The Real Beauty of Couponing

Most stores will let you use 1 store coupon (only good at a certain store) and 1 manufacturer's coupon (good at any store) per item. What does this mean to you and me?

This week at IGA, selected General Mills cereals are 4/$10, Nature Valley Granola, Caribou, Milk'n Cereal, Fiber One Bars and Fiber One Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix are 2/$5. They are all $2.50 each.

There is a store coupon for $4.00 off any 10 participating General Mills products in the IGA ad. So, my price on 10 of those items just went from $25.00 to $21.00.

After checking my coupon stash, I find I have coupons for granola bars, muffins and cereal, totaling $4.60, bringing the price to $16.40, or $1.64 each.

There are also 2 other store coupons in the ad that I can make work in this deal: A free box of Nature Valley Granola Bars when you buy 2 boxes of MultiGrain Cheerios (for which I have manufacturer's coupons) and one for a free box of Banana Nut Cheerios when you buy any 3 General Mills cereal (I also have manufacturer's coupons for these).

This gets me 12 products for $16.40, or $1.37 each. Not too shabby considering regular prices on some of those items (at IGA, anyway) is over $3 and change.

We still have cereal stockpiled from earlier this fall and the muffins don't really appeal to me, but I'm going to buy them anyway. They're cheap and the local food pantry is desparately seeking supplies.

That's the REAL beauty of couponing:

YOU might not enjoy EATING some food items you find good deals on, but you CAN enjoy GIVING them away. Those who are hungry will enjoy then even more!

Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."