Playing the Couponing Game

I look at couponing as a multi-league game of sorts.

First, you have the people who could honestly care less about the sport. They would be the people who buy what they want, when they want it and are completely satisfied with that. They may know that better deals are to be had, but write it off as not worth the time needed, or just plain don't care.

Second, you have the cheerleaders/fans who don't play, but appreciate the game and/or the players and what they do. They commend the performance, but don't participate themselves.

Then you have the junior league. They participate, but at the lowest level. These are people who might shop the sales of the store they already frequent. They may go to Wal-Mart every week and choose the off-brand juice instead of the name-brand juice because that's what's cheaper. Therefore, they save a little bit.

Next is the high school league, which is a great level in and of itself. This would be those who clip coupons each week, and use them on things that they are already getting. They may also pay attention to the sales and buy based on that; not just buying what they want, but using coupons also.

The next level would be a semi-professional league. These are people who have a pretty good understanding of the game. They will shop the ads, possibly going to multiple stores for the best bargains, matching coupons to maximize savings, buying when the prices are low and doing some amount of stocking up. They know the coupons, have a good idea of what a good 'buy price' is for most of the items they get, and relish the deal.

Finally, we have the professional league, the big-timers, the hard-core couponers. These are the people who have a very good understanding of loss leaders, rotating sales, coupon stacking and doubling, stockpiling, utilizing overage, etc. They know the game inside and out, and play it like a pro.

This is how I see the 'game' of couponing. A few of my friends like to say that I'm one of the hard-core ones, the professionals, but I am NOT! Usually, I'm about at the semi-pro league. I have been at most of these levels though, at different times in my life. From not caring to 'waste' my time, to spending hours sitting at a computer with stacks of circulars, piles of coupons, an over-used printer, and about 20 internet tabs open for comparison, I've pretty much run the gammut.

Right now, I try to shoot for a semi-professional league status. Different stages of pregnancy/motherhood have forced me to drop my ranking for a period of time, but those don't last forever. The times when I am able to dabble at the professional league usually level out the times when I have to sit on the bench in the minors, but the important thing is that I continue to weigh the benefits of my participation at any level.

Is it worth saving $20 a week to stay in the semi-professional league, when most of my day is spent laying on the bathroom floor? No. Is it worth dragging my kids all over town every day to score a few extra deals? No. Is it worth putting my un-born baby at risk of being born a premie (I'm on bedrest) so that I can make a few extra bucks at Walgreens or score some free chapstick? Definately NO!

Couponing is a game that I have really come to love. I relish the thrill of a great deal and it gives me great satisfaction to know that I am financially contributing in some way to my family.

But at the end of the day... it's just a game.