Just call Me Bonnie!

Yes, I am a Bonnie in search of her Clyde. I know, I know.....a pretty lame, obscure reference to bankrobbers. I didn't exactly rob a bank but I did walk out of my local drugstore(with their blessings) loaded with the stuff in the photo, for which I paid...... $7.38-and most of that was just paying the tax on the taxable items. This is about $125 worth of merchandise! Plus, the store rebate program is sending me a check for $15.99 at the end of February.

Now is this craziness or what?

This is all because of that Extreme Couponing I've been trying out lately. The point is to buy stuff that is on sale/you have coupons for/there are rebates on and to get things for as close to free as possible. Sometimes if you have enough coupons/rebates/sales then the store ends up owing YOU money for buying their items!

And before any of my Compact brethren chastise me for Buying New, it's all been consumables, except for the Glucose Meters-which were FREE and I am donating to a local free medical clinic.

After a week of reflection, here is what I've learned the past couple of weeks about Extreme Couponing.

1. It is a SUCKHOLE of your Time! The hours you spend finding the coupons, browsing the sites to find the best deals, organizing your coupons, actually shopping with coupons, and then organizing all the stuff you BUY when you get it home, takes a load of energy and time and space(for the goodies).

2. EC is VERY addictive! Scoring a deal can release Endorphins that can rival most any other High you can experience. I find myself wanting to check the couponing blogs often to see what deals other people are finding if I can't be finding a deal myself at the moment. I think I might have an addictive personality. 8-)

3. It's hard to just stick to 1 store to do deals in. You want to go to ALL the stores that have deals(see #1 time suckhole). In trying to simplify my life, I am all about NOT shopping.
Spending more time in stores puts me in more contact with STUFF that I shouldn't and don't want to buy. Being around STUFF can wear down my resolve. Therefore, extreme couponing could be dangerous for me.

4. Since you get a high from getting a deal, it's easy to buy items that you don't actually need/use....like those Glucose Meters. It was a High to get them for Free but I don't need them.....well, maybe I need one, but NOT THREE!lol
At least with these I have a plan to send them to where they can be put to good use. But what if the next deal is for free Make-up I don't use or a free Radio, etc.? It's a slippery slope back to buying STUFF I don't need, that will someday get dumped into a landfill.
I think some of the folks doing the Free Item deals don't actually use/need what they are buying. After I carted those Meters home I resolved to just do the Freebie Deals that were consumable or that we need.

Now I would LOVE to be able to get FOOD for free or close to it. But because of where I live I will never be one of those ladies with a cart full of almost or free food due to her couponing savvy. The fact is I live somewhere that doesn't have Grocery Stores that run amazing sales. There is no Kroger or Publix(the 2 stores I have noticed people paying low prices for items)here. The 2 grocery stores in my town(as well as the chain drugstore) won't even take Internet Printed Coupons! Even ones printed from their companies own website!lol Super Kmarts & Super Targets take internet coupons but we don't have any of those stores here either.

I have noticed that alot of what the Extreme Couponing Mommas get Deals on is overly processed foods or junk food. The kids & hubby love them some soda and chips and cookies, etc. but I don't want to spend my precious time getting deals on marginally nutritious food, not to mention all this food with High Fructose Corn Syrup hidden in it.

Nope, I don't think I am cut out to be an Extreme Coupon Queen.

sluggy