I'm a Believer!

Remember when I told you about our new "Simplification" project...also known as the "slash the budget by over half and see if Daiquiri loses her mind" project? Well, diving head-first into the couponing world is one of the ways I'm trying to make newly limited grocery budget stretch. Stretch until every single little nickel found between the couch cushions positively screams for mercy. Wait...that might be me screaming.

I kid. Sort of.

I was up until midnight Sunday poring through ads and blogs and coupons. Putting together a plan, organizing shopping lists by store, clipping, sorting, wishing I was editing photos instead. And then I went shopping Monday night after dropping 3 of the kids at AWANA. Daddy drove Thomas around in the store's race car cart while I dashed around the store trying to find the stuff on my list.

Some of my thoughts while shopping:

"Wow! I'm going to get this entire meal for free!"

"Get out of my way lady, I want some of those too."

"Oh Lord, it would sure be nicer to just win the lottery. You created LIFE, God. Can't you please just make a winning lottery ticket materialize in my hand?"

"I don't use this conditioner, but it's FREE. It's sure worth a shot at that price!"

"How the heck am I supposed to make this deal work, when the shelves have been wiped clean of half the stuff I was going to buy?!! GRRRRR!!"

"I know Lord...you CAN...but WILL you? Pretty please?"

"Where's my calculator? Which pile of coupons is that...the pile I've used, will use, want to use only if I have to, or the ones I'm not sure if they'll work for this promotion? WHERE IS MY CALCULATOR?!"

"Holy Moley, that computer just gave me $15 in coupons!"

"Oh MY! I'm actually doing this!"

For those of you who are seasoned couponers, my numbers might not be impressive. But to me, they're VERY exciting!

My before coupon total (what I would have paid if I bought this stuff with no coupons): $126.42

What I paid (after combining coupons with store specials): $53.61

That's a savings of: $72.81 (or 57%)

Now, my first reaction was "WOW!"

My second reaction was, "Yeah, but this store is always more expensive that that other store, so I didn't really save 57%". That may be true. But even if this store averages 20% higher prices than that other store (and it isn't THAT much more expensive), I still saved 37%. Still a great deal.

So my grocery budget was cut in half this month, and I saved 57% during this trip! I'm on my way to actually making this budget work!

Now, Lord...I'm "naming it and claiming it". You WILL let me win the lottery. I know you can do it. I know you want to bless me. I'm standing here in faith. I can't wait to go collect that multi-million dollar check! What? Really? You're not a genie-in-a-bottle kind of God? Okay...I'll keep doing the coupon thing instead ;-)