Extreme Couponing

I don't know if you've seen the show on TLC called "Extreme Couponing" or not, but basically it's about these people that are very serious about their coupons. They get a large amount of coupons, watch for sales, and buy their groceries and household items for nearly nothing. They stockpile and buy mass quantities of things in order to claim they saved $x on this shopping trip. I don't know exactly how they save so much, but watching the show has inspired me to become a better shopper.

Now, I don't want to be crazy like them. They buy in such large quantities that they have items that will last them past death. I think that is crazy and wasteful. I just want to get the items we normally need but I want to pay less for them. So, I got serious today. I collected all my ads and clipped all my coupons from the Sunday paper and also printed some from the web. I don't have time to shop at all the different stores, so luckily our Walmart ad matches and I can get all the sale prices at one place.

This process took me much longer than I had expected, but I think once I get used to it, it will go much quicker and much more smoothly. After I was done making my list and setting aside the coupons I was going to use, I set off for Walmart. It took me a little longer to shop today since I was checking the prices on things. I don't want to buy things if they are on sale if I can still get the generic cheaper or if a different size is still a better deal. I am also going to start recording the prices of items we buy frequently so that I know when I see an ad price if it is a good deal or not. Hopefully this will save some time in the store in the future.

The check-out process takes much longer too. Thankfully I had a couple of men behind me that were fine with me taking a bit longer than normal and also commented on how much I saved with the price changes and coupons. This is where it gets exciting...I saved $11.38 with my coupons and $35.82 by ad matching for a grand total of $47.20! I couldn't believe it when I did the math when I got home. I feel triumphant!

I don't think I will ever become an extreme couponer, but I would like to think that I am becoming a smart shopper and saving the family some money!