my entry in the coupon game

I have always been a coupon clipper (sale papers and coupon inserts have always been my favorite part of the Sunday paper), but I always forgot to use them or I didn't use them before they expired. But I've heard a lot of people talking about coupons since I've been home so I decided to enter the game.

If you don't know this, I LOVE a good deal and once you learn how to do these coupons right, you can always find a good deal.

This week was my first attempt at using www.southernsavers.com. This deal-searching woman puts together this website so you can just go to one place, click on whatever grocery stores or drugstores you use and bam! She tells you all the great deals of the week PLUS she tells you which coupons from which week's coupon insert to use PLUS she finds all the coupons that you can print out to save even more. Triple whammy right there!

So on Wednesday morning when the grocery store sale papers came out, I looked through them but then decided I should just go straight to the expert at southernsavers.com because she would tell me exactly what was a good deal and what was not.

And you will not believe my savings this week. Granted, I wasn't doing big shopping because I already had food figured out for the week. I only bought nonperishable stuff I normally use (as opposed to just buying what's on sale even if you don't normally use that brand or whatever). And I didn't buy bulk like you're supposed to if you "do" coupons the right way. Also, I didn't have all those coupon inserts from the Sunday paper from the last couple months so I couldn't "stack" coupons like you're supposed to.

I shopped at Publix on Wednesday and spent $15.99 including tax but saved $24.18. Oh my goodness. Now Jimmy normally points out to me that I really didn't "save" that money but in this case I did. I would've bought these things anyway, just at full price and not necessarily with coupons and I certainly wouldn't have waited for a BOGO sale.

Today I went to Bi-Lo and spent $11.31 including tax but saved $13.80. I was thrilled with the savings, but then I remembered that had I not bought my splurge item (latest issue of "Vanity Fair"), I would have actually only spent $6.11. I bought two bottles of good extra virgin olive oil and 2 bags of Chex Mix for $6.11. The normal price for one bottle of olive oil is $7.29. Unbelievable. Are you as exhilirated as I am?

I am fully in the game now.

(And my apologies for not doing a more serious posting on 9-11. I promise I've reflected on it more this year than any past anniversary given that Jimmy is now working in a country because of 9-11.)