Have I mentioned that I’m cheap? Well, I don’t want to say "cheap" because I truly believe that you get what you pay for. I don’t like spending money – (okay, that’s better!).
I don’t have grocery coupons down to a science like the Economides Family, and honestly never really understood them, but on Sundays I look through the ads of the Sunday paper circular. I don’t really know why I look through the coupons, the stores don’t supply coupons for the foods that I buy. Maybe it’s a curiosity of "What new and evil processed food have manufacturers dreamed up now? And how are they marketing it as ‘not so bad’ to unsuspecting consumers?"
Next time you look at any food advertising that you get in the mail, or along with a paper, notice the types of products that they’re advertising. All coupons are for processed foods: microwaveable meals, ready-to-eat meals in a can or jar, cereals, bars, candy, ice-cream, processed meats, etc. Stores may feature specials on "whole foods" like milk, chicken, beef, beans, fruit & vegetables, but there are no coupons for natural foods. I guess that makes sense because the coupons in the paper are "manufacturer’s coupons", and the only manufacturer for natural, whole foods are either God, or the food’s mother.
So I was shocked when I was at the grocery store yesterday & the cashier handed me a wad of check-out coupons. I never really noticed that I didn’t get coupons at the checkout. I didn’t think about it because it never really happened. I might get one for toilet paper or paper towels or some sort of non-food consumable – but I’ve NEVER gotten more than one!
Looking at my groceries on the belt, I wondered to myself, "What the heck did I buy that produced 2 feet of coupons?" I had purchased Fiber One cereal (15 grams of fiber in 1/2 cup!), so I got coupons for other General Mills cereals, but for some reason, I also received coupons for microwaveable soup?!? Eh- maybe that was from the person in front of me? What’s most interesting though, is that I bought coffee & as a result received coupons for Central Market brand Organic Milk. Ah! A cross-sell. Nicely done HEB!
So, if you want to know how well you’re eating, just take a look at your coupons when checking out at the grocery store. The less you receive, the better you’re doing.