Alas, there were no jars of Ragu Old World Style traditional left. Only a sad little cardboard box that had once contained them sat on a shelf, touched only by those hoping the jars themselves would reappear out of thin air. One particular grocery was having one helluva sale on Ragu this past weekend, and the masses flocked. By the time this wench arrived there on Sunday afternoon, the pasta isle had been pillaged. If I had seen an empty Viking hat left rocking to and fro in the isle, I would not have been the least bit surprised (and no, that is NOT a picture of Sarah Palin post election, sans beauty handlers).
Elsewhere in the store, people were slinging cartons of Land O' Lakes salted butter across their backs. Area sages well versed in the ways of the bargain had already made off with all of the dried sage from the spice section.
To be sure, it was a big weekend of pre-Thanksgiving food sales, and people responded with high spirited vigor, arriving by chariot to save a buck or two on their upcoming feasts.
This was a new thing for me. In my twenties I had no desire to clip coupons or look for any particular sales. Nor did I have the cabinet space to buy five or 10 of this and that, or so I thought. And so I went about in all my ignorance, buying taco seasoning and light bulbs whenever I damn well felt like it.
But this past weekend I changed. For perhaps the first time ever, I clipped coupons, noted sale items, and bought accordingly. I'm sure it had something to do with the combination of factors involving the fact that I'm married, have more cabinet space and that the economy sucks. My favorite Ragu sauce had fled the scene since the store was having its own sale on it, but I settled for two jars of mushroom and saved 50 cents. I also got a lithium battery for our old school film camera and saved 75 cents with a coupon. Not to be outdone, the spouse did the math and noted turky could be had at a better price at another store.
Now I can better appreciate the scene in 'Mr. Mom,' where Michael Keaton, playing the stay-at-home-dad, is hosting a poker party whereby coupons are being used in lieu of actual money.
And so, now that this ship has been launched, I'm wondering if there are better ways to row. I entreat you, Coupon Warriors, to offer advice on where to seek out these valuable pieces of paper that save us money. For instance, are online coupons worth the annoying effort or do they do nothing but tar and feather, (i.e. bog down and crash) your computer?
In this time of economic strife, and as the dreaded holidays commence, I think we could all use some advice that will help ye olde pocketbook. Here is mine: compare and contrast per pound prices on gobblers before you venture out to pluck one from the flock in the freezer.
Recent Comments