I want to be a Coupon Queen!

Large areas of North Georgia have flooded. In fact, entire neighborhoods are underwater. What bothered me yesterday? The fact that I couldn't hide from my kids test out my new couponing skills at the grocery store.

You see, on Saturday, I was fortunate enough to take the Extreme Couponing Class 101 hosted by Jenny of Southern Savers. Now, I've dabbled in coupons before. I've signed up for websites that promised I would save 95% on my grocery bill, only to end up forking over more than I've saved in monthly fees. And no matter how hard I tried, I could never break the magical 50%. I've never saved more than I paid for anything. Of course, if I were to listen to my husband, I could save 100% just by not going to the store. Fine by me. Problem is, HE is the one standing in front of the pantry after I get home from the grocery store saying "there's nothing to eat here"!

Any way, back to the class. I've followed Jenny's easy to navigate site for awhile. She does all the work and matches ads and coupons for you, all you have to do is follow her lists. That's the easy part. The theory behind her method is that you stock up on things while prices are at there lowest, therefore you never have to pay full price for anything.

Ok, makes sense. So why when I followed her lists did I end up with 3 boxes of toothpaste, 4 bags of pretzels and nothing to eat?

The answer is stockpiling. You actually have to plan ahead and buy more than just what you need for the week. You also need children and a husband who don't eat your entire stockpile the minute you come home. Just because I bought 4 boxes of toaster pastries doesn't mean you get to eat them all for 1 breakfast. Sigh. This could take me awhile my dh and kids are piggies poorly trained when it comes to having lots of goodies in the house.

There are also tricks to how and in what order you pay for your things. I won't go in to them here, I could never do them justice. Just check out Southern Savers. And if you have a chance to see Jenny in person, it's well worth your time!


BTW- Jenny's site is FREE. A word I love! And how did I do when I followed some of her tips when I finally did get out to the store? Yipee~~

At one store, I paid $4.57 for $16.97 worth of products. A 72% savings. Doing the happy dance!