A Lesson in Couponing and Life!

As you already know, I love to get a good deal! I bring my bargain prizes (trophies) home and make my husband guess how much I spent. I smile when he says, "Wow, you got all that for how much? Keep it up!" I even make him help me set it up and take pictures. Then I usually call my mom or text my sister with the good news. I am not sure if they really care but they have never said otherwise!

 I'm not very good at sports but I like to think scoring a bargain is like scoring a touchdown. You set up your plan and then you must execute it perfectly. Buying things out of order or forgetting to separate your transactions can ruin the whole trip!

When I first started I tried to get all the deals I could. I would go to Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Dollar General, Woods, Target, Dillon’s and CVS! I was the DEAL MASTER! If it was cheap/free and we could use it, I bought it! I was unstoppable.....until I was stopped.

Last fall I became pregnant with our 4th child! I was tired and suffering from morning sickness. I was chasing after 3 kids and it was football season! (My husband is a high school football coach.)  Something had to give. I could stop cleaning.....tempting but not really and option. I could stop cooking, but if you know my husband, you know that is also not an option. The only thing that I could give a little less time to was coupon/deal shopping. For about 5 months I only did light deal shopping. I still bought papers but I didn't clip all the coupons. Sure, I missed out buying hundreds of body wash and razors but I survived. I rested, played with my kids and attended football games. After Christmas I began to get the itch again. I was back and ready to tackle the coupon world again! Watch out Walgreens!

What did I learn from this? If I missed a deal, the world will not end. If I couldn't make it to CVS to get free toilet paper, life went on. Basically, missing deals does not make the national news (or even the local news). I get what I can, when I can. I still plan my trips and try to execute them perfectly. I still enjoy it, I am just a little more laid back about it. However, you can rest assured I still make my husband guess how much I spent and take pictures of my bargain trophies!



Another Way to Get Coupons!

    

   We all know that you can get coupons from the paper and you can print them online. Those are the two main ways to get them. But sometimes you can't find a coupon for a certain product. I love Dunkin' Donuts Coffee but it is expensive! So one day I decided to email Dunkin Donuts and ask them for coupons. It worked! They sent me some high value coupons and I was able to use them during a sale at Target!

     I have even done this at restaurants! I emailed one and told them that our (large) family wanted to try their restaurant and would appreciate any coupons they could send. I didn't get a coupon but they sent me an email and told me to print off the email, show my waiter and I could have 15% off the bill!

    It doesn't hurt to ask and you never know when you might end up with some really great coupons! I try to be friendly and tell them how much I love their product or how bad I have been wanting to try it. I know some people have been able to get coupons for many different products this way!