Coupons: The Root of All Evil?

Ok, so maybe evil is a little strong.

Or maybe not.

Today, I spent half of nap time and over an hour after Monkey was in bed trying to reorganize my coupons in such a way that I would actually use them more consistently. That’s right. I’ve joined the ranks of often frazzled women wandering the store with a binder in one hand, a sheet of paper clutched in the other. The woman who holds up the cashier because those ridiculous scanners never accept ALL of the coupons in a transaction (which I’m convinced is on purpose to see if you give up and pay full price).

Why did I make that leap?

Guilt.

How can watch shows like “Extreme Couponing” and be okay with our $100/week grocery budget. It’s ridiculous. It’s especially ridiculous considering I’ve been trying to switch us over to grass-fed beef and humanely raised chickens. Which equals $$$$$, by the way. Why is healthy so much more expensive than crap?

I mean, I’m a stay at home mom. Couponing shouldn’t be too much to ask. I’m not *making* money, at least I can reduce what I’m *spending*.

But, man, it’s a pain sometimes. I’m at that stage where I know enough to know how it should work and what I’m doing wrong. But I have to really think about it. So when I’m in a hurry or distracted or generally disorganized than it falls by the wayside.

So I’m getting started on a Pricebook. Are you familiar with that concept? Essentially, it’s tracking the prices of the items that you buy regularly. Of course, trying to create this spreadsheet led to argument between ArmyMan and I about exactly what variables said spreadsheet should include.

Awesome. Exactly my desired outcome. *eye roll*