So today was my first attempt at extreme couponing. After hours of flipping through newspapers, sitting on the computer scoping out coupons, printing out coupons, and signing up for more coupons… I finally drug myself into the grocery store today.
All psyched up, I gripped my new coupon organizer, full of good deals. I grabbed a cart as I walked in, knowing that I was probably going to fill about 5 more just like they do in the show (and kicking myself that I didn’t bring my 5 kids and husband to help push)… Now the shopping turns into a scavenger hunt as I flip through my coupons trying to figure out what I am actually going to buy today. Finally I stop for about ten minutes and physically sift through all my coupons to find the ones that fit today’s needs. That was just step one.
From there, I mosy around the store, getting in people’s ways as I try to find the deal of a lifetime that is on these sacred clippings of mine. Aisle one, oh, I forgot I needed rice cakes, aisle two brings two italian dressings for $1.98! Moving on, I find breads ($2 for 5) and lunch meats (same!) except, drat… they’re out of everything except shaved rotisserie chicken which to be honest, really didn’t look worth the $2.50 so I skipped on that deal, more aisles… more this and that, and pretty soon I’ve walked the whole store. And I only had half a cart full! This had to be a mistake, this was in no way extreme. But, alas, I thought maybe my deals would still be extreme. So I walked up to the register and started unloading. Apparently I had the god of scanning in my row because he was ringing them up faster than I could even put them on the little rotating mat thingie. I think I broke a sweat as I unloaded my cart, and pat myself on the back that I actually remembered deodorant today…
Waffles, blueberries, chips, breakfast bars, sandwich meat, bread, brats, chicken breasts, cheeses… boy I forgot that I put half this stuff in the cart. As I handed the clerk my coupons, I felt proud that my, now $139.00 total was going to beep it’s way down to the usual measly $.03 cents, that us extreme couponers are so widely known for.
Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
He has one coupon left and that total is sitting around $132.00 – that can’t be right. Hopefully that is a very large coupon.
Beep.
“You’re total is $131.10.”
Errrmm… Are you sure?
This leaves me one option.
Charge it.
Ultimately I saved myself a wonderful $8.00, however it was not the pennies I imagined myself forking over to the bewildered clerk. Not to mention, I probably spent over $8.00 buying the things I didn’t need, just because I ‘had a coupon’.
P.S. Although not a complete waste of a trip! I did manage to get this AirWick oil warmer thing for free! Not bad, for a rookie couponer.
Until next time.
Hearts,
Sarah
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