MICKI BARE Advertisement

Coupons and weekly specials are for people like my grandmother. Right?

If you're on a fixed income, you watch your pennies and scrimp and save to make ends meet. But for those of us busily twirling on the spokes of the rat race, picking up what we need at the grocery store when we need it works just fine.

That is what I used to think. But lately, I've been having flashbacks. The recesses of my conservative mind have been conjuring up images of my mother with the weekly sale papers, mapping out her shopping expedition. When my parents were busy working and raising kids, Mom cut corners everywhere, especially when it came to groceries.

We went to one store for buy-one, get-one-free deals, and then we hit another store and stocked up on triple coupon items. Next we'd hit the butcher for bulk meats. It seemed like an all-day ordeal. But Mom fed a family of five for next to nothing.

She was great at working the specials. But that's as far as my memory takes me. I never really caught on to how she was able to save so much. I was more interested in picking out the chocolate bar for which I planned to beg once we arrived at the checkout. I also spent a lot of time flipping through issues of Tiger Beat. I had a huge crush on Leif Garrett.

Now that Mom and Dad are retired and on a "fixed" income, they buy what they want and need without worrying so much about specials or coupons. Sure, they make the occasional bulk-meat-on-special purchase but usually that's when they know Hubby, the boys and I are on our way for a visit.

I now know that if we are not careful, we could easily spend all of our income on food for a family of five. I now know that the art of matching manufacturers' coupons with store coupons and weekly specials is a craft honed by parents raising a family. I actually look forward to the day Hubby and I are on a fixed income and can just buy whatever, whenever.

Meanwhile, I've assumed an apprenticeship with a good friend of mine. She and her hubby have a family of seven. Her three oldest boys are grown and living on their own, but she hosts many a family gathering frequented by her boys, a daughter-in-law, a soon-to-be-daughter-in-law, and many friends and relatives.

She always has plenty of food and other provisions. And she gets it all dirt cheap without patronizing discount warehouse stores. She never pays more than 50 cents for a box of cereal. She gets many items for next to nothing after applying coupons to specials.

I've been asking questions and doing my research. My goal is to keep two teenagers and their younger brother well fed while still being able to afford electricity and telephone service. I wouldn't mind putting a bit more aside for college, either. My friend assures me it can be done. She is living proof.

I started out with two coupon circulars and the grocery store sale pages. None of the coupons matched the specials, but my mentor told me to be patient. Save the coupons. Before the expiration dates, there would be a special for which I could use the coupons for extra savings.

I filed my coupons, circled the buy-one, get-one-free specials that our household could use, and headed out to save some money. At the first store, I spent $16 and saved, according to my receipt, more than $15. My trunk was filled with toilet paper, paper towels, and various groceries. I was thrilled.

At the next store, I spent about $40 and saved nearly $35. When I returned home, I transferred to our chest freezer enough meats, cold cuts and shrimp to last for months. The toilet paper and paper towels were stacked in the hallway.

That's when I realized I'd have to do some rearranging. Closets and cabinets needed to be cleaned out and reorganized if I was going to stockpile my bargains.

My friend and mentor is quite pleased with my progress. I've already saved quite a bit, and we have more food in the house than normal. I can't imagine what I'll be able to save when I begin matching my growing collection of coupons to weekly specials.

Hubby and I might be able to pay the electric bill after all. We're growing confident that we'll be able to send three kids to college even if they don't get full sports scholarships.

<i>Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is <a href="mailto:mickibare@earthlink.net">mickibare@earthlink.net</a>.</i>