Couponing

Last month we were watching TLC and discovered a new show, Extreme Couponing.  At first we cracked jokes about the people on the show.  Most of the families profiled go shopping and leave the store with 3 or 4 shopping carts full where they buy something like 30 boxes of cereal and 15 bottles of mustard.  All of them have stockpiles of items they will never use in this lifetime like 250 sticks of deodorant.  I understand a good deal when you see one but really this seams like a form of hoarding.  Living in 810 square feet I am a strong believer if we buy something new, something old not being used in the house must go.

Right of the bat I knew this was not for me, somewhere around the third show I was watching I started to think there might be something to this whole coupon thing.  I had never paid much attention to coupon, I always believed coupons were for single income homes with kids to feed.  The number one myth I believed was I did not have time to clip coupons.    After a little online research I started to change my way of thinking, with online blogs and websites it really took most the work out of everything.  Unfortunately my first weekend I wanted to start was Easter and there were no coupons in the Sunday paper.  That was fine, it gave me time to organize a binder and start a list of things we might need in the house.  By the next Sunday I found myself scissors in hand and clipped almost every coupon I could find.  I left behind all the diapars and food coupons for stuff we don't eat or use, but have decided next time I will clip them as well and offer them to friends that may use them.



I have really taken great pride in my binder and coupons and have already been stopped a few times inside stores by people asking about my binder system.  It is simple laminate pockets used to organize baseball cards and I just put them in a 3 ring binder and dividers broken down in different categories.

Here is a simple example of couponing, I bought these two bags of candy and two power bars for only $2.  It was a $7 savings because of use of in store specials and newspaper coupons.







This is another example I made a trip to safeway for some desserts, dog treats and dinners along with some good smelly house stuff.  I can not remember how much I saved on this trip but I remember being pleasantly surprised.  Over all I think I have found myself a new money saving hobby.  Keeps me busy and out of trouble.

Why I love REI

If you walked into our garage and opened the white cabinet on the wall you would find a wide selection of shoes that have been moved out of daily wearing schedule but still in good enough condition to be used in yard work.  When you come inside you would see in both closets multiple pairs of the same brand of shoes, Salomons.  They are a well known trail running shoe with a quicklace, Noah had purchased many pairs and I was on my third pair from REI.  The pair I wear the most was one I picked up on the clearance rack last year and have worn almost everyday as my work shoes.  I had gotten moderate wear from the shoes, but they still had plenty of tread on them.  I was surprised when I noticed one day the sole was separating from the actual shoe.  Then the nest day I found myself in a parking lot that had a REI in it and I went inside to see if maybe they knew of a warranty that Salomon might offer.  The two employees I dealt with were both very friendly and also shocked the shoes were coming apart like they were.  I was very happy to find out that REI was willing to take the shoes back and let me upgrade to a new pair of shoes.  When I walked in that day I was just searching for some advise and left with a replacement product.  The best part is that I got the same pair Noah has so now we are matchy matchy.  REI is such an amazing company and really takes care of its members and backs its products.  Why would I shop any where else?