crazy coupon lady

make sure you save money, not spend even more!

i am happy to say that i am again enjoying the world of couponing, after recovering from a total FAIL! i began couponing with the intent to mimic the people i had seen on reality tv. i now realize that, for the average person, it is more than ridiculous to attempt to pull off those shopping sprees and stockpiles! and not only is it ridiculous to attempt, it can actually cause you to spend more money than you would have without using any coupons at all.

for a while, in the beginning of my coupon endeavors, i thought that i was getting amazing deals! i jumped in to the coupon pile, head first, without checking to see how deep it really was. i soon realized that i was wasting money instead of saving money. i may have never stopped if my husband didn't step in! he told me that i needed to show him the math so that we could see exactly how much we were saving, in order for him to continue on with a particular deal i wanted to get. i was horrified to see that i would have ended up losing money on that particular "deal". once that happened, it made me question all i thought i had done right.

so here are some things to consider when jumping into the coupon pile:

• first, always do the math ON PAPER! see exactly what you are spending and saving.
• consider all of the expenses, inconveniences, and outright catastrophies that do and could go with the WHOLE PROCESS! i mean, stuff you definitely aren't thinking of yet: coupon site fees, printer paper and ink, storage or the lack thereof which usually causes lots of tension with the husband, and even getting a virus on your computer that causes it to be a total loss! Yes, i'm serious, and that one is incredibly hard to admit! and never rule out the possibility of fake coupons. i've seen the embarrassment and trouble it can cause!
• evaluate if you are honestly getting good deals on things you ALREADY use, or if you are getting sucked in to the habit and spending money on things you don't really need just for the sake of a fun coupon experience!
• evaluate if you honestly have the storage for bulk purchases or if you are causing a strain on your family! plus, you need to make sure that you can use all that bulk stuff before the expiration dates!
• compare in-store "deals" to other stores. don't go to Winn Dixie for a catchy special if it is cheaper at it's regular price in Walmart.
• look in as many local grocery store papers as you can. decide if one amazing deal is worth shopping at that store for the week, or if you could just make an extra trip. decide if all your extra trips to various stores are worth it at all, and sometimes they are but sometimes they're not!
• try to clip as many old fashioned coupons as possible!! they're free and usually have lots of grocery-food items, plus fast food restaurant coupons as well!
• always combine your coupons with in-store deals.
• organize your coupons according to expiration dates!
• pass the savings along! if you see something that you wouldn't use but that someone you love would, clip and give it to them... even if they think you are a crazy coupon lady!

i am done with being sucked into "great deals" that i just can't pass up and have no where to put them once i get home and probably won't use before the expiration date and would have never bought anyway if there wasn't a coupon to put the idea in my head!!!!!

i now stick with simple, not out of my way, coupon clipping. i clip only what is realistic for me to buy.

be smart and make coupons SAVE you money, not cause you trouble!