Confession # 10..... Extreme Couponing

I am sure by now you have heard something about extreme couponing. Suddenly made popular by the TLC TV show about coupon obsessed people willing to do most anything for fantastic savings or even free items at the grocery store. This show depicts a woman who digs through the dumpster to find coupons, another woman who spends 6 or more hours cruising her local grocery shop for deals before purchasing a single item, and several people who have made it their life mission to have the largest stockpile of toilet paper. After watching this show I was curious to see if I could make a dent in my grocery bill with some coupons this week. Now don't get me wrong the savings these people accomplish are amazing but I wonder if it is worth the time searching for the coupons ( let alone buying coupons online or digging in dumpsters) for what you actually save . I googled coupons for the items that were on my list, and only the items on my list. Sorry, but I don't need 30 bottles of hand lotion even if it is free, these things have expiration dates! I found 10 printable coupons and then checked the Publix ( my grocery store) weekly add for any BOGO's. They had my cat's food on a BOGO :) Total time invested in finding and printing coupons approx. 1 hour. Coupon savings $9.60 BOGO savings $ 7.60 Total savings $17.20. Not to shabby for things I was going to buy anyway. Tip.. check out your stores coupon policy ,some stores double and some will take competitors coupons !