Coupon Quean

After finishing the book, BeCentsable, I can't stop thinking about all the money we are "wasting" by not using coupons.  When we run out of a product, we quickly go to our local food store and purchase a replacement.  I felt I did my part by cutting one or two coupons on Sundays, but after reading this book, there are so many different tips that I was completely unaware of! Gasp!!

However, most of the tips and coupons would help families who eat lots of boxed food - but recently changing our style of eating, we are no longer eating processed foods, so the area where we can save the most bucks would be in the cleaning/paper/bathroom/kitchen product area. We will always need tissue for our bums!!

 Even after questioning these tactics, I still attempted to apply what I learned to my everyday.  I spent about a week (no joke) filing and organzing the coupons we got from the Sunday papers.  I went to a local deli, and he said he would save the flyers for me.  Each Monday for a month, I went to the local deli and sorted through the leftover papers, taking out the flyers I thought would be used.  Taking these babies home, organzing, cutting, and filing the coupons away. I searched the store flyers for sales that would align with the coupons, giving me a surplus of savings!  My best deal was Pledge products for only 25 cents each :)

  (Weeks later)
I started to skip the deli every Monday because life got in the way and it became a horrid task, not something I looked forward to. The recycling bin was out of control with the amount of newspapers I was throwing away.  My binder had coupons, and though I seemed organized and bought cute color-coded tabs - it didn't stop the expiration date from lurching up and snatching the coupon out of my hand.
What became of my coupon venture? Most of the coupons expired before I had a chance to use them. Fail. Total Fail.

(Repeat this scenario about three times)

Over the course of the past year, I tried and tried again to become a coupon collecting junkie. You know what?! It's a full time job. I don't have the time to get my groceries for free. And I am okay with that.

What I did gain from reading this book is respect for those that CAN cut coupons and literally walk out of the grocery store with money in their pockets. Me?  I will keep a couple in my purse, and save myself some coins.  I will use them when we are eating out. I will use them to get a free blizzard (with a purchase of another wonderful blizzard).  But big bulky binder? No sir. Consider it retired.

*On a side note, I did not misspell quean in my title.  While playing Scrabble today, I learned this word meant prostitute - therefore, it seems fitting to find a place for it in my everyday vernacular. So a Coupon Quean is a coupon hussy.....for which - I am not.