Today's Bargain

Determined to this year save money and live below budget, today I went grocery shopping armed with coupons and grocery lists for three different chains - just the specials please! Today's bargain was hamburger helper - six boxes for under $2.00! (99 cents a box, BOGO, plus $1.00 coupon off three.) Mi amour, hamburger helper.

Now I realize that I spent all day grocery shopping - the morning spent clipping and organizing coupons, scanning the online grocery ads, making lists for three different stores. Then making the trip to three stores, loading up the groceries, dragging them home and putting them away. Now, as I look at the full pantry shelves, I wonder what I'm stockpiling for. I mean, who really needs four boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, or six boxes of Hamburger Helper? In this lifetime? So what was today's shopping really all about?

I have a theory. Shopping for groceries (a legitimate need) would allow me to get started right away with saving money. You know, I'm like that. I want to do something, I want to do it NOW. So ridiculous as it is, I spent $100 so I could get started with saving money. Madness.