Coupon Lady

               One struggle I see many Mom's run into is that they feel that they are not contributing enough, usually this is in financial terms, to the family. This is a tough subject, it can be so different in so many cases. Personally my main concern is my son, everything I do is somehow related to his well being. I don't want to miss a single word or jump and some people may call me crazy since I hardly ever am away from my son, and if I am away from him it isn't for long and very few make my list ( okay just two, my parents and my husband). So how do I feel as though I make a difference while making my whole life revolve around a 16 month old? Since the last time I checked I don't make any money for walking around the zoo or finger painting.Okay, okay, I do have a job, but it is part time, and as my husband loves to remind me I don't make much money. Well, he's right, I don't make much, but I only work three days a week and my little man comes with me. I am a nanny, so for three days every week I feel like I have twins, I think it's great, I get to be with my son and make a little money while he gets some social interaction{and he makes a mess at someone else's house three days a week,not that it seems to make my place feel cleaner...hmmm...}. Since my income doesn't go too far I decided I would become a crazy coupon lady. True, I may be a bit young to be pulling out my stack of coupons at Walgreen's by many peoples standards, but that won't stop me. I am sure not as "crazy" as I want to be yet ( and sadly in the state of Colorado stores limit the amount of items you can buy with coupons in one trip, ie: If I find a coupon for free Pasta, and have ten of the same coupon, I can only use three of my coupons in one shopping trip. I can always come right back and get three more free boxes, but they know most people won't. I don't understand why they HAVE to limit my trips, they get money back from the manufacturers for their coupons, and they put the items on sale...geez) Other than not being able to live up to the "crazies" I saw on TLC, things have been going well, by combining online coupons, store sales, and manufacturers coupons I have been saving an average of 45% on my weekly grocery bill. I have also been scoring plenty of free stuff, like toothpaste,pasta, diapers,hot sauce, soap, and body wash. I know it isn't a whole lot of money, but an extra 50 to 70 dollars a week never hurt the family budget. I figure the longer I do it the better I will get, I am hoping to be able to save even more, it's very empowering somehow to come in with arms full of groceries and know I got it for half price.{even if I did have to carry it all up three flights of stairs before I could show it off to my husband, who is never as impressed as I would like, know that I think about it}And it is never bad for a Mom to have something to look forward to on a Sunday, in my case the Sunday paper starts my excitement, as I look through all the coupons and start to plan my weekly shopping trip. And as soon as my little man is down for his nap and Daddy is watching the game, I am off  to have my fun.{Yes, I said fun, you get a little rush when you see your total climbing higher and higher, really hoping you planned it all right, and then as the total goes down you feel the excitement!} Do I make people mad as I look through my coupons in the isle to see which pasta sauce I will buy? Yes. Do the cashiers run when they see me coming with my stack of coupons? Yes. Is it all worth it? Yes. I don't really see a reason for people not using coupons, it is free money right there in the Sunday paper, or even as simple as loading coupons to a shoppers card online. And if you think it won't save you money, just try it for a week, even if you don't use many coupons your first time around, I am willing to bet you'll be more aware of what you are buying and what is on sale. Another way to save money on your grocery bill? Go without your children! I do EVERYTHING with my son, but my one trip I do alone is the grocery store. This way I actually buy what is on my list, preventing multiple trips back to the store all week, which always cost more than planned. So if you want to feel like you are "giving" a little extra to the family funds try couponing, who cares if you get some "you're nuts" looks, they're the crazy ones for paying full price! Good luck on your next shopping adventure, I know I will be looking forward to my next Sunday set of coupons!

Kelly Callahan