This probably comes as no big surprise, but I am not a fan of couponing. Rather, I just can't flipping do it. Maybe I don't have the intelligence level to wrap my head around it. I don't know. Whatever the case may be, I am literally incapable of couponing.
Now, this is something that I've tried my hand at on several occasions. My interest has been piqued when I've heard my friends bragging about how they saved $249 on $250 worth of groceries. And let's be honest here, saving money on groceries that could be spent on things like, um, ME is definitely motivational. So, I've listened to them explain the ridiculously intricate ins and outs of getting the little clipped golden tickets to work for them. They talk extensively about some supernatural woman, often referred to just in pronoun form as "she" and "her," of the famous Southern Savers website and how she has couponing seminars to teach people how to be just like her. Apparently, Publix is the best store for deals, and, according to one of my BFFs, Kim, you can totally work the system at CVS (by buying diabetes test strips of all things!).
My problem is that all of this Southern Savers, Publix, CVS business is not so simple. There are so many steps and procedures and maneuvers and hoops to jump through that I get lost going from A to B. I've gone to "her" website and spent time trying to find coupons and great deals and 2 for 1 or free or whatever. One day, I parked myself in front of the computer for 6 hours, determined to figure the whole thing out. When it was all said and done, I had a headache, sweat-soaked hair, a sore back, toilet paper coming out of my mouth that had turned into a potty, and a coupon for salsa. That's it.
No matter how many times and how many people try to dissect the world of coupons to me, I remain ignorantly confused. It's gotten to the point that any time someone mentions the very idea of saving money on groceries, I automatically get a sharp ringing in my ears and my brain is shocked with several volts of electricity before it shuts down. It's as if my mind has a forcefield surrounding it that rejects the smallest notion of learning how to get more bang for my buck at the grocery store. To combat this, I've offered some of my coupon-savvy pals a cut of the money they save me if they do the shopping in my place.
Whatever. So I pay more for my household necessities. Whatever.
Mary - if it helps... I did her workshop and, though I was as confused as you, I start doing some of things she suggested and did start saving money, but realized that the trade off was that I was getting loaded down with processed food. JP and I hardly ever eat processed food, and all of the sudden we are compromising our health....to save a few dollars? So I use a coupon here and there for toilet paper or baby wipes, but realized I wasn't willing to compromise my health to save money....
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