To clip or not to clip....

This weekend I came to a startling realization. I am not a coupon clipper. I am not proud of this by any means. My friends have inspired me to clip, compare, clip some more, power shop, power save, and all of those other stimulative actions. For the last two weeks, I have worn out my search engine looking for coupons and deals to help me in my arduous task of saving money on groceries.

I was beginning to think that maybe I was really "cut out", pardon the pun, for coupon clipping. "This isn't so hard", I kept thinking to myself. "I can do this...Yay for me!" My husband will be so proud. He will reward me with a big fresh bouquet of flowers, on sale of course, because of all of the money that I am going to save on our grocery bill.

Wrong. As I printed out my coupons today from Smartsource.com, I was eager to get my grocery cart and do some serious shopping. My shopping day is today, Sunday, so here I am, coupons freshly printed. The ink aroma from the coupons is nearly intoxicating as I see the amounts imprinted on them with the money that I will be saving.

As I put on a fresh coat of lip gloss and head out the door, I am all the while thinking...."I am such a smart cookie. This is going to be a breeze and I am going to be able to get that new pair of shoes, because I will be saving so much money!"

I get in the car and glance in the mirror. Yikes! I had forgotten to brush my hair. Yes, my lip gloss was fresh, but my hair was a frightful sight. I had been playing with the kids and completely missed the fact that I had a huge tuft of hair falling out of my little hair barrette that had been placed there early that morning.

I reach for my purse and find my old faithful wide tooth comb. A little of this and a little of that, and my hair is put back together ready for public viewing. Then, something told me that maybe I should check my coupons. I am sure it was my pride, just wanting to get a glimpse of those new pair of shoes, OOPS, I mean, just wanting to make sure the coupons were safe and sound in my purse.

Slowly and delicately, I pull my treasured coupons out of my purse for one more prideful glance. By the way that I was holding them, you would have thought they were a rare piece of expensive jewelry. Gentle and not wanting to bend or tear them, I hold them up once more.

As I admire them for the last time, I notice something that I had not noticed before. In the upper right hand corner there is an expiration date. My first thought was, "Good thing that I am using them up today. I am so savvy!"

My next thought is, " Whew, I barely missed the expiration date. March 21st, that's a close call."

Suddenly my face goes pale, and I am certain that I must have looked as if I had seen a ghost.

"OHHH NOOOOO!!!"

The coupons had expired......yesterday.

Needless to say, my bubble had busted. The wind was gone from my sails. I was just another shopper, just another Mom.....who doesn't have coupons.

As I moped through the aisles of Ingles, I felt like a failure. I was too disappointed to even think about what was going into my buggy. I had my grocery list, but the spring in my step had left my tired feet.

I checked out my groceries, and uttered a barely audible, "No, Maam," when asked if I had any coupons to use.

Despite the impasse, I left Ingles that day with a fresh new perspective.

I decided that there are a zillion other ways I can cut back without having to be a slave to coupon clipping. If I had a coupon, GREAT, but if I didn't, that was okay too. I was exhausted trying to find who had the cheapest grapes, or who is having a bogo offer. Ugghhh! It was exasperating to me.

But, if I am being completely honest, I must confess that I greatly admire and envy all of you coupon clippers and deal getters. It is something that I aspire to attain. Perhaps I am not only lacking the skills, but also the patience it requires.

So, alas, I will only be a mere understudy until I learn the ropes and finally get the starring role of....... "Coupon Mom".


putting my clippers away,

Jill