We have a winner! Memorial Day Challenge...

I make my list from ads galore,
before I ever head out the door.

Kroger, BJs, Target, Teeter,
I can't decide which deals are sweeter.

Oh why not? I'll just hit them all,
because my stockpile is getting small.

Clip the coupons, grab my key,
you had me at "but one get one free."

Jennifer Harwell
Raleigh, North Carolina

Sue, the following poems (done in limerick style) are tributes to my two favorite penny-pinchers - my wife and my mother. In fact, my wife, Amy, posted her own poem earlier in this thread.

There once was a girl from Cak'lacky
Who toiled as a marketing lackey
She once loved Kate Spade
But she's not getting paid
So now she finds Wal-Mart less tacky.

There once was a grandma from Sunshine
Who could squeeze a dollar from a dime
She washed Ziploc bags
Always compared price tages
Bargain shopping's her favorite pastime.

Bruce Buchanan
Greensboro

Saving Money this Weekend & Beyond

My daughter called my cell phone to say,
“Mom, don’t miss the best deals of the week,
Go soon to Harris Teeter, Kroger and Target.”
So I’m off on this mission as we speak.

Using coupons is a great way to save,
Double them, triple them with all the sales,
Rush to one store and on to the next,
So much trouble for all it entails!

My heart is pumping; I’m rearing to go,
I head for one store while thinking ahead,
Hope others have great sales using coupons too,
My brain’s a blur but I’m feeling lead!

Oh, my…now how can this be?
My gas tank is empty with coupons to spare,
I wracked my brain for a gas saving route,
To be sure next time I’ll be more aware!

Going crazy saving money,
Too many stores, can’t get behind,
But with money saved in this economy,
Will keep me from losing my last dime!

Stephanie Faulkner… Durham

I heard about the triple coupons at my local Harris Teeter.
Saving so much money, few things could be sweeter!
But first I’ve got to use up my condiment stockpile and make room.
How much mustard in a week do you think it’s healthy to consume?

My husband throws some brats on the grill grates
And he asks what else we have to add to our plates.
With triple coupons soon approaching, I think twice,
Before I exclaim, “Tonight we eat 10 pounds of rice!”

Later that night, we both need a snack,
But there’s only so much rice in one day a person can hack.
So we look to the overflowing shelf we’ve accrued
Of countless different forms of snack food.

Although my husband teased me about them thinking they’d go to waste,
After all this eating, its a good thing we had 50 tubes of tooth paste.
A staycation is a great way to clear up some free space
So all the triple coupon items I get next week have a place.

Sonya Miles Kilian, Raleigh NC

Memorial Day Savings

This weekend we swap,
Those coupons we see,
To maximize savings,
Like juice for Cheese.

“The savings are worth it”
As the saying goes,
So I’ve spread the word,
‘til EVERONE knows!

Coupon swaps are best,
With friends and family,
And good neighbors,
Enjoying all our glee.

Every coupon cut,
Brings us together
Snipping and laughing,
And swapping forever!

-Rachel Faulkner, Morrisville

Wine tags and peelies
And rebates & flyers
Coupons that double to help aid the buyers
Blogs and bogos help when the register rings
These are a few of my favorite things

Buns with our hot dogs
Ketchup with our steak
Relish so yummy as we eat by the lake
Brown paper bags with recycled strings
These are a few of my favorite things

When the sales start
When the triples come
That’s when I’m feeling fine
I know I’ve paid less for all and
The overstock is really mine!

Sales on this week-end really do abound
(Wish there were coupons on Sunday to be found)
Clipping and sorting and filing to pay
Even less on triples- next week- each day

Happy Memorial Day!

Arline Cutler Fuquay- Varina

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

When my family decided to head to the beach

I thought our budget might be in trouble

Would my couponing skills be out of reach?

But problem solved!

There's a Lowe's Foods here and they double!

Jill Osborne in Raleigh

Some Q Haiku:

Triple Coupon Day
Binder must be organized
More free rice for me

CVS BOGO
Paid for with last ECB
Could not roll today

Shampoo, razors lost
No more stacking at Walgreens
Easysaver gone

A take on the Star Spangled Banner:

O! Say can you see by the dawn’s early light
Sunday’s paper at my curb, with coupons inserts is waiting
Whose SmartSource and RedPlum hold deals for my sight
I can’t wait to see what they hold – my breath is baiting
And my scissors are sharp, my fingers are ready
To cut and file – yay my Q’s are all here
O! Say do those coupons save me some money
At HT and Lowe’s – yummy food for my tummy

(Amanda Cross, Raleigh)

Here's mine:

It’s been a great month,
We’ve used coupons galore.
Now the pantry is packed,
We can’t buy one thing more.
As the weekend begins, I turn to my spouse,
And say we’re all stocked up ‘til fall.
No need to go out, of this there’s no doubt:
The best way to save dough’s to spend none at all!

(Renee Sekel, Cary)

I actually read this at my school's poetry night this spring, since everyone knows me as the coupon queen. -Lisa Mead (cary, nC)

Ode to Coupons
by Lisa Mead

Cut them with the Sunday news-
chicken, cheese, sometimes shoes;
Oh the riches I can reap
Even Clearasil on the cheap...
Coupons, how I love thee.

