Wednesday 1/6/10: Don't get discouraged by success stories

As I write this I'm watching a woman on the Today Show who is known as the "coupon mom." Her advice is better than others I've seen, just because it's more realistic. Still, at the beginning, she did go on the requisite stunning shopping trip where she "got $100 worth of groceries for a quarter!"

Remember, stories like this are designed to stun you. First, WHAT did she buy? You can't eat 4 tubes of toothpaste. Potatoes and ice cream do not make a meal. Also, what coupons from previous promotions did she use? She even mentioned getting a $5 coupon back for buying 9 items from a certain manufacturer. If she was using that kind of coupon (and I'm sure she was), then she spent money previously to get it. I did this the other day. I went to Rite Aid and got Loreal shampoo and facial cleanser, 100 Tylenol, and 11 bars of Irish Spring (the only soap my husband will use--I can't get him to undo his brand loyalty, lol!) for $2.61, but I'm getting a $3 refund check back so really they paid me $0.39. But I was using a rebate check and a rebate certificate worth $17 for which I had previously spent a certain amount of money there. So really it wasn't completely free.

The "coupon mom" mentioned that realistically you should be able to save 30-50% off your grocery bill, and that's a good guideline. You're not going to get your groceries for free. There are almost never coupon for milk or eggs or produce. It's very difficult to get cereal for less than $1.50 a box. Sometimes you need baby food and nothing's on sale and your coupons are lousy. Last night I spent $50 at the store and my savings on the receipt said 17%, which is abysmal for me. I did get some things as manager's specials that didn't register in that percentage, but still I don't think it would've been more than 25%.

Another thing, this woman was at a store that would double high-value coupons, and I haven't found a store in my area that will double them over $0.50. So the point is to have realistic expectations about what you can do with the time and resources you have, and be happy you're saving (any) money!