Debt Reduction 101

When I logged into my email this morning at the cab company, I had a couple of new kinds of messages to attract my attention.

A fellow frugalist and blogger tipped me off to a veritable gold mine for my beloved coupons – bidding on them at rock bottom prices on eBay. When I heard about this, I admit that I was intrigued, but I was also a little intimidated. How easy would it be to find these coupons? How time consuming would it be to bid on them? And the most important question – would I be getting my money’s worth or would I be getting a bunch of crap coupons for stuff that I don’t eat or use? And also – how can coupons stack up against my beloved generics?

But being the sporting champ that I am, I decided to give eBay a try, logged in and typed “coupon” into the site’s search engine. And presto! There amongst coupons for Kohl’s and Victoria’s Secret were sellers that promised “100 Coupons! Mix of Food and Other! Mostly Food!” So I jumped into the action on an item that had seven minutes left in the auction.

Have you ever bid for something on eBay? This was my first time and I didn’t know what to expect. Did I have to sit there and watch it like a hawk? (I now laugh because I’m bidding on pieces of paper and not something totally awesome, like a Wii.) Is $2.89 worth it for 100 coupons or am I going to curse my very existence when they come to my mailbox in a few days?

All told, I paid $2.89 for 100 coupons, mostly food and $1.55 for 10 Bisquick coupons that do not have an expiration date (Future Husband loves Bisquick.) I lost one bid for $1.54 – more food coupons.

I should be recieving my $2.89 order soon – I’ll let you all know how this great experiment turns out!