Why do the coupon game?

Why do I love the coupon game? There are several reasons, the first and possibly the most important is that I am unemployed. Other reasons include, being able to have great meals on a budget, save money, and it gives me something to do. Plus, it helps us maintain a certain level of quality of life while on a budget.
What I mean by "quality of life" is that we don't buy "store brand" and I am not reduced to shop at Walmart and discount stores (Big Lots, dollar store, and similar stores).

I hate to say it but no matter how we like to kid ourselves, store brands really are not like the name brands. I know we like to kid ourselves and say, "they are probably the same thing and just have a different label on it," not true. They are a cheaper quality for a cheaper price. Using coupons allows me to by name brands for a much lower cost than the store brands. It took me a little while for me to snap out of the "buy the cheap store brand" fog. It took a bottle of Tide (that was $4.99 after sale and coupons) to wake me up.

Here is the Tide story.... My three year old socks sometimes end up in different loads of laundry (they are small and get separated). One sock was washed in Purex detergent that I usually buy because it is cheaper than the "good stuff." The other sock ended up in the load of laundry that wash washed with my new bottle of Tide. When I was folding laundry and matching up the socks, I realized one was whiter and much cleaner than the other one from the previous wash. For the money I would of spent on bleach, stain remover and Purex, I just needed to buy the Tide (that ended up cheaper in the first place). The light bulb came on in my head.

The other reason I love the coupon game is that it keeps me out of certain stores. When I first got laid off I started thinking of everything I would give up and what I could no longer buy. I thought I would have to go to Walmart **gasp**. Now, I hate Walmart - to me it is everything bad about America in one big giant ugly box of a building. I used to say that I would pay more money and go somewhere else than have to go to Walmart. The store is filled with workers who really don't want to be there, horrible meats, sickly produce, and low quality products that are usually not that much cheaper than Target. It is sad that people think they are saving so much money, when in the end it is not that much more. Why put yourself through the experience of going there? With coupons and sales, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO! I still get to shop at Publix and Kroger. I still get to go to Target (they have store coupons that are amazing!). CVS and Walgreens have their reward programs where I save more than I spend and end up with free stuff every week.
Then there are those that say, where is your produce and meats? There are not coupons for those items? Yes, there are!

• Produce - First, you need to buy in season. Now is the time to buy strawberries. You can get a pint for $1.25 at Publix. Grapes are flourishing in California (don't pay more than $.79/lb.). Imported fruits are going to be expensive due to import taxes. Secondly, there are coupons for produce, Target and FoodLion have coupons on produce online. Print them out and redeem them at Publix (they honor competitors coupons).
• Meats - Target has the best meat coupons I have seen. I bought steaks the other day for $2.16 - $2.60 a package (3-4 steaks per package) with their coupon. I stocked up and put them all in the freezer. They are good quality too - not that bloody mess you get at Walmart (you don't want to know why it is extra bloody). Think of it - unemployed and eating steak - I never would of thought it.
• Other option that I have which probably the best. If there is a Farmer Market near you, go. Not only are the products grown in your state (less of a carbon footprint) but, it helps out local farmers. It is a win-win situation - you save money while helping others. Plus, most people have memories of going to farmer's markets as kids; pass that on to your kids, it is a unique outing for them (alot of farmers see a cute kid and will give them an apple for just being cute - awh!).

So there it is, my reasoning for the coupon game. I know it is kind of geeky, but we need to do it right now, and it is kind of fun. We used to live on two incomes and wondered where all of our money went. Now we are on one income, paying all of our bills, living comfortably and have not touched our savings. When the economy does pick up and I do get a job, we are going to continue this because it works and we can really start putting away some serious money into savings.

It is not hard - that is the best part!

**And I want to thank my favorite sister-in-law for turning me on to it. It has been so much fun!