Coupons and Foreign Currency

For the past several months Jessica has been "couponing."  This means she'll spend a lot of time reviewing websites for super deals, finding coupons, and then using those coupons to obtain mega savings (like 75 to 90% savings).  At times she'll ask me to take some coupons and purchase some groceries.  I know she does this with hesitancy for the same reason we don't give Easton a cup full of Chuckie Cheese tokens at one time -- I'm bound to do something wrong and miss the who purpose of the deal I was to be buying.

Several weeks ago I was asked to purchase about 10 boxes of Special K Fruit Crisps with enough coupons and $5 gift cards, that basically made this purchase free.  I hesitate looking at coupons because I understand them as well as understanding foreign currency - not at all. 

I was given the instructions ahead of time to just give the cashier the coupons and the gift card and I would receive an additional $5 gift card from the cashier and I would only pay around $3.  I followed the instructions to the T but ended up paying around $7-8.  I left the store and called Jess and told her about it.  She said I needed to turn around and go back to the store and request to see the coupons as I had given her enough to where I would have only paid $3.  Believe me when I say she knows because she does her research (a sign of a great couponer).  I returned and spoke with the cashier and sure enough some of the Target coupons did not scan.  The cashier was really nice and gave me $4-5 in cash.

In the words of my wonderful wife: "That $5 will feed our family a full course dinner."  And that is definately the truth with couponing.