I pay myself in coupons

It seems these days my second job is coupon cutting. It consumes most of my weekends and a huge amount of my email inbox... I started this in earnest at the start of 2010. Each week I scan the Sunday paper coupon section and cut away. I subscribe to several listservs that distribute coupon tips. It is a pain, and just the kind of anal-retentive, attention to detail job that is totally unatural for me.

However... now that we have reached the end of January and I look back at my month, I am thrilled to see that including coupons, on-line deals, groupon and in store savings I have saved a total of $155.00 for the month. Whoopee!!!

Yesterday I took the whole thing to a new level when I created a spread sheet for our trip to the grocery store:


But, despite my nerdyness, or perhaps because of it, the trip was a total success. The shopping process was much easier because I had everything listed on the sheet by section of the store and we could just look and see what deals we had when we got to each section. It was faster than other trips. And, amazingly, we got a ton of stuff and saved $60. Eliot was pleased to review the recipt:


Now, clearly we cannot shop like this all the time. But I have found, by reading the words of several southern housewives who apparently do nothing but look for savings, that one key element to the whole couponing thing is to stock up. Thus, Dan and I created a new "pantry" of sorts for back up. He kept saying he felt like a mormon doing this, a reference that is lost on me. I have the smallest feeling like I am living someone elses life. Like a southern housewife. At least there seems to be money it in :)

because I need one more thing to update....

I've begun posting some of my better recipes in a blog so I can easily pass them along. Thought you guys might be interested... Zum Yums. Bon Apetite 

RSS?

Ok... perhaps because she is grumpy that Hannah and I are only smart enough to post on Blogger, an evidently infantile blog site, Emma assigned me the task of hooking up the RSS feed. I am currently making a spread sheet of coupons and have a crabby teen waiting for the grocery trip, but I think to myself... "hey, you have a masters degree... you can do this quick." Not so. Perhaps even Blogger is too much... maybe I should just write my thoughts on napkins and post them around in random bathrooms???

E-N-C-Y-C-L-O-P-E-D-I-A

Am I the only one who mom used this one on? She sang the whole thing to me. One of the more memorable performances by Sue. I mean, it was no Reenactment of A Zit but I was a classic moment. To this day I find myself humming this one when I'm stressed or working out.

Quick allo

I'm totes the one in the middle. 

ROAD TRIP!!!

I am sitting at my desk, "Binging" (the new Google) images of Flathead Lake and remembering Montana road trips, their corresponding soundtracks and millions of random moments. (i.e. dragging the mattress out on the deck at the Jackson's cabin, obsessing over those red and black gummy berries at Electric Ave Gifts, feeding hay to the Clayton's horse, singing "Tis a Gift to be Simple" on the water bed in Bobs basement....Emma).  I'm not even thinking of stories, just moments and songs. Anyway, I'm having a blast doing it and would like to hear the moments and songs that come to your minds.

off the ground

What are those Z girls up to?