The Importance of Coupon Shopping

We all should be aware of the importance of coupon shopping. After all, with wise use of those sciccors-clipped ducats, the head of a large family can save as much as $50 in a single weekly trip to the supermarket. That's the equivalent of 33,333 page views on AC!

Many AC Producers have written not only about coupon economizing, but about other thrifty ideas. I have yet to see a writeup on forming soap slivers into little balls, but it's probably on here somewhere.

Therefore, Dee and me thought you may find some amusement in our little experience -- or should we say, counter-experience -- with today's attempt at coupon thrift.

Since Dee had worked so hard all week, as head cook at a nursing home, she was entitled to a treat. I offered a Totino's Combination Pizza, fresh from our own oven, but Dee needed more. Dee has higher sights, higher expectations, even though this particular Totino's had been purchased on sale for 99 cents and is billed as "America's Favorite Frozen Pizza." (This Totino's declaration, perhaps more than anything, may best reflect the horrible state of the U.S. economy. People can't even afford Tombstone or DiGiorno's or Red Baron any more.)

At any rate, Dee reacted as though I had purchased her wedding ring from a 25-cent machine at the local Kroger. She didn't want a Totino's, in which the cardboard box can be confused with the cardboard crust. She wanted the gold standard of pizza takeout, Papa John's, although I still can't figure out why "Papa" John looks like he's about 19 years old.

Back to the coupons. We had some from Papa's in the drawer, given that Papa's always give you new coupons when you use an old one. We leaped for "large, 5 toppings 'only' $12.99. Dee, still wearing the pants in the family -- in fact, her khaki work pants -- made the choices. She selected pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage (in honor of Alyce Rocco), onions, peppers, and Papa's special baby portabella mushrooms. (Who would want baby mushrooms? Wouldn't we want big mushrooms? Oh well.)