Coupon Crazed

Have you seen "Ultimate Couponing" on Bravo (maybe) or TLC or one of thise channels?? It is AMAZING! We happened upon it last weekend and saw several people go crazy with coupons in a good good way. These people have it down to a complete science, though I am fairly sure you wouldn't have enough time to go to work so you would HAVE to live off of your coupons. One woman bought something like $648 worth of groceries for just over..... FIVE BUCKS. I am not even exaggerating! Amazing- and it made me a little nauseous to think of what I "could" have potentially saved over the last ten years of grocery shopping.

I have gone through little stages where I'd clip some internet coupons and of course I'll use a good Kohls 20% off offer from the mail every now and then but that is about the extent of my savings. Every time I go through the checkout and the clerk asks "Do you have any coupons?" I tell him or her no and inwardly think "I really need to start doing that" or "It's a waste of time" depending on my mood.

Well- this show inspired me- we ran right out the next day and got the Post-Dispatch and I clipped and last week I saved $1, 240!

No I am kidding :) I think I saved about ten dollars over the course of the week- I have no idea how to stretch that out to nearly free purchases like the people on the show but ten bucks is ten bucks. Today I thought about it a little more and actually planned out a trip to Walgreens based on their in-store sales and the coupons I had available and I did better (and I only bought ONE item that I probably would not have usually bought and it was a lot of travel sized kleenex packages so it will get used). I actually spent $30 and saved $18 and that is enough to inspire me to keep going with this!!!!

You may see me as a coupon freak on TV someday- or..... give me a few weeks and I will realize I have no time to keep it up!
No really- I need to do this- what a money saver.
http://www.couponmom.com/ is a great resource to get started. Somebody else do it to so we can remind each other how worth the time it is :)