Rookie Couponer...........

Yes, I watch "that show". You know the one on TLC about those women who clear entire grocer shelves, fill 8-9 carts, ring up a huge total of $1,00.00 or more, and then pull out a box, binder, wallet, or bag FULL of coupons. You remember those right? Funny little paper slips you cut out of magazines or papers that say $.50 off or $1.00 off of a particular item that you bring to the store, and they're nice enough to do it? I've messed around with them in the distant past, cut out two or three here and there and saved my little bit, but these Extreme Couponers? They save hundreds, thousands of dollars with coupons. I had to look into this further. I mean, who doesn't need to save a few bucks these days. So, I started researching the methods used, by watching the show, meeting other couponers on Facebook, and clipping whatever coupons I could find. Of course, the first week I was interested, there were no coupon inserts in the newspaper because of a holiday, but that gave me more time to search everywhere for information and coupons. Oh, and to talk my husband, who normally does all the shopping, into trusting me with the grocery money this month. Because we're self-employed, in a salaried position, we get paid once a month, so it's important to properly plan, shop, and budget for the month. It did take some convincing too. But, after watching me spend 2 weeks clipping coupons, and studying sales papers like they were textbooks, he gave in. I took my 11 year old, who's been fascinated by all of these goings on, with me, and we went from one grocer to another with our lists and coupons. In two days we spent $400 on all our groceries, cleaning needs, paper goods, and toiletries. We filled our pantry to overflowing, along with a set of shelves, and a storage cabinet, and 2 refrigerator/freezers!! Our first transaction utilized $114.00 in coupons, dragging a "You saved.............Oh MY GOD!!! " out of the cashier. I'm pretty proud of our first week's success. And even prouder that our daughter will know how to shop conservatively and be able to save money. We bought soups,  laundry detergent and dishwasher detergents at a buy one/get one free sale and used coupons to lower the price even further. We bought bottles of brand name house cleaners for $1.00 apiece. Was it a lot of work--yep, but, needless to say,we will continue to learn about the most efficient coupon use, and matching coupons to sales, and yes, we'll keep researching papers, and clipping, and now, hubby is all for it :)