My hubby and I were watching TLC's Extreme Couponer the other night. I thought to myself, why am I not using coupons? Usually I don't even look at them in the Sunday paper as they are for things I don't normally buy. For some reason, my neighbor just doesn't run adds for $1 a gallon of the raw milk that I get from him...
I decided to check the paper this week because I love a bargain! Who doesn't? Then I checked the online coupon sites. Here is what happened this week, and no, my totals were not like what was on tv.
I went to that big store with the red bulls eye trademark on it today, armed with my flyer and coupons and scored big, see photo above. According to my receipt, I saved $32.90 today by buying things on sale with coupons, that we would normally buy.
Not bad...
Yesterday I went to IGA. I bought blue cheese, ham, pasta sauce, salad dressing and french fried onions. I saved $5.31. Everything was on sale with the exception of the ham, I had a coupon for everything but the salad dressing, stuff that we would normally buy.
Not bad....
I went to Walgreens, saved $29.87 inlcuding a few treats for Easter. I also walked out with $1.00 registar reward and 2 free movie coupons from Redbox, too. Everything was on sale, I used coupons, and it was stuff that we would normally buy.
Not bad...
Then I went to Trigs...
I got sausage, 4 frozen diet meals, 2 dozen eggs, 6 boxes of cereal and a jar of mayo. I saved $28.69, spending $30.57 buying things on sale, with coupons.........
Bad....
Wait, you say... ! I saved nearly 50% didn't I. I used my coupons, the stuff was on sale!
Yes I did, and now I have a cupboard full of high fructose corn syrup cereal, and a freezer with nasty "fast" lunches that I refuse to microwave and will pull out of the plastic package, break into small pieces and bake for 30 minutes in my oven and sausage full of nitrates. Here is where the lure of saving money got me. I don't buy those things on a normal week, why would I buy them now? For years I have changed our eating habits and ignored the brightly colored ads in the paper calling me to try this or that processed food. This week I failed on that one... So when I ran into my co-couponer, I gave her my 5 other cereal coupons and the frozen meal coupon. I don't feel guilty, because she does buy that stuff and she was thrilled to get the coupons. That makes me happy. She can use them, it saves her money and I don't have food in the house that my kids can't eat. Sure they will groan at the sight of oatmeal tomorrow, but at least I won't have to worry about little bodies that can't hold still, or break out in a rash, or have a tummy ache, or who are hungry thirty minutes after they ate breakfast.
On a side note.
To those of you who do eat cereal in your house, I do envy you. This post is in no way to make anyone feel bad about what they or their kids are eating. We just can't eat it here. I am sorry if you are offended, but then you kinda missed the point of the post...
your post is right on :) I used to be a coupon 'queen', and we ate complete junk. It actually ended costing me a lot of money too, because I was in so deep-buying 10+ papers each week, plus clipped coupons from clipping sites, gas to drive to multiple stores, still paying money for the deals (those little amounts add up quick!), and then there's the time factor-couponing/finding deals can be very consuming.
ReplyDeleteNow we eat organic, local, and whole foods on a grocery budget of $400 a month, for our family of five, and I don't use coupons at all anymore :)