On Shopping with The Queen of Payne

I love to shop with coupons. I come by it naturally. Daddy, many years ago, would drag us children to the Warehouse Market with his stack of clippings and make us hunt for things on sale. It embarrassed me enormously, and I would do little but roll my eyes when he would recap the entire experience in the car while he perused the receipt. "Look at this, they PAID me to take this," he would say, gloating in his frugality. (This was still during the time that coupons were manually entered and not adjusted by a computer to prevent exceeding product value.)

I am now my father. My children use the words "sale" and "savings" and "bargain" all in the correct context. They improved their scissor skills while simultaneously saving money on peanut butter.

I absolutely love going to the store and leaving with a basket or two full of items for $25 or less. I swear, it's happened, and my friend Amy will vouch for me. A couple of years ago, Albertsons began offering triple-value coupon sales once a month. They would triple every coupon up to 75 cents (which means a $2.25 reduction per coupon per item), and double coupons valued at $1.00. Amy and I would prepare in our own homes, clipping and organizing our coupons in labeled binders. Then we would meet at the store to tag team on the bargains. Those excursions afforded both of us the financial opportunity to do more with our family, while at the same time, bless others in their times of need. Since then, several Albertsons stores have been permenantly closed, and the triple-value coupon sale ceases to be, but there are still deals to be had now and again.

Today's post is dedicated to my friend Amy, and our many shopping trips together. This week, I stocked both my freezer and my pantry, and though I spent $140, I saved $116 -- about 46% of my grocery bill! And yesterday afternoon, I remembered my dad when Albertons nearly paid me to take home some Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter and the clerk was stumped by the fact that my purchase was to me completely free.