{extreme couponing? not so much}

I've watched those extreme couponing reality shows a couple of times, and have always been in awe by the amount of toilet paper, paper towels, and bottles of Powerade a person can accumulate. The packed shelves in their living rooms, and garages lined with endless product fascinated me, as did the final price tag at the end of their sale...27 cents.  Or something like that.  

Dumpster diving, 40 hour weeks of clipping coupons...I just couldn't imagine that it would really pay off in the end, or that all that toilet paper would be worth it.

I've also wondered how much their actual groceries cost them. As in what they're going to eat.  For dinner.  Sure, you can have 41 bottles of V05 shampoo, 62 razors, 76 boxes of Hamburger Helper, 104 bottles of Powerade, and 37 king-size candy bars that you paid all of a $1 for, but an actual meal?

The majority of our grocery budget goes toward produce, dairy, and meat---fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese, whole grain bread, chicken, 96/4 ground beef, fish, etc.  I've never seen an extreme couponing checkout that had included all of these items and came even close to $1.

All that said, this past weekend, after seeing our grocery bill go up once again, I decided to try a little couponing of my own.  I've clipped a few coupons here and there, but mostly my strategy has been to shop the sales of the local grocery stores, and buy what we needed in bulk--then supplement the basics.  Well, I got a little crazy, and spent several hours printing, clipping, and preparing for my big grocery outing on Saturday.  Most of the coupons I found were for processed, boxed food--stuff that we don't buy or eat.  I really wanted cereal coupons, but couldn't find many, and those that I did find, the amount I would save really wasn't a lot.  I did find a few that I would use, but it took me awhile to find those.

We have very few choices for grocery stores here (which surprised me...we have everything else you can imagine), and I'm somewhat forced to do all my shopping at Wal-mart. I've never loved their groceries--I don't think they have great produce or meat--but you can't argue with most of their prices.  I've also never seriously taken advantage of their price matching policy, other than an item here or there.  This week, however, I decided to make a full list of every grocery store in town, what they had on sale that I wanted, and coordinate it with my own grocery list.  I itemized by section, made several lists that would hopefully make my trip easier, and HOURS later finally ended up with what I thought was a good plan.

It was Emma's turn to come with me, and after a delicious lunch on the restaurant patio of her choice, we were off. 

THREE+  hours later, we finally left the store.  It was dark. It took a lot of time to match the items, choose the right brand, and cross reference my lists.  Checkout was ridiculous--at least 45 minutes of our time was there (and that doesn't include standing in line), as we went through each item that was being matched, and then the stack of coupons at the end.  I was THAT person you don't want to be behind in line. 

Our total savings?  $40.  

Yes, $40 is not chump change.  However, if you add up all the hours I spent preparing and then shopping, it adds up to be about $5 or less an hour.  I spent almost eight hours away from my kids, and didn't save nearly as much as I'd hoped. And I just did a tiny portion of what some do.

Clearly, I'm not an expert, and I do know that there are people out there that are successful couponers.  They know the tricks, ins and outs, and have spent the time to figure it all out.  I'm sure there are people that could take what I spend on groceries and cut it in half. Honestly, I don't even want to know the amount of time it would take to do it.  

I love saving money, getting a good deal, and being frugal.  I think I shop well, buy healthy food for my family, and hopefully save money in the process.  But extreme couponing?  Or even spend-eight-to-ten-to-forty-five hours a week clipping, printing, filing, and tracking sales cycles, just to possibly save on food we don't buy or want to buy?  It's not for me.  Right now, my time is worth money, and that time is going to take precedence.  Even with a large family and ever-growing grocery bill, it simply doesn't make sense for me right now to dedicate SO much time to it.  If someday our situation did require it, I would absolutely figure it out, and make it a priority.

However, I think I'll continue with my current strategy of shopping sales, shopping in bulk, planning inexpensive meals, and clipping a few coupons each week. We don't buy soda, and rarely chips (just for lunches) or junk food, and I know this greatly cuts down on possible grocery costs.

So...hats off to those that have figured it out, and do it on a regular basis. I was EXHAUSTED by the end of the day.  

{This is what my cart looks like EVERY week, lol!  The oranges on top are actually stacked in my cart, not on the shelves behind it, and the pile is about 2 feet above the cart.  I wasn't able to push and pull, so I tried really hard to make everything I needed fit into one.}

I actually learned a few things I will implement, so I'm grateful for that.  I can also say that I tried it--that I gave my very best effort, and for now, that's good enough.