My latest Obession

Like many of my posts, I have been meaning to write this for the past couple of weeks. 

One day......
I will not be as busy at work
I won't be called to attend to one child or another
I will have free time to myself without having to schedule it in

Probably when the kids are out of the house. 



As some of you may suspect, I have a slight obessive personality.  Once I start something like a recipe or technique, I obesses about it for weeks.  I do research, experiment, and formulate how to improve what I did in the past (for example  my pan de sal experiments).  I'm a total geek.  This latest obession doesn't pertain a recipe but it does involve food.  It is me, I am always thinking about food one way or another. 

In the past, I have expressed my intersted in extreme couponing.  Seriously, how does people pay nothing for so much stuff!  Well I decided to have a go at it.  It started when The Husband became Mr. Mom for a little while.  We got lucky at both jobs to be able to take 12 weeks off for maternity leave.  Though it is unpaid, it is better and cheaper than putting The Son and Daughter in day care full-time. 

This resulted into myself trying to find ways to save money any way I could.  I already used various discount websites that allows us to go out to eat or activities for less.  I was able to find discounts for activities for The Daughter and classes for myself.  I started couponing when I was still single and trying to make ends meet but it really took off when I had the kids.  Why would I buy ceral for $3.50 if I could just wait and buy it for 2 bucks or less?  I started small but now I have a binder full of coupons. 

My strategy
1. Trade with friends and family to get more coupons you may want
2. Read coupon policies (in the Chicagoland area, the stores doesn't double but it does access a store and manufacturing coupon at the same time)
3. Shop only sale products if possible. 
4. Compare prices (I may have a coupon for formula but do the math.  I purchase formula from a drug store but it was still cheaper per set to buy it at big store like costco or sams without a coupon). 

I does take quite a bit of my time in both research, organizing, and shopping.  I am still trying to perfect my technique but I think I'm getting close as long as I am not lazy about my research. 

Majority of my efforts has gotten me about 30% off which isn't bad but my last Sunday's hull was impressive.  At least for me. 
Total: 300
Discount: 141
Ending Balance: 159

Not bad for someone who just really started this.  I know you are wondering how I got away with this.  Jewel was having a 10 for 10 sale and I had multiples of each type of coupons.  Instant rice was discounted to 1 dollar each and I had a dollar coupon so it was free.  I am starting to hoard food in my basement.  I was planning on collecting enough food to donate it to a local charity in my area or through my church.  This is one way I am able to give back in my own way.  I even got The Daughter into this by match the picture to the item in the aisle.  I hope to teach her math this way too. 

The receipt is as tall as The Daughter and it is folded in half.