I am not a Couponer!
(From Heather, Midwest Coupon Clippers Web Designer)
I have a confession to make. I’m not a couponer. Yes, I’ve dabbled in it a bit, but if we’re being completely honest here, I’m about as much of a couponer as sitting down to waterpaint with my kids makes me an artist. But, if I’m going to make this stay at home mom thing work, I know I need to get our grocery budget cut in a big way.
Thanks to working with a variety of coupon blogs, I have picked up a general understanding of HOW to coupon, now it’s just a matter of putting that knowledge into motion to actually do it.
When I picked up the sales flyers last night, I didn’t get the giddy adrenaline rush that I hear other couponers getting when they know there’s a great sale going on. I started to feel the anxiety building in my system. I felt like I was back in high school algebra class sitting there trying to figure out how much I had to buy to get to the $25 required in order to double my coupons. Then, I had to figure out what the best coupons were so I could keep my out of pocket down.
When it was all said and done, I spent 2 hours at the computer last night planning my shopping trips for today. I felt like a failure. Why should I spend that much time planning out my grocery shopping? Well, because without counting sale prices, I’m going to be saving $50 with coupons and card discounts. If that’s the currency for being a stay at home mom, that’s $25 per hour and that’s a pretty good wage!
I think that thanks to certain TV shows, people who haven’t used coupons think it should be easy. The truth is, it’s not, even for those who have been on the show (AND have couponed properly). I’ve talked to a few people who were on early episodes and they said they’d spend HOURS inside the stores during the weeks leading up to taping so they would know where everything was and what the normal prices were. We’re talking like fulltime job hours.
Couponing isn’t easy, but I’m determined to make it work for our family. As our roommate pointed out last night, right now, I have more time than money, so it only makes sense that I would do this!
What was your biggest hurdle to overcome when you started couponing?
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