Check It Out

Clip job

A friend and her family were visiting from out of town over the weekend when somehow the topic went from how "energetic" (sugar-crazed) all the kids (four) were in our cozy (700 square feet) abode, to coupons.

Coupons?

With nary a segue.

Us: Hey, look! The kids are scrumming with the Hepplewhite!

Her: So, do you clip coupons?

From the remarkable destructive capacity of children to 50 cents off your next purchase of Cap'n Crunch.

"So? Do you?" she repeated as she scooped up the Sunday paper and sorted the wheat from the chaff. (Her version of wheat and chaff.)

"Here's how it works," she began, bypassing the proselytizing and going right to the practicum.

"Every Sunday I sort the coupons. Some of this stuff is junk." Into the junk pile she tossed a half-off coupon for flip-flops.

"Hey!" we protested.

She then described a Byzantine filing system involving envelopes and a plastic bin.

"On short trips, I just take the envelopes," she explained. "On big shopping excursions, I take the box."

The box, she went on, was organized not only by product, but by aisle at her local Harris Teeter. "'Course, when I go to the Bi-Lo, that's a problem. When I go to the Bi-Lo ..."

Our eyes glazed, our mind went adrift ... two-for-one ... good Wednesday from 1 to 3 only ... coupon for Grey Poupon ...

"So," she barked, interrupting our drift, "whaddya think? Ya ready?"

We didn't know what to think, frankly. On the one hand, she was saving as much as 50 percent. On the other, her coupon obsessions was cultlike.

We need guidance, people. Those of you who clip or have clipped: Is it worth it? Is your sanity a fair price for saving 25 cents on butterscotch morsels?

Write, and soon. Sunday is two days away.