!!!
God help me in my disorganization!
I am so impressed! I used to use coupons and shopped on Wednesdays only so that they would double them. Then we moved where we didn’t even get a newspaper and I just got out of the habit of using them. That is the only way that I was able to feed 4 hungry children for years! I even made the statement that it didn’t matter how much money I had or time, it seemed like a sin NOT to use coupons and save what you could and be a good steward…. that sure does convict me now.
I’ll do better in the future. Thanks for the reminding that it is important!
(Oh, my daughter DOES use coupons at Walmart all the time, so they do take them)
Oh good gravy! You should share this with Laura at orgjunkie.com! I can barely get to the store with a list much less a binder of coupons!! I would sit there all day and just play with coupon binder. That is a thing of beauty!! How cute for you to take a picture of it
Do start sharing your money saving tips because I need to save about $1000 by December. It’s always better to do something with a friend!!
Blessings, Mags…
Dori
That lady must have LOTS more time on her hands than I do!!! I barely have time to even go to the grocery store, much less take the time to clip them, sort them, and then go thru the store with them trying to figure out what to buy. I wore me out just ready it!
WOW! She definitely has a gift praise God!
I go back and forth between coupons too. I went through a phase where I think I was borderline obsessive ["no no no wait I HAVE A COUPON FOR THIS ONE!!!"] We don’t get a newspaper at this point *gasp* so no real place to get coupons. The ones I get in the mail I keep but sometimes forget about =X