Hurry Up & Wait

My first week of trying to (finally, in earnest) learn how to coupon was fairly successful. I've got a long way to go, of course, but I saved some money and there's still some food in the house, so I figure that's a win-win. This week will be more challenging. My DH, who actually makes the money, is a spender, not a saver, so I have to get to the money before him. The schools are closed 2 days this week, so I'll have extra snacks and entertainment to provide. The actual list of "needs" is longer than last week because I'm so new to "stockpiling" and my original stash of things like coffee and cat food have run out - and man, the cats are mean without their coffee!

So here I am, on Saturday night, tweaking my budget (which sounds naughty but isn't) and waiting impatiently for this week's Sunday coupons to come out. I'm hopeful that my newspaper subscription will finally kick in so I don't have to make a special trip for one. It's usually just me, looking like a total scrub, and the church ladies at the corner store on Sunday mornings. It's pretty clear they have more important plans than I do, so I always let them go ahead of me, and somehow it takes me 45 minutes to pick up the paper. I'm also optimistic that I'll get up early and actually shop tomorrow instead of Monday. Last week it took me all day to figure out the "system", make my list, find the coupons, etc... Then on Monday it poured, so my daughter & I were soaked to the bone between each store. Actually, one of us has a pink tie-dye slicker, so she was fine - I was the only one dripping wet. That might explain this horrific cough I can't shake, and that cough might lead to me kicking the church ladies out of the way tomorrow morning.

Anyway, I know how much money I have to spend, I know what needs to be done. All I need now is that damn list of weekly specials and coupons. Grrrr! Who would of thought that in one week I'd turn into a coupon-monster?

Couponing 101 in 2011

I admit it - I'm a lousy couponer. I know that people routinely save hundreds of dollars at the store, and that billions of dollars (literally!) worth of coupons are thrown away each year, but I've never quite gotten the hang of it. Sure, I've clipped and printed, but that's as far as I get. I might remember a coupon or two on a given trip, but usually, all I do is waste printer ink. Frankly, I need to cut my grocery budget to support my printer ink habit, and I'm pretty sure that's backwards.

So here we are in a new year, 2011, and I've seen many of my friends blogging away their resolutions and new ideas. Now, a full week into the new year, I've finally written down my goals and aspirations for the year. Most of them are dull, I'm sure, to anyone else (like you want to hear about yet one more person who will "Lose the baby weight" this year!). However, one of my financial goals is to "Become a Coupon Shark". Nope, not a Coupon Queen, a Coupon Shark. That's not quite the norm, is it?

For me, the difference is that the "Queens" all seem to be really nice, Mid-Western moms of large families who simply enjoy saving and entertaining. Ok, so I'm a mom, and my family is growing, and I do enjoy saving and entertaining, but I'm not from the Mid-West, and to be honest, I'm really not that nice. I like the idea of a shark because it gives me the sense of having the knowledge and power to choose how I shop. I'm in control. See what I mean about the not-very-nice part? Don't get me wrong! I don't want to steal anything, cheat any system or take food from anyone else - it's not that kind of power! I do want to be able to save money, yet still buy champagne when I want to, or bake from scratch, even though "staples" like flour are never on sale, or pay full price and not feel guilty if I'm running late or tired some evening. I want to learn enough about couponing to be able to buy myself some leeway with the savings. I don't want to be so tied to the system that I beat myself up for going to the import store for a wedge of real Parmesan every now and then.

I also don't want to become an "extreme couponer" - ever. TLC recently aired a special called "Extreme Couponing", which profiled four women who really do take couponing to the extreme, saving amazing amounts of money and collecting giant stockpiles. I didn't see the whole show, but apparently it was popular enough to justify a new series. The viewer reaction, from what I've read, ranged from amazement to disgust, but personally, I was saddened by the one profile that I watched. It seemed to me that this young newlywed had a serious addiction to the "score", rather than simple shopping smarts, and it was costing her more than 70 hours a week, her health, her marriage and yes, even money, in the form of coupon services, newspapers and printing. I kept thinking that if she couldn't be "cured", at least her head for numbers could be better used to supply a food bank, homeless shelter, or other charity. By the way, the general opinion of this particular woman in the couponing community was that she was a greedy, thoughtless b**** who cared only about herself. Ouch!

In 2011, I plan to learn enough to settle myself somewhere between where I am now (broke and lazy) and extreme couponing (somewhat psycho, but well-financed). My goals are to trim back our family budget for food and household goods (it's the latter that always kick my fiscal butt), to collect a small stockpile for after my next baby is born (so I don't have to brave the grocery store with a newborn, again), and to be able to contribute to some local charities, whether in goods or cash.

With that in mind, I raided the local library for all the classic Coupon Queen handbooks, and I signed up for a 4-week trial of The Grocery Game. I'll keep you updated as I climb the coupon learning curve, and hopefully help you reach some of your own goals in 2011.