Wanted: Home for Misfit Coupons

I had a little bit of anxiety today.

“What kind of anxiety?” you ask.

Coupon anxiety.

I don’t know exactly when it was during my pregnancy, but at some point I started clipping coupons: for diapers, nursery water, bath products, diaper rash ointments, portrait sittings… you name it, I clipped it. Please tell me I’m not the only mom who jumped on the coupon wagon during pregnancy! I was surprised that I collected formula coupons as well because I was so adamant about breastfeeding. In the back of my head, though, I was scared I wouldn’t be able to breastfeed properly, and then I’d need all those wasted coupons! Fortunately, LC is still breastfeeding at 5 months and doing GREAT!

I mainly concentrated on collecting diaper coupons: Huggies, Pampers, Luvs, Up & Up (Target brand)… they were all clipped and filed into my accordion coupon organizer I bought. I knew at some point I planned to switch to cloth diapers, but since I didn’t know when that would be (and I didn’t know how many diapers babies go through daily/weekly/monthly), I hoarded every coupon I could get my greedy little hands on.

I was at Target today returning a few items LC won’t be able to wear (she’s getting SO big). While I was waiting in line, I looked through my coupon file. There in front was my stash of diaper coupons looking forlornly at me. The first one screamed, “$3.00 off… you’d be an IDIOT to waste me!” It was right… $3.00 off in Coupon World IS a bargain! I bit my lip and began looking through them to see which ones had expired as I mentally added a trip down the diaper aisle to my shopping list.

Then I stopped—and smiled—and breathed a huge sigh of relief! I don’t NEED those diaper coupons anymore… I use cloth now! Who needs coupons when I’m saving more than $1,000 over the course of LC’s diapering months? And while I’m at it, let’s clear out the diaper rash ointment ones, too… LC’s butt isn’t red anymore because her cloth dipes allow air to flow freely!

My #1 “fluff” supplier Everything Birth regularly offers discounts on my favorite cloth diapers and accessories. I buy in confidence knowing I’m getting a great deal: saving $$, my daughter’s skin, AND the environment. Show me a coupon that can do all that! 🙂

~Jamie Lynn Kohut