So this past week I decided to make a number of ”New ME Resolutions”. Like “New YEAR Resolutions” only more long term. Over the past year or so I have become Lazy. Yes, that’s right – capital L. There are a number of areas I’ve resolved to improve upon. The top areas of concentration right now are keeping my house clean and organized and working on limiting spending and saving money whenever possible. Friday night I worked on cleaning and organizing my war zone of a laundry room. I threw out all clutter. I pulled out the washer and dryer out and wiped away the dust tumbleweeds that had formed behind them over the past year. I bought special cloth baskets in pretty patterns to use on my wire shelves to organize all laundry room related materials. I even arranged a couple of baskets next to the shoe cubby to hold items that go in and out of the house on a regular basis. I figure placing those items next to the shoe cubby, which is right by the door to the garage, would make it difficult for me to forget items of importance that I need to have with me in my daily travels. My laundry room now? It is SPECTACULAR. Honestly I want to set up a cot in there and live in it. Mike has already caught me a number of times just standing in the doorway staring at it and smiling.
Saturday morning I spent clipping coupons. In general I find paper coupons kind of annoying. Online coupons – I live for those. I buy NOTHING online before checking RetailMeNot.com and the like to see what I can save. I’ll spend an hour looking online for a coupon code for free shipping. But when it comes to paper coupons – just not a big fan. There is just something about them. Quite honestly, I think they overwhelm me. There are SO many of them. The “normal” person decides what they want, makes a grocery list, and then looks through the paper to see if there are any coupons for what they need. Me – I start to make my grocery list, write down “toothpaste”, look through the paper to see if there are any toothpaste coupons, find five coupons for toothpaste and cut out all of them because, hey, once you get to the grocery store you just never know what brand will strike your fancy. Then I find a coupon for some new crackers that look tasty and come in cool shapes and cut that out figuring it’s always good to have tasty cool shaped crackers around for entertaining. Then I find a coupon for crescent rolls without seams that would be perfect for making all those appetizer recipes I make where I have to press the seams of the crescent rolls together during appetizer assembly (SO annoying!) and I cut that out. Then I find a coupon for a new lotion by Jergens that gives your skin “a touch of sun” while at the same time reducing the appearance of cellulite AND boasts a new and improved scent! All that AND I can save 50 cents!? Yes please! And I cut that out. See what I’m doing? I’m shopping. I haven’t even gotten to the grocery store yet and I’m already shopping. Coupons typically encourage me to spend MORE money. I think this is exactly what the coupon makers are counting on when they put out those weekly fancy color multi-page picture heavy coupon books. They are tricky, those coupon makers, no? So then I load up my pretty little special coupon holder that I got at Target (because if you’re going to put the effort into cutting all those coupons, you NEED to have a pretty little special coupon holder in which to organize them, right?) and I bring them with me to the grocery store. Then once I get to the grocery store I open up my pretty little special coupon holder and I’m like “AGGHHH! TOO MANY COUPONS!”. Then I put my pretty little special coupon holder back in my purse, get myself a grande skim mocha from Starbucks (don’t you just LOVE it that most grocery stores these days have an in-store Starbucks? I certainly do) and forget all about the overwhelming, confusing coupons. But this week – this week was going to be different!! So like I said I spent Saturday morning cutting coupons. I made a list first then only cut out coupons that I actually needed. Oh Cover Girl lip plumping action lip gloss for 75 cents off how you tempt me! And yet I resist. Because this week – this week will be different! I stick to the necessities – organize all my necessity coupons in my pretty little special coupon holder, and put my coupon holder in my special basket next to the shoe cubby in the laundry room so I won’t forget it when I leave to go grocery shopping on Sunday. I was prepared to save, and save big!
Sunday I wake up excited to embark on my new savings adventure. A new week! This week will be different! I clean up some more around the house. I organize my junk counter in the kitchen (Yes I have a whole counter devoted to junk. Don’t try to pretend like you don’t have one). I stare at my spectacular laundry room some more. Mid-afternoon I finally put Jack down for a nap and I venture off to the grocery store for a festival of savings. I drive to Harris Teeter eagerly anticipating all the savings that is about to take place. Here it is! My new beginning! This week – different! And as I am walking into the store I realize … I FORGOT MY COUPONS. Seriously. I left my pretty little special coupon holder back at home in my spectacular laundry room in the basket next to the shoe cubby. I walk into the store, defeated, thinking NEXT week will be different.
But then I decide – no – I’m not going to let one little coupon forgetting incident get me down. I’m a saver now. I’ve dedicated myself to saving! I have my Harris Teeter VIC (Very Important Customer) card. I can still find deals if I try! And try I do. And I succeed! I find my SmartOnes microwave lunches on sale 4 for $10. I find cases of Pepsi products on sale – buy two get THREE free. THREE FREE I said! Unbelievable! I find paper towels on sale for $1 off. I find ground coffee on sale for $2 off. AND on top of all that the one coupon I did not forget was the Harris Teeter coupon I received in the mail on Friday. It’s a “spend $50 get $20 off” coupon. I fill my cart with breakfast, lunch AND dinner for both me and Mike for the entire week – plus a number of necessities for the house (that John Frieda hair glossing spray was totally a necessity. Yes it was. YES it was. Shut up.) and still come in at a total which was WAY less than expected. I complete my purchase and as the cashier hands me my receipt he announces “Miss you saved FORTY SIX DOLLARS AND FIVE CENTS today”. SERIOUSLY. Take THAT coupon cutting mom that I saw on ABC’s “Wife Swap” this week!
I am the queen of all savings. And that is why I rock.
PS: If you are in need of a can of soda please feel free to stop by Casa Gifford. Thanks to the unbelievable deal I found, we now have 60 of them.
PPS: Yes I am awarethis is Jack's place. Didn't you hear me mention him in my story when I said "I finally put Jack down for a nap ...."?? What, not enough for you? Fine. Here:
I totallly need my own blog.
