Clipping Away

There are three types of people in this world.

Those who clip coupons and use them to save lots of money. Those who don't bother.

And folks like me, who clip coupons with the best of intentions, sort them by type of product, and put them in a special wallet in my purse. Then forget they are there until after I've done my shopping, vow I will use them next time, and three months after they expire, throw them away.

I am also guilty of going shopping without first checking the stack of coupon flyers Mr. Ginley sets aside for me from the Sunday newspaper. Later, after I have bought multiples of razors or vitamins, I will discover that I could have saved $2.00 on each of those products, if only I were better organized.

It's not that I never use coupons. I will remember, for example, to use the 25-cent coupon for the toilet paper that cost me $13.99. And when we go to fast food places, I frustrate Mr. Ginley by digging through my purse, insisting we could get two sandwiches for the price of  one, if only I was able to find the right coupon, and it wasn't expired, and if the coupon was for the kind of sandwich we had a taste for that day.

There are those who would suggest that I use my smart phone to pull up paperless coupons and emails that promise savings. But technology isn't all that. I have discovered that many times, the screen isn't scan-able or that my phone doesn't have enough oomph to access the internet at the critical time. Or the coupon excludes the one thing I am buying. So, I wind up shame-faced, with a frustrated cashier and a line of angry shoppers behind me.

I'm pretty sure that if I applied myself, I could be the wizard that my mom was. Back in the day, she collected both green stamps and Top Value stamps, pasted them into books, and bought rockin' stuff with them. She used her coupons faithfully. She was a smart shopper.

Alas, this apple does fall far from the tree. I do my best to buy stuff when it's on sale, but I'm no bargain hunter. I'm sure if I spent the time and energy, I, too, could acquire the "smart shopper" moniker.

Maybe someday.

For now, I suspect there are expired coupons in my wallet, waiting to be recycled into more coupons for me to clip and discard.

Just another part of the re-cycle of life.