Couponia

What is it about reality television that attracts us the way a light bulb on a summer porch attracts mosquitoes? I am not one who enjoys the suffering of others, by nature I guide the remote to the home and garden networks but last week I was drawn to a reality show called “Strange Addictions”. I soon got into a facebook conversation with some friends about the show.

One lady had an addiction to powdered cleaners…”Comet” was her drug of choice. I couldn’t imagine anything less appealing than eating a cleaner right there in front of her freshly scrubbed sink but she did it. One of my facebook friends quipped, “It was all fun and games until she had to have all her teeth pulled due to the rotting away of tooth enamel by harsh detergent”. What would possess a person to do this? I was not adequately grossed out yet

The next lady ate TOILET PAPER!!! Yes sir! Up to a roll a day! I started to get nauseous. The next lady took the cake for sure, she ate….are you ready for this? Couch cushions!!! Now, I want to know what would make her TASTE a couch cushion in the first place. I vacuum them occasionally and there has never been anything I’ve even found in mine I’d like to pop in my mouth much less taste the cushion itself., but there she was pulling pieces off and swallowing as if they were cotton candy (now cotton candy…that’s an addiction I could wrap my brain around). What is wrong with these people?!!

Finally, they came to a somewhat sane person. A coupon addict. Now, I liked her. She was not really an addict but thankfully they included her because I was going to have to move on to some other channel. Although she did exhibit some addictive tendencies, she was at least doing something constructive! She saved tons of money at every grocery visit. I got excited about this.

My friend Ellen is a coupon queen. She is a retired teacher and is just really good at finding bargains. She has another friend, Lynn who spurs her on. They two of them can be seen on any given day going to particular grocery stores for super deals. My cereal cabinet has been completely stocked on numerous occasions due to Ellen’s skills and a buck or two. Ellen also keeps us stocked with toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, shampoo and such. She is a giver by nature. This is what separates the smart girls from the addicts. The addicts hoard their stuff, the people doing this for the fun of it, share. That’s my theory anyway. One of the people I saw featured on the show provided food for his church’s food closet. That would be the addiction to have. I can see him now, showing up at church with a truck load of non perishables banging on the door, begging them to open up after hours because he has to have his “give fix“. He is able to do this by collecting coupons and using them at stores that double and have sales running simultaneously.

I have another friend Candi, who makes a business out of bargain shopping for others. She saves people incredible amounts of money and makes a little for herself in the process. She knows the “ropes” too.

I am learning what I can from Ellen. I would really like to get good at this game, stock a few pantries, have my menu planned a month in advance. Who knows, I may even be featured on a reality program someday.