I’ve been outted

Uh oh. I think I’ve been labeled a “couponer.”

During a mad dash to the Kreepy Krogers this morning for Huggies wipes for 49 cents a box (heck yeah!) the checkout woman and also customer service manager said as I handed her my coupons, “Was this in this week’s paper? I know you buy several.”

Alarm bells: HOW DID SHE KNOW I BUY “SEVERAL?” I sent the hubs to get my papers this week. It WASN’T. EVEN. ME.

Do you think they talk about me? Watch me on the security camera? Do you think there’s a wall in the breakroom with my photo (and hopefully others) on it? Am I under the category of “Change the sale tags if you see her coming?” because I swear that Trop 50 Pomegranate was only $2.88 when I was here last and I have my coupon today and it’s now $3.36… Or do you think she was just intuitive enough to realize that I have several of the same coupons that I’ve carefully cutout from the Sunday rags? She also told me I was skinny and loved my outfit so I felt obligated to give her the “bell-ring” for exceptional customer service, but truthfully I left walking away with mixed feelings of hottie mom and a little bit of bargain hunter shame at the same time.

Yes, I said shame. What do the people behind me in line think? (Weirdo.) Do they think we can’t afford groceries? (Not the case.) Or that I’m just hassling them to waste time? (I do my best to shop at off-hours so as not to impose on others.)

It’s interesting for sure – and actually the topic of conversation on the Krazy Koupon Lady’s radio show on June 3^rd. A few callers were lamenting the stigma of being a “couponer” and how the check-out employees are not fans of our cost-saving strategy because it is so cumbersome for them. In fact, I even saw on FB that someone had seen that her Wal-Mart had a dedicated lane just for couponers! Eeeegads.

So get to the point, here’s last week’s results:

Spent: $186.39 in six shopping trips. Yes, six.
Saved: $151 even-steven. 45%

I am not happy.

I know I said that I wanted to save 30% but in my mind I have a weekly goal of spending $125 on groceries and saving in the realm of 49-54%. It’s arbitrary but it is what it is. I’ve clearly exceeded it and I have a laundry room which is overrun with cereal and barbeque sauce and power bars to prove it.

In a moment of clarity, I did give away some Mini-Wheats, crackers, BBQ sauce and toothpaste to my neighbor so I felt good about that because it is one of the many reasons that I wanted to do all this. Prior to the obsession of course. But my downfall this time was having to purchase some items that were not on sale (I didn’t even try to buy the little sister that Princess Cupcake said we could pick up somewhere) or have a coupon that messed up my ratios. I actually paid FULL PRICE. Gasp. And my rule is shop once a week unless you run out of milk, then I’m allowed another trip. Didn’t work out that way this week – I was lured to adrenaline rush of the deals.

Here are my newest lessons learned:

1. By accident I discovered that the CVS bonus bucks are only one time per household (read: per CVS card). But that shopping trip that totaled $6.32 and I paid with $6 in CVS bucks – plus a quarter, nickel and two pennies – and got back $6 in CVS bucks was a real high. Total money exchanged: 32 cents.  THIRTY-TWO CENTS. With one hand I texted Bianca and my BFF which in the other I carried that trophy bag of toothpaste and deodorant through the door and presented it to the hubs like a cat who’d been out hunting mice all night. He was duly impressed. At least more than he would have been with a dead rodent.

.32 cents

2. In my brief couponing career, I have learned that my CVS store does not have the aspirin/ibuprofen/naproxen specials that are highlighted on the magic websites. These always sound great, but my store never has the product on sale, and furthermore, it’s more expensive than what the websites say.

3. It’s really hard to keep up with all the coupon cutting out. I am a week behind and contemplating not cutting the flyers apart at all like I did in the beginning except…

4. …stores have unadvertised sales that you aren’t going to find online. I found myself writing down spectacular deals that I needed to come back to get with my coupons. I haven’t totally geeked out with my notebook and carried that shopping with me which clearly would be a massive time saver from making an additional trip – and yet also draw attention to the fact that I am a COUPONER. But having them at the ready would be a time and money saver.

5. Which leads me to my 5^th lesson. I am continually perplexed on best way to organize them which would also be key to FINDING the coupon that I am looking for. By date by flyer… but then there’s the online ones that you print out… and the Catalina ones (the cash register coupons)… I feel a spreadsheet brewing. No.. don’t do it…

6. I didn’t step foot into Walgreens since the incident. And I liked it.