Going Extreme

For whatever odd reason (maybe he was trying to use subliminal messaging), my boyfriend paused an episode of Extreme Couponing last week and made me watch it.  He does this with all kinds of things that he thinks I'll find interesting or entertaining once I finally wrangle and feed the children.

Of course I had previously heard about people who did this.  I had even seen evidence of it on Facebook back when I had it.  

But there was no way I was going to take the time and effort to figure it out.  I mean I'm already tired all the time and do everything in my power to avoid putting forth effort in any areas that do not absolutely require it.

So, no.  I would not be spending my Sundays clipping coupons.

And then I watched a lady buy $500 worth of groceries for $30.  

When Jimmy and I sat down and looked at our finances a couple of weeks ago, it became readily apparent that what we aren't spending on bills, we are spending on food and gas.  A household of four with two people making one hour-plus commutes and a one year old who never stops eating tends to spend an exorbitant amount of money on food and fuel.

Okay, maybe couponing might be worth investigating. 

I mentioned it to my friend/babysitter, Candice, last week and learned that she is already deeply immersed in the couponing world.  When I told her that there was no way I was devoting 35 hours a week (where would I even find 35 hours in a week?) to do this (as the lady on the show claims she does), Candice advised that I start on a much smaller scale and just do it for items I use all the time.

My first venture into couponing was to go to Kroger.com and load digital coupons straight onto my Kroger card.  I took it for a test drive on Saturday and turned a $70 grocery bill into a $56 grocery bill and earned points toward money off gas (every 100 points = 10 cents off per gallon).  I did not even understand what I was doing yet and had already managed to save $14 and get more than halfway to 10 cents off a gallon.

I reported this to Candice.  She gave me praise.  She was fast becoming my couponing mentor.

Later that night I went in search of couponing apps for my iPhone.  I went to the App Store, typed "coupon" into the search box, and downloaded the ones with high ratings that looked user-friendly.

I reported this to Candice.  She came to the conclusion that I was serious about this.

And so she directed me to the extreme couponers starter manual (link to web address below) where I officially became obsessed. 

Actual conversation:

Jimmy: I think I want to invent some sort of chicken chili this weekend (he is an amazing cook.  I tried to talk him into going to culinary school. He declined after learning the average salary of the graduates).
Me: Ok. I'm going to be organizing this coupon madness I've started.
Jimmy: Lmao (he's at work.  I get  a lot of this.)
Me: I am sorry, but I am going to be subscribing us to the Sunday paper.  And you are no longer allowed to throw away coupons, ads, or circulars that come in the mail.  Oh, and we have a couponing binder now.
Jimmy: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL (this translates to I cannot stop laughing at what you just said)
Me: I feel crazy.  It took hold.  It's bad.

So, that is where I stand.  I've dipped my toes into the couponing waters and been completely sucked into the madness of it.  I'll give you guys an update after I get a grasp on it and see the kind of impact it makes for someone who doesn't have a 40 hour work week to devote to it.

If you're interested in starting this yourself, Candice advised me (and now I advise you) to check out The Krazy Coupon Lady.  I started at the "beginner" tab as it seemed the most logical place to start.

Good luck and please feel free to share any tips you have!