Extreme Couponing lesson learned

I worked very hard to match my coupons with sales and had my sales flyers with the items for price matches circled.  There I was at Walmart, my shopping complete.  Three hours of price checking, comparing one ad against another, making sure that I hadn't missed a beat.  My cart was filled beyond capacity.  It is nearly midnight, I am exhausted and anxious.  Had all of my work been worth the effort.  My anxiety builds as I near the register.  I get to the only register with a light on.  I am greeted by the cashier, "Hurry up- It's shift change at midnight."  I tell her I have price matches and coupons and that perhaps I should just wait.  She is hurreling my items across the scanner and she snaps at me.  "No, hurry & we'll get you through!"  Oh my, how unpleasant.  I am doing my best to keep up with her and load all of the bagged items into a seperate cart.  By the time she is done she barks out my total, there are two other employees standing there with her.  I hand her my coupons and remind her that I also have price matches.  "Well, you should have told me that- we need to do those first."  Then they are going through my coupons.  "Next time put your Target coupons with your items also, we need them first, Target doesn't give us money for these."   So I did not get my price matches and therefore I got out of there only saving $9.00.  I was unhappy.  I sat in my car replaying what just happened.  The next morning Kevin asks me how it went.  I told him what happened and he wasn't very happy with the situation either.  I am letting you all know this so that those of you who are going to give this a try will not have to endure this kind of scolding.  Now I need to figure out a strategy to load my cart with price match items at the top or seperate cart, or even a seperate trip.  Some people may be discouraged by this negative outcome.  I am letting it fuel my fire.  I am going to save money, they advertise that they will do price matching so, guess what, next time I will be prepared and they will price match and take every coupon I can find.  Watch out cranky cashier, I will be back, I will be ready for you...will you be ready for me?  This is going to be a better experience next week.

50 Shades of Grey and a bit of extreme couponing

I couldn't take it any more.  Everyone is talking about "50 Shades of Grey".  I bought the first book.  Oh my is it ever naughty.  I finished the first one and found myself totally obsessed with finding out what happens next.  Yep- I too found myself unable to leave the store without book number 2 "50 Shades Darker".  I was sort of...no, I was very embarassed to be buying the second one.  Just tucked it under the fruit snacks at the bottom of my cart.  Is it legal for this to be sold at Walmart?   I have a million things to do and yet I need to know what will happen with Anastasia and Christian. 

The coupon binder is nearly complete.  I purchased a 3 ring binder that has a zipper so all of my goodies don't fall out.  I purchased tab pages to keep the coupons in order by isle at the grocery store.  I purchased baseball card organizer pages and have placed most of the coupons in their places.  I have store flyers tucked away for price matches at Walmart.  I have a pocket for my scissors and pen.  I even put my notebook in there so that my shopping list would be sure to make it to the store with me.-  I have cut coupons from  6 Sunday papers and the Target website.  I would have had more from the Red Plum and Smart Source websites however I ran out of ink in my printer.  I have one concern- how much money did I just spend to save money more efficiently?  I spent $34.08.  We shall see what I save. 

Stay at home mom wants income.

I love to be home with my kids.  I have been a stay at home mom for over a year now and I really do like it.  It has been a very hard transition for me, I am still not comfortable with having no money of my very own.  So, I have done a lot of thinking, reading and talking to people about ways a stay at home mom can make some money. 

First, I decided to take a couple of kids one day a week.  The kids are very close in age to my kids and they are very good.  So, not only do I make a little money of my own, but it also gives my kids something to look forward to.

The second thing I do is I work very part time at a local ski & snowboard resort.  I have to work around my husbands crazy work schedule.  He works very long hours in the Spring and Fall.  So it works well for me to work evenings and weekends in the Winter and Summer.  It may seem obvious that in the winter a ski & snowboard resort would be busy, but summer?  Yes, we cater weddings and other events.  It has turned out to be an excellent fit for our simple life.

Third, I have been making a few items to sell at craft fairs, etsy and have a website in the works.  I have been making baby shoes, play blankets, tutu's and bags.  I just recently partnered up with a local embroidery shop so that I can offer custom embroidery on my bags.  Sweet huh?  I purchased a business name.  I will be doing business under the name "B.H. Grace Designs".   I am nervous and yet oh so excited to get this company off the ground. 

Fourth- Who knew?  My husband had me order some books.  I have read through the small Extreme Coupons, and Free Stuff books.  After reading them, I ran to the gas station and bought 4 Sunday papers.  I clipped coupons until I fell asleep covered in news papers.  I went to Target.com and started printing out their coupons and then I ran out of ink.  Ofcourse I ran out of ink.  This is the kind of stumbling block that I have come to expect.  Everytime I get all excited about something and I take off like a motived runner- I always get tripped up by something.  It may have made me slow down this time, but I will buy more ink today.  I am even thinking about making myself the three ring binder with baseball card holders organizer for the coupons.  That would be so smart.  As a result of reading those books  I have also signed up to get paid for taking surveys.  We shall see how it goes.

It may seem like a lot of effort to make a few dollars.  To me, having my own money gives me some feeling of independence and self worth.  I am a grown woman and I don't want to have to ask my husband for money.