A Couponing Career
I am in my mid thirties, married to a self-employed electrician and mother to two little boys (nine and six years old). I am also a secretary to the principal at a private school about 40 miles away from my home. Five days a week, I have to be out of the house and in the car an hour before my children are ready to leave for school. With Gary (my husband) working longer hours, we are probably going to have to give our sons keys to the house since neither of us will be back when they get home from school. I have huge misgivings about that. I have imagined all kinds of hair-raising scenarios about what could go wrong for the 90 minutes they will be alone in the house.
Like millions of people, I do not enjoy my job. In the mornings, I always worry about traffic, the car stalling and making it to work on time. At the end of the day, I drive home as fast as I safely can. In between, I am as bored as a board.
Three weeks ago, I woke up with new resolve. As I drove to work, a little slower than usual, my crazy idea was taking hold of me. I sat at my desk, waiting. When the principal arrived, I let him walk into his office, gave him a minute to take off his coat, and walked in after him. I asked for three weeks of unpaid leave. I believe I would have quit if he had not agreed, but he did.
At dinner, I tried to sound confident as I told Gary not to worry, that I had a plan. As soon as the dishes were done, I sat down at the family computer. I had heard so much about online coupons and that night I learnt so much more.
The next morning, I put my boys on the school bus, went back into the house and started to work. Online grocery coupons, online coupon trading, determination and a great deal of organization and planning did pay off. Our grocery bill that first week was about the same as it always had been – but I was able to buy so much more of everything.
For my second week without work, I managed to cut our grocery spending by about 25%, just by using the coupons I had found online. My family was eating the same food, and I was also slowly stocking up on coffee and detergent (both on sale that week). I bought large quantities of those two items, paying very little, because I had planned for the sale. I had joined an online coupon trading group where people were happy to trade coffee and detergent coupons for the baby formula and diaper coupons I didn’t need.
The week after that, I almost doubled the savings. I gave the boys their breakfast cereal in bowls instead of bringing the box to the table. I had printed an online coupon for the store label cereal and used it. The children did not notice it wasn’t their brand name favorite. They gobbled it all up. We paid 45% less for grocery and household supplies that week – and I knew I could do better, over time.
Towards the end of the three weeks, I called the school and said I would need another week off. I have no idea why, but they agreed. You see, to get the most out of this ‘couponing career’, you need to have more time than money. That’s the situation I had put myself in, and I was doing very well.
After the boys and Gary left the house, I took a cup of coffee and a pile of magazines (to check for coupons before they expired) to bed and started planning my day. I would spend another hour or so ‘working’ in bed. Then I would go down to the computer in the living room, look for and print one or two online grocery coupons that I needed and check the coupon trading forums I had joined.
After lunch, I planned to visit three stores and my usual supermarket. Two of the stores had sales – an excellent deal on Gary’s favorite soda drink, and a rock bottom price sale on canned tomato sauce, both non-perishables that I would buy in quantity. I had collected several online coupons that were only valid at the third store, and was going to use them to buy my favorite shampoo, paper towels and dog food. At the supermarket, I planned to buy more store brand breakfast cereal and frozen vegetables.
I smiled to myself. I could drive to all the stores in town and I would still be spending less on gas than I used to when I drove to and from work every day. My couponing career was only starting. Tonight, I would explain to Gary that by working part time instead of full time, I could make more money. If he asks me to, I will even promise not to get addicted to couponing!