On Couponing

Good grief, has it really been since mid-July that I've posted to this blog? For shame! I hang my head!

Well, let's have a word on couponing, shall we? It is the blessing and scourge of my life. I would love to be wealthy enough not to have to do it -- and yet I don't think I could resist saving all the money I do, so I'd still have to do it. Maybe I'd hire someone to cut them all out and file them.

Time consuming: yes. Worth it? Definitely yes. Here are a couple of blogs that I subscribe to, in case you need a coupon fix:

Clipper Girl's Saving Spot

It's Hip to Save

The Krazy Koupon Lady

I have the posts emailed to me -- and they are full of all kinds of ways to save. A virtual myriad of where to use the coupons you get, where to get them, where to get more, and how to best use them.

I have to try and limit myself, because I have a tendency to just go haywire. I only have so much room in my pantry, after all. I do try and get to Harris Teeter (my grocery store of choice) when they're doing either Super Doubles or Triples. I also try and pay attention to Target and WalMart, since I shop both those stores fairly often.

It can get overwhelming. And it's so tempting to buy everything that's a great deal, whether you need it or not. Fortunately, I have one Hunk O Man who commonly will say "Do you really have to grocery shop this week?"

He's right of course, and since Harris Teeter is about 35 minutes south of me, I usually wait.

On filing methods -- I've gone from an indexed box to a binder full of trading-card pages. It's still not perfect, but it's working for now. It's nice and portable and the best thing is that when you drop the binder, the coupons don't all fall out. Well, usually. It depends on whether or not I've gotten them into the little pockets in the pages instead of all stacked in the front of the alphabetical section.

We just can't all be obsessively perfect, you know. ; )

I do plan a cook day sometime this month. I've gone back to college with my two eldest -- we're all at the community college. Then there are three busy girls in high school -- so between jobs, school, high school tennis team matches, local theater productions, and Hunk O Man's job, it is a rare night we all have dinner together.

So I compensate by making something and leaving it on the stove for everyone. This is usually appreciated. In fact, Hunk O Man has been asking for Firecracker Cassarole lately --

xoxoxox