Coupons, coupons!

You saved my life,
made me frugal, a better wife;
Oh the joy of two for one
Charmin, Bounty... I saved a ton!
Coupons, how I love thee.

Coupons, my fascination!

Panty hose for short and tall,
a hundred bottles of bleach on the wall;
Oh, the rush of discounts
as dollars 'n dreams start to mount...
Coupons, how I love thee.

Coupons, my salvation!

What's that you say?
My credit card has met D-Day?
With all my financial savvy,
a thousand packs of biscuit gravy...
Coupons, you betrayed me!

I channeled Emily Dickinson, specifically "Because I could not stop for death..."

You can see the original poem here http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/stop.html and mine below.

Don't forget to sing it to the tune of "Yellow Rose of Texas":

For sure, I plan to shop to death
For bargains await me
From grocery carriage then to our shelves
All manner of freebies.

Out of my way, no time to waste
Double coupons today.
No labor; retail therapy
That I can get for free.

We’ll bypass the school, not the mall
Where registers ka-ching.
We’ll pass the office, skip the grind
We’ll pass up on the sun.

Rather, it sets on us.
Self tanner’s on sale at Wal-Mart
And I have a BOGO coupon.
We’ll be bronze by Sunday.

At Lowe’s, we’ll pause before a grill
And dream of roasting dogs
Then stop at Lowes for brats and beer
All nicely priced indeed.

And when the holiday fun ends
Our wallets will be full.
While others rue the cash they spent,
Our pennies we’ll have pinched and squeezed.

- Amy Joyner Buchanan
Greensboro, NC

From Harris Teeter to Lowes,

cutting coupons as my binder grows,

matching coupons with weekly fliers,

I won't perspire until coupons expire.

While racing down the aisle in search of Dial,

with rebate offer in hand for new ice cream brand.

It's just like getting paid by the hour,

keeping food in the fridge and soap in the shower.

There you have it, that's my plan,

get my groceries this weekend in couponland.

Shanetta D. Sanders-Gerald
Raleigh, NC

Here's another poem!

"Wal-Mart Wars"

I went to Wal-Mart, with coupons in tow,
To buy some frankfurters and keep the price low.
The franks were on special- just three bucks for two-
(I also got buns and some treats for my crew.)

I had a great coupon- one full dollar off-
But they rang up five bucks, and so with a small cough
I said, "Excuse me, but that's incorrect."
And at my request the prices they checked.

When at last they returned and conceded the price,
Even the manager said it was nice.
She finished my groceries and I went to leave,
But I am quite cautious and checked my receipt.

I noticed an error- for in all the delay,
The cashier had wrung up my hot dogs this way:
The right price was listed- of this I approved,
But the wrong price remained, and it must be removed…

So to customer service I rolled in a flash,
To point out the error and get back my cash.
Confusion ensued, and it took a long time,
But I was insistent- those five bucks were mine!

So as I am grilling and eating these franks,
I'll know I "took stock," and for that I'll give thanks.
We'll have a great party, with plenty to eat,
But the best thing of all is I'll know it was cheap!

-Shannon Rosengarth
Raleigh, NC

Fun idea Sue! Here's mine:

The pages of my coupon binder blow slowly in the breeze
I create as I shop with ease
The sales ad with it’s bright colors is firm in my grasp
I am focused on my task

I notice every sale tag
I buy charcoal by the bag
Buy one get one free
Hot Dogs on sale nourish me

My pulse quickens as I see
Buy two get three free
I fill my cart with beans and pork
Got a great coupon for plastic fork

M&Ms are a must
Also pick up remover of rust
Need to go to the ABC store
There’s a rebate for vodka to pour

Hamburg and Hot Dog Buns
I buy soda by the tons
Ice cream to cool off the heat
Food Lion has a better deal on meat

The coupons I bring they ring with a smile
Knowing the money I’ll save all the while
My final glorious moment comes
“You’ve saved $33.51”

~Sharon Dawson of Raleigh

LOL! Joe those are great!

OK, everyone... the bar has been set!

Keep the submissions coming! 

Full Name: Joe Peck
Town: Garner
My website: Green thinking

Howdy,

Here are some poems for the contest. I wrote two of them, hopefully that's not cheating. Feel free to abridge them as needed. I didn't go into too much detail on how I'll save money, I left that to the readers' limitless imaginations.

I hope these make your cut! Thanks for reading them.

A Farewell to Plaque
-----------------------------
Memorial Day
endless waves of free toothpaste
Say "Bye", tooth decay
-----------------------------

-----------------------------
Coupon Rap
-----------------------------
Sunday morning I wake up,
newspaper coupons I shake out,
collect them on the table
and my scissors will break up

The Redplum, the Smart Source,
maybe even a P&G,
'Cause I'm down for saving money
With my homey S-U-E

The Walgreens, CVS,
And even the Rite Aid,
They see me burst in the door
and they get afraid

I arrive home, triumphant,
full tote bags in both hands,
'cause I'm the illest couponeer (spelling?)
anywhere in the land.

- by Joe Peck