So I have decided to try my hand at "couponing". I hadn't realized that the act of using a bunch of coupons and groceries for next to nothing had it's own verb. I have clipped coupons off and on for years, only to lose them, forget them, or have them expire. But when I saw a recent FB post of a friend talking about how she was "couponing" I was intrigued. We are now a one income family and I wanted to work a little harder at saving money where possible. And I thought, if I truly can buy things as cheap as "couponers" say you can, maybe I can donate some of my items to a local food bank. I have been looking for ways to help in my community, but it is a little tricky with my little one.
Another reason I stopped clipping coupons was because I thought that I don't need or buy half the stuff that are on the coupons. I don't eat frozen foods, and I try to avoid all of the boxed and processed stuff as much as possible. I try to stick to the periphery of the grocery store. But, I do use some canned foods like beans, tomatoes, and corn. And I buy pasta and toiletry items. All of those items have coupons regularly. So I decided to give it a go again. I looked at a few blogs and sites, got organized, and then, because I had to pick something up for tomorrow I decided I would go to the store tonight. The sites I read recommended you go at a time when the store isn't busy--morning or evening. My baby was in bed, so I decided I would go to the store tonight, and I would pick up my 3 coupon related items and then the other item on my list.
Well, apparently tomorrow it is supposed to get cold around here, so that was another reason I decided to just go tonight so I didn't need to go out with my little guy tomorrow. Well, the store was packed. And then the items I wanted to buy with my coupons were almost completely out. Apparently, I am not the only "couponer" out there. But I might be the only rookie. I got my items, and some of them, if you bought 10 of the items (that would cost me 20-30 cents) I would get $5 off at the checkout. That sounded like a pretty good deal. So I did that. And thought, cool, I will be a coupon expert my first time and have a receipt total of something like $1.
Too bad things didn't work out quite the way I had hoped. I got it line. No one was behind me until I got to the front of the line. And then I had 2 people pull up ready to get checked out and on their way. My items were rung up and it came to $15. First of all, I have no idea how it all those cans came to $15, but I had people behind me, and I didn't want to squabble over every little thing. But, I did tell the checker that she didn't take $5 off. She said, I only bought 8 eligible items. I said no, I counted them them as they went down the conveyer belt, and that actually I had purchased 11 items. She pulled out the receipt and said nope, only 8. So I said, "ok, can I run and get 2 more cans?" She said, "okay", but her face said, "are you kidding me?"
She was less than thrilled. I wasn't too happy either. And the people behind me definitely weren't either. I ran and got 2 more cans of corn. She rang them up, and said, "those didn't work". I said, "they were on the shelf with the sale tag. What do you mean they didn't work?" She told me, I got the mixed yellow and white corn, and the deal was only for the yellow corn. Now I was the one thinking, "Are you kidding me? I thought this couponing thing was supposed to be a cinch." I asked the checker if she could just override it. But apparently a can of yellow corn and a can of yellow/white corn is that big of a difference and she wasn't able to do that. I asked, "Do you mind if I go grab the different cans then?" I apologized to the people behind me and then ran even faster to get the correct cans. You can imagine how happy they were at this point. I ran back, finished my transaction, and got out of there as fast as I could.
And that was my first experience in my attempt to become a "couponer". To be completely honest, I am not looking forward to the next time I go "couponing". It doesn't sound as exciting as it did last week. I am not sure all that running around was worth saving $5, if I even saved that. I was so confused by the end, and just wanted to leave. But, I am not one to give up so easily, so I will give it the "old college try" again.
Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.
I've done some couponing, and I can tell you it does get easier. I've had a few moments like yours, but once I learned to be VERY careful when picking up items it has gone much better. Try again, it really is worth it :)
ReplyDeleteHang in there! I've had moments just like that and they were terrible. But yes, it gets easier, especially when you have a clerk who is actually trying to help you use your coupons. It doesn't sound like the clerk you got falls into that category. Rite-Aid and Walgreens are awesome for couponing. Have you looked at moneysavingmom.com?
ReplyDeleteI don't go nuts with the couponing, but it really is worth it, especially now that you're a stay at home mom. It's a great way to stretch the family budget!
ReplyDeleteeeeee! i think i would have been crying! i hear ya, i definitely want to give couponing a good try, but it's a little intimidating! there was a lady on ellen a few weeks ago that got stuff for free all.the.time. but it seems like so much work!
ReplyDeleteI've been couponing for about a year and it gets much easier. It's definitely worth it because you can get great deals on diapers and other baby items. I use southernsavers.com. She has great tutorials on shopping at different stores. There's one especially for Mega events at Kroger. Hope that helps! -Eliza
ReplyDeleteUgh, sorry your couponing didn't go as well as you hoped. I thought about doing something similar. There are websites dedicated to teach you how to do it. But when I go to read how to do it it sounds so complicated and so much work.
ReplyDeleteCouponing isn't so bad, but it definitely takes some practice! I would recommend visiting the Krazy Coupon Lady's website (thekrazycouponlady.com). She has some tutorials for people that are new to couponing that are very helpful. She also spotlights what the best deals are at each store every week. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious, in a totally frustrating and I'm-glad-it-wasn't-me way! I have gone back & forth on the couponing thing too because I also stick to the periphery of the store and mostly buy store brands. But you make some good points, and maybe I ought to do a little more couponing.
ReplyDelete