A tale of couponing and crazed women.

Normally Sunday morning or mid afternoon I like to pick up a Sunday paper to clip coupons. Thanks to FrugalCouponLiving.com I knew this past week the P&G coupon insert was expected to be in the paper; for all of you non- couponers it’s special because it only comes out every couple months and contains great coupons for many P&G products.
That afternoon at my mom’s house I noticed she was missing her P&G and when I asked her about it she swore up and down it was not there. She insisted coming with me to Publix to exchange her paper for one with the insert. Due to the Academy Awards we didn’t go to Publix until 9pm and once we started shifting through the papers we noticed something; half the papers were missing the Smart Source and the other half was missing both inserts. Not one paper had the P&G insert. I knew it was in there because not only did the FCL preview say it but I physically saw it that morning at my MIL house.
We brought the manager over and explained to her the situation only to find out something I feared; crazy couponers. Supposedly evil women who need to many boxes of pasta or get a sick thrill out of stealing to say they’ve saved money crazy if this is you then you should really rethink your thievery for the sake of a good spend/ save ratio women go up to the papers and steal out the inserts. Yeah you heard me…stealing coupons! I know it happens but I didn’t think it was this extreme….well…it gets worse.
We drive over to the Wendy’s parking lot knowing they have newspaper stands and found out all the papers are gone. We headed into the gas station next store and found out all their coupon inserts have been removed as well. At this point it’s not about saving the $5 worth of coupons but the curiosity of wondering WHERE ARE THE INSERTS has crept into our minds and we’ve unstoppable. We drive to two more gas stations in the area and find the same thing; Sunday paper with no coupons! It was getting late and after looking at each other and admitting our craziness we drove out separate ways home.
At this point I can only describe the story like the movie Willy Wonka; the part when all the kids are opening their chocolates and no one is finding the Golden Ticket. We’ve opened so many newspapers and no inserts could be found. Then Charley opens his chocolate bar in front of all his family with anticipation this it’s the one.
As I drove home I thought to myself how amazing it would be to pull into the last gas station on my route and find two papers with both inserts. I walk to the back of the store and grab all the papers they have left; I start shuffling through and find…. Nothing. Just like Charley I’m golden ticketless. However my mother is like the next part of the movie when she spots one more outside news stand and gives it a try. She puts her money in and opens the handle. Not only are their newspapers but she finds two newspaper filled with inserts. She is Charley, she has the golden ticket!
She calls me and all we can do is laugh; I turned my car around and met her half way between our houses to collect my beloved paper.
Originally the title was referring to the coupon stealers but as I re over what I just wrote it could go both ways…..