Forged Out of Necessity: A Frustrated Wisconsinite, Organic Couponer

Extreme Couponing.  We have all heard of it - some watch in awe, others in horror.  For many, the horror was not the obsession or consumerism but the unhealthiness of the items the couponers were hoarding.  After adopting a primarily organic diet several years ago, I wrote off the option of extreme couponing and submitted to the insane prices of organic foods.  Recently, I became interested in saving more.  More on that later...

Browsing the coupon blogs, one glaring fact remained: the Madison, Wisconsin area is home to nearly NO national grocery chains.  Copp's is a member of the Roundy's family but anyone who is savings minded (and organically inclined) knows that Copp's is significantly more expensive with a smaller selection of items.  Pick N Save does have some blog coverage but it is not near me.

One of the turn offs of extreme couponing is the commitment.  Most people, myself included, do not want to drive to 4 stores a week to get the best deals.  Considering how few couponed items I use, it is simply not worth it, even if that electric toothbrush will end up costing me a measly $0.24, I don't need it. This is a lot of what extreme couponing means to most people: effort aside, savings are all that matter.  What about saving some energy?!

Then, there is the rationale that store credits a la Walgreen's make your item free.  It is free if you plan to spend more money at the store soon.  I am not knocking these because they do offer, in my opinion, the best deals in the Madison area on non-grocery items.  Still, when funds are tight, a sista wants cold, hard cash, am I right?!  Digressing, I cannot get in on the extreme couponing to the level these other superstars do.  Despite my moaning, I give them major props.  They are saving their families so much money and if they are donating goods,  I am even more impressed.

Looking for a way to incorporate the savings into my lifestyle has been a challenge.  I am not looking to score anything that's free just because it is free (although I do not mind sitting in the comfort of my chair and requesting free samples).  I want to save money on things my family eats and uses.  The catch is that our diet is primarily organic.

Instead of extending this monologue any further, I will delve further into other topics in separate posts.  I welcome any feedback and feel free to share your blog links in your comments.  Looking forward to connecting to you!

Image Credits: USDA Organic Logo - http://www.ams.usda.gov/images/tm/4colorsealgif.gif
Wisconsin Silhouette - http://www.sircon.com/state-information-center/images/sic-wisconsin.jpg