Extreme Couponing

Have I ever done it?   Well, I do get the weekly newspaper for coupons. But just one newspaper.  And sometimes, the coupon inserts pile stacks up before I can get a pair of scissors to them and I throw a month's worth out without a flinch.  That said, I do use the newspaper coupons and  internet coupons through sites like coupon.com wherever I can.

There was a brief period where I spent some time trying to decode "couponing" acronyms and lingo on deal sites such as MM (moneymaker), SC (store coupon) and tranny!  The last one left me perplexed as it was found in sentences such as:  "My last tranny was horrible, they wouldn't let any of my SCs go through!"  Tranny means transaction by the way.  Ha.

While there were thrills to be found in getting 1 free razor or bottle of Suave shampoo, I quickly realized that the driving to various stores + time I spent online looking for coupons/deals = no time to prepare dinner = pick up takeout several times a week = more money lost, time wasted = not smart choices for me.  I'm sure some people can coupon/deal scour/cook/clean/homeschool/ and more, but I can't.

So for now, I'm learning to shop for what we need, about the time we need it, at the places that usually offer the best prices and with coupons, if I have them.  I'm the worst in math, but I have a strange knack for memorizing prices of grocery items at different stores.  Like Target sells Degree Deodorant for $2.39 (in So. Cal.).  And that CVS sells the same for around $3.79.  Weird, I know.  Helpful?  Sometimes!