The Crazy World of Couponing: A Series

In August 2009 I decided to try and get some of our finances more organized, namely the areas which I spend most the money: groceries, personal care, household, etc. I did a little (ok, a lot) of research and talked to some people, and dove into couponing and the like. Before I go into what I've done, I'd like to list what I've received since August 2009.

Things I've Won:

- Baby Einstein album download
- Music downloads
- $10 check
- Scholastic book
- Flip Mino HD camcorder

Things I've Earned:- $5 Amazon.com giftcard
- $5 Alice.com giftcard
- $25 Olive Garden giftcard

Free Stuff & Samples (fun stuff I find in my mailbox!): Kashi granola bars/cereal, Dunkin Donuts coffee, Cheerios, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, Emergen-C packets, dog treats, diapers, feminine products, Zyrtec, hand sanitizer, meat thermometer, Oregon Chai mix

All this in just the past 5 months! Granted, it's not like I'm raking in a whole paycheck, but every little bit counts...and I'm starting to realize how it's all adding up to a whole lot of savings. The best part is that we've been able to stay within our budget the past few months. And that is a huge deal to me because I want to be a good manager of God's resources he's given us.

I've had a couple of friends ask me about this whole couponing craziness, so I thought I'd share some of what I've found. I'm still figuring it all out, but I think we can all help each other out by sharing what we're finding. I'm thinking I'll write a few blogs about the following and share what I'm learning and where to find these resources:

- Couponing
- Rebates
- Surveys
- Swagbucks

So, stay tuned! And welcome to the crazy world of couponing :)

Diversity

There are lots of reasons why our family is a Walmart family. We like other stores too, but really don't mind (and even like!) going to Walmart. I won't get into the whole Walmart debate here, but I will say that we do appreciate the diversity that we oftentimes see there...real people doing real stuff. This is a conversation I had today when I when to check out...I indicated everyone's race that was involved because you have to know that to see the humor in the conversation.

Me (Asian American): Hi!
Cashier (African American): Hi! Oh, your baby (1/2 Asian, 1/2 Caucasian) is so cute! How old is she?
Me: She's a little over 7 months.
Cashier: My baby is 4 months old, but he is huge compared to her. He looks Mexican too.
Me: Well, he must be a good eater! Is he part Mexican?
Cashier: No. I love the little bow in her hair.
Me: Thanks! Does your little boy have a lot of hair already?
Cashier: Oh my goodness, yes! That's why he looks Mexican.

...We proceed with the checkout...

Me: Thank you.
Cashier: You're welcome. Bye, baby! You and my son look like you could be cousins!

The whole dialogue just had me chuckling to myself for SO many reasons. But at the end of the day, the cashier and I made the mommy connection, even if it was through a somewhat unique way :)

Gone Too Far...But Got Chocolate

Today I realized that my couponing has become a little crazy. Matt probably could have told you that a few weeks ago. I went to the mailbox today and had a nice surprise...four coupons for free chocolate came! That's not the crazy part. That's the happy part. Read on.

The crazy part is that I noticed I signed up myself, Matt, Abigail, and Jackson in order to get four coupons (it was 4 per household). So there was a coupon addressed to Jackson. Two crazy things about it:

1) A coupon was addressed to Jackson Schoolfield

2) It was a coupon for chocolate...I know from experience that dogs and chocolate don't go well together.



P.S. - You might think that it was also crazy that I signed up our 6 1/2 month old for chocolate too, but at least she's human!

An Update From Abby

Abigail here. I am now 6 months old and loving every day of it! I enjoy spending the day with Mommy and giggling at the funny stuff she does. Bath time with Daddy is one of my favorite things and I'm pretty good at splashing around. My new best buddy is Jackson and I look for him when I get up from my naps. He likes to lay next to me on the floor and give me big doggy kisses. I'm growing like a weed and the doctor says I'm tall for my age. It's probably all the yummy fruits and veggies I eat. Mommy takes me on all my errands and I flirt with everyone I meet - the people at the grocery store know me by name! I'm still working on sitting up all by myself and learning to crawl. I also like playing with the baby in the mirror...sometimes it's a little confusing, though.

I've Become My Mom

One childhood memory that I have is of my mom clipping coupons. I remember understanding the concept, but not fully appreciating the motivation behind it. All that has changed as I have become obsessed with coupons. Ok, I know it's rather lame, but I NEED to figure out a way to not exceed our grocery budget for the month - something that I've managed to do for the past five years. I decided that enough was enough and delved into this weird online world of couponing. Can you believe there are blogs and forums out there specifically devoted to this stuff??? I didn't, but then I was brainwashed and now check these things hourly (I told you I was obsessed!). It's kinda like a game to try and figure out the best combination of sales and coupons. I do believe my obsession will wear off once I figure out how to do this all, but I did want to share some of my favorite blogs:

Common Sense with Money - http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/
Frugal Coupon Living - http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/
Moms Need to Know - http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/
Money Saving Mom - http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/
Coupon Geek - http://www.coupongeek.net/
Coupon Cravings - http://www.couponcravings.com/
Frugal Mom of Three Boys - http://frugalmomofthreeboys.blogspot.com/

Now that I'm a stay at home mom, I actually have time to do some of this, so I'm taking advantage of it. And hopefully I can stay within our grocery budget for the first time ever. And by the way, my mom was never this obsessed...

Go Noles!

Football season is upon us and we thought it appropriate for the littlest family member to have some gear. Go Noles! By the way, she does have some Illinois stuff, but donned the FSU colors for their game against Miami the other day. Sad game, but cute baby.

You know when you're grown up when...

The purchase of a new purse last month got me thinking about growing up. See, this purse wasn't a usual purchase for me. It was a very calculated attempt to try and merge the belongings of my former purse, diaper bag, and coupon organizer together. Convenient? Yes. Trendy and cute? No. But I went with the convenience aspect because I was tired of lugging around so much stuff during errands.

Anyway, what I started thinking about was circumstances over the years that made me realize that I was growing up. Here are some of them:

- Being excited about healthcare benefits at work
- Clipping and organizing coupons (I used to make fun of my Mom about that)
- Wearing sweats out and not caring what I look like...and I know I'm not looking that good
- Being able to buy myself all the sweet, bad for you cereal with no one telling me no
- Having a baby
- Being called "Ma'am" by clients, fast food workers, and grocery store workers
- My stomach not being able to make it through all the roller coaster rides anymore
- Finding gray hairs
- Making the final call to hospitalize client due to his mental state and watching him climb into the ambulance
- Buying my own Christmas tree

I'm sure there are more, but those are some for now. What are some of your "Oh my goodness, I'm an adult!" moments?