how it all began

A short while ago my life changed forever!  While hanging out with my wonderful family (husband and gorgeous dog and cat) I began thumbing thru channels and randomly came across the station TLC.  On the channel was a show called Extreme Couponing.  I watched the show and just became BLOWN AWAY by the things I saw.  That is the night that changed my life forever. People were going to the grocery store, loading their carts with hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of items - good items - name brand items!!! and walking up to the checkout and getting all the items for next to nothing.  That's right, nearly free.  Like $600 worth of items for $9 TOTAL!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was shocked.  Something within me sparked!

The next day I immediately began teaching myself about extreme couponing, reading different blogs on the subject, watching a few youtube videos of the people being featured on the show and even fb friending the guy I saw on the show, the one who ended up building a pyramid of cereal in his driveway, all of which he had couponed for next to nothing and was going to donate to the local charity. 

The first deal I came across that I could understand (it's a VERY confusing adventure when you're new) was to go to Rite Aid which was having a sale and it looked like this:

Rite Aid:
Special K $4.79-$4.99 BOGO
buy 2 and use B1G1 Special K (up to $4.49) coupon
as low as $0.15 each after coupon & BOGO sale

I went down to my local Rite Aid and went to the counter with 4 boxes and 2 coupons and 2 sweaty nervous hands and low and behold the deal worked. Not without a hitch, (video to post soon) but the cashier wasn't too hip to couponing and didn't understand the whole thing, she also kept trying to find a reason not to give me the deal (my coupon was printed on recycled paper etc etc) Finally she called the manager over and he quickly and UUUBER politely put through my deal and sent me on my way-sweating palms and all.  - hey this stuff is totally nervewracking!!! I just spent FIFTEEN CENTS a box for cereal holy wow!

All I can say is the rest is history. I WAS ELATED! I FELT LIKE I WAS PLAYING THE SUPERBOWL AND WINNING OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.  It was so strategic and well planned unlike my usual extremely unorganized and EXTREMELY frustrating jaunts to my local grocer.  I basically haven't slept since then, becoming more and more excited, the more deals I come across and the more I attempt to perfect my deals.  Here is where I'll write about them. 

Yes, I started this blog to write about my adventures AND because I couldn't find a blog that was dedicated to couponing in the Seattle city limits.  Go figure!  Are us Seattlelites too busy to coupon or too sophisticated??  I think NOT.  If you want to learn more about couponing I would highly suggest you check out thekrazycouponlady.com and also look for thekrazycouponlady on youtube if u learn visually like me.  She's from the TLC show Extreme Couponing and she's where I got my inspiration and knowledge.  She has a new book I just started reading:

Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey: Save Big Money & Make the Grocery Aisle your Catwalk!

I really love Krazy Coupon Lady's confidence and swagger that she has during couponing.  It too gives me confidence when I go to the store with a million coupons in my hand (not really that many but that's what others are thinking) I'm learning so much from her.  One thing she said that got me was coupons are MONEY--aint that the truth